36 Signs You're Ready to Get Engaged

Photo: Sascha Reinking Photography

You spend so much time together you've essentially morphed into the same person—you’re probably ready to get engaged. Whether you’ve been together since you were kids or just met relatively recently, there are some pretty clear signs that you’re ready for an engagement—you just have to look for them!


1. You’re on each other’s family email chains and group texts.
2. Your gifts have gone from "luxury item you'd never buy for yourself and an elaborate treasure hunt to find it" to "hey here's something we need around the house and oops sorry I forgot to wrap it."
3. If her friends can't get in touch with her, they'll just text you. Same thing.
4. You actually can’t remember the last time you were invited to something as an individual rather than a unit.
5. You share a laundry bin, even if you're not actually living together.
6. You’re probably ready to get engaged if your friends and family aren't at all shy about asking when you guys are getting married (like, maybe they should be shyer...please make them be shyer).
7. You know each other’s passwords to basically everything.
8. His mom calls you more than she calls him.
9. The phrase “when we’re married...” regularly occurs in conversation.
10. You spend all of the holidays together.
11. You say “we/us” more often than “me/I.”
12. Her nieces and nephews call you “Uncle.”
13. You’ve adopted all of each other’s mannerisms and catch-phrases.
14. You could easily program her DVR to all her favorite shows without her help.
15. You've been known to accidentally nuzzle or loudly state a really weird inside joke while waiting in line for coffee or airport security because you forgot you were in public.
16. He would never remember to send his sister a birthday card if it weren’t for your reminders. Or his mother, for that matter.
17. You can casually say things like "let's please never name our child that" without creeping the other out.
18. You’re ready to get engaged if think he’s proposing every time you go on vacation together. Actually, basically every time he gets down to tie his shoe.
19. You've made up words together (or adopted one of the other's made up words) and use them so regularly in conversation you've forgotten they aren't actual words.
20. She’s automatically invited on your family vacations and vice versa.
21. Your secret Pinterest board is overflowing with engagement rings and dress ideas.
22. You barely notice each other’s bad habits anymore. What chronic nail biting?
23. You go out in public in your gross gray sweatsuit because you genuinely aren't trying to impress anyone anymore.
24. You’re not afraid to be totally weird in front of each other.
25. You've established a household routine/division of labor without ever having to actually discuss it.
26. You know exactly what the other one wants from the grocery store/convenience store without having to ask.
27. Your parents have accidentally referred to him/her as their son - or daughter-in-law.

28. You've each claimed your official side of the couch.
29. He can tell you that's a weird necklace and you can tell him you hate that T-shirt without any offense taken. And then you both continue to wear those things anyway and still think the other person is the cutest thing on the planet.
30. You know how many bites you're allowed to take of the other person’s meal before you've crossed the line.
31. You order the same dinner delivery every Sunday night and only need to say "should we call yet?" to know exactly what the other is referring to.
32. You’re ready to get engaged if you know exactly how long it's going to take the other to get ready for a night out and can plan accordingly.
33. You've taught the other a skill like golf, cookie baking, or Yahtzee! that you now enjoy together on the reg.
34. When her family asks, "have you heard this story before?" the answer is almost always "yes, but only 15 times."
35. You no longer wonder if a proposal is going to happen, but when you’re getting engaged or how you’ll get engaged.
36. You're recommending their favorite craft beer to your friends because it's the only kind you ever drink anymore.