Engagement length and wedding planning

Thanks everyone for your input. Even though, obviously, everyone's situations are different due to personal reasons, it's still nice to hear what other people have done and how it has worked out for them.

I am definitely not set on a date. I am totally a "find a date that fits the venue" rather than a "venue that fits the date" person. But I also know that I don't want a winter wedding or a dead of summer wedding as well. So May/June is what I am looking at. I would love a fall wedding but then I feel like it is too close to my brother's date and I don't want to have a 2 year engagement to wait until Fall of 2013.

The types of venues we are looking at are small Bed and Breakfast type Inns, preferably something dog friendly so that our dog can join us in our weekend wedding festivities. He is our furbaby so it's very important to me that he is there, especially for our wedding photos.

Continued... Luckily we have found a couple of places that fit the bill AND still have availability for my timeframe so as long as I like the place as much in person as I think I do 400 miles away then hopefully things will fall in place.

I'm entertaining all ideas but when it all boils down, my heart really is set on late spring/early summer of next year.

If you really want to get married next spring/early summer, then you should do it! Have you considered hiring a wedding planner? If you can afford one, it may make the planning from a distance process a bit easier.

I don't know your personal situation but could you possibly do late October Wedding? or Early November, If your brother is getting married in September 2 months should be enough time in between. If thats what you REALLLLLLLLLLLLY want you shouldn't have to settle!

Sorry for the double post!!!! Darn computer!

Engaged: 9/15/2010

Wedding: 10/13/2012

I agree with Stephanie Z. Location first, then date.

And again with the dumb computer, UGH Sorry guys.

My FH and I got engaged in March of 2011. We set a date for July 2012. We live in Michigan and are getting married in NYC. I've had such an easy-going time since we are having our ceremony in central park. The only planning we had to really do was pick a spot in the park and pick a restaurant for dinner. We are also doing a tour of the city for our guests on the double decker bus. No flowers or a dj needed... It's perfect and just our style. Honestly the most stressful part of ours the constant questions from family members about where they should stay haha.

My FH and I got engaged on July 7, 2011 and we are getting married on May 12, 2012 so just about ten months out from our engagement date. We've been together for over four and half years when we got engaged and didn't feel that we needed to draw out our engagement since we are already living together and feel married. We are having a majority of our wedding paid for by my parents. I also have funding from my Grandmother who passed away earlier this year.

I understand the wanting to get married quickly. It can be a wonderful experience but it's also very stressful. I have only been engaged a few months but we will have been together 3 years this new years and been living together for over two!

My advice is to not rush things. You guys are going to be together forever, right? Make it a day you will never forget, on a day you really want and it won't make you uncomfortable!

Congrates and best wishes!

Date we were engaged: 11/24/10, date we chose wedding date: 1/22/11, final wedding date: 12/12/11

so while our engagement is technically over a year, we planned it all in about 10 months, and it was doable!

FH and I got engaged on 5/26/11 and are getting married 10/22/11 ... so a little less than 5 months between. I'm a wedding planner though, so for me, planning this in 5 months was super easy. FH and my family wanted us to have a shorter engagement. The only thing I personally feared were the dresses (i.e. my wedding dress, the flower girl dresses and my bridal party dresses) as I know that sometimes it can take up to 6 months to get them ordered. Luckily I bought a sample dress, and the dresses my girls choose were here 2 months prior to the wedding. If you decide to have a shorter engagement, I highly recommend hiring on a wedding planner to help you. They will easily find the best deals and work within your budget. I honestly don't think it's necessary to have a long engagement...having a longer one gives you more time to second guess your choices and find more things to add to your wedding day that you might be able to afford.

We got engaged late February and were married May 21st. We had a situation similar to yours, had been together and lived together for years, shared finances, purchased vehicles together....So we did not see the point in waiting. I was so excited to be married to him!

Having a less than 3 month engagement was a little stressful, but neither of us wanted anything elaborate, and we knew we just wanted family and close friends. We settled quickly on a state park as our venue, which made it easy to book (and cheap! only $45!) on short notice. We found a great officiant in the area who was available as well. We also were requesting that no one bring gifts, so that was not an issue either.

We were able to put together our perfect wedding and had a blast on our big day!

Engaged: 5/14/11

wedding: 4/14/12

My engagement is going to be 11 months long.

I actually didn't even think about the length of it. I just knew I wanted to get married on a saturday in April.

If he'd propsoed sooner, I would have planned a wedding for April 2011, I think.

But this works out best anyway for several reasons.

The 14th falls on a saturday and 14 is our lucky #, and that would not have happened like that if we'd gotten married earlier or later.

So I am happy with how things worked out, and I think a year is a reasonable time to be enagaged. I have always thought so.

Engaged: 5/14/11

wedding: 4/14/12

My engagement is going to be 11 months long.

I actually didn't even think about the length of it. I just knew I wanted to get married on a saturday in April.

If he'd propsoed sooner, I would have planned a wedding for April 2011, I think.

But this works out best anyway for several reasons.

The 14th falls on a saturday and 14 is our lucky #, and that would not have happened like that if we'd gotten married earlier or later.

So I am happy with how things worked out, and I think a year is a reasonable time to be enagaged. I have always thought so.

We had a 6 month engagement...engaged june 20, married jan. 8. it worked great for us.

Mine was slightly yes than a year. I will say many of my friends in NC and SC seem to have 6-9 month engagements - everyone gets engaged around xmas or NYE and wants a June or September wedding LOL.

From talking to one friend the top venues were full but she still had quiet a few options.

Thanks everyone. I'm starting to feel confirmed that I can do this in 8 months (as long as venue/vendor availability line up to my advantage)

I guess it's also important to note that I am lucky in that I am not tied down by a full time job. I substitute teach as I continue my search for the elusive full time teaching job in my area. At the end of the summer, I was bummed about entering another school year without a full time job, but then after I got engaged I was relieved knowing it would make planning my wedding that much easier, especially since I'll be doing it from out of state. Thankfully I have the luxury that I can drop everything and make trips down for vendors/planning and whatnot and not have to worry about taking time off. The flexibility will be nice.

It sounds like we are in a similar relationship as you and your FH. We have been together for almost 6 years... living together for 4 of those years, have 2 dogs, own a house together, ect.... We got engaged March 19, 2011 and our wedding date is June 16, 2012... so 15 months.

I don't think it matters how long you are together... some people want to get it done quick and some need time to save money/ get things together. Depends how much free time you have.

I am in my second year of full time teaching and I really don't have much free time. I really need all the time I allowed myself!

and I am glad we went with our date... we know about 10 couples getting married in Fall 2012 so I am glad we are going in June instead of getting caught up in all of the fall weddings.

Good luck! Use your time wisely!

We got engaged 17 August 2011 and we are getting married 14 September 2013. We decided to have a long engagement for two reasons: (1) I won't finish my new studies until end of 2012 and (2) we live interstate from the wedding, and originally we thought we would be planning from a distance, but now we are moving there instead hehe.