when is it time to get engaged
No two couples will choose precisely the same time to get engaged. Some people feel you should do it at a certain point in the relationship, while others might choose an earlier or later moment. It’s going to depend on several factors.
Before you start looking into engagement ring loans and try to find the right venue, we should talk about when the right time might be to officially get engaged. We’ll approach the topic from several different viewpoints.
The Religious Approach
Some people take their religion quite seriously. If you do, then regardless of your particular belief structure or denomination, you’ll likely feel you should remain chaste until you get married. You might be okay with a goodnight kiss, but other than that, you stay strictly celibate.
If you want to become more intimate with the person you’re dating, that might be the time to discuss where the relationship is going. If you both agree you’re a good match and you’re both what the other person is looking for in a life partner, then you might get engaged at that time.
The Romantic Approach
Maybe you’ve been dating someone for some time, and you two are getting closer. You’ve said those three crucial words, “I love you,” and the other person has said it back.
If so, then you might mutually decide that you want to get married as a way of publicly declaring your undying love and devotion to each other. In that instance, one of you will likely pick out a particularly romantic time to pop the question.
If one of you proposes, and the other one accepts, then you might spend some time enjoying your engagement before you get married. You might even decide to cohabitate before you make things official. That way, you’ll know what it’s like to live with this person, and you’ll see whether you’re compatible when you both reside under the same roof.
The Practical Approach
Some people who have more modern sensibilities already cohabitate before they’re married. That sort of thing is much more accepted now than it once was.
Two people might live in the same house, love each other, and be totally committed to one another. However, a situation might arise when one person gets a job where they can get health insurance, and their spouse can as well.
Two people in this situation who did not necessarily intend to get married might get engaged when they learn that a spouse can get on the other person’s health insurance. Health insurance matters so much that you might go from the engagement stage right into the ceremony very quickly if it means getting coverage for both of you.
How Long Should You Wait Before Getting Engaged?
There’s no set time that you should wait before getting engaged. Each couple must make up their own minds.
However, most sensible individuals will feel that they should wait a minimum of a few months after they meet their significant other. If you get engaged any faster than that, it might seem too impulsive.
Most people will want to wait 1-2 years before getting engaged. If you feel beyond a doubt that you’ve met the person of your dreams, though, you might do it faster than that.
How Early is Too Early to Get Engaged?
Similarly, no two couples will follow the same trajectory regarding how early they think it is to get engaged or announce their engagement. You can usually take a common sense approach with it, though.
If you’re smitten, and you feel like you’re getting close to asking someone to marry you, ask yourself a few questions first. How much of their background do you know? Have you agreed about where you’ll live and what you’ll do for money once you get married? Are you on the same page with religious and political beliefs?
If you haven’t discussed any of these things yet, it’s probably too early in the relationship to discuss a possible engagement or marriage.
Different People Will Choose Various Moments
Couples choose different moments and have various motivations for getting engaged and married. One couple might get engaged if they’re religious and want to become more intimate. If their faith dictates they should get married before they progress to any physical intimacy, that might be a driving factor.
Others might get engaged once they know they love each other and desire to be together for the rest of their lives. They might get engaged and eventually married as a way to show the world the way they truly feel.
One more option is the practical approach. A couple might get engaged and married because they can both get health insurance through a job that one of them holds. Some might even get engaged and eventually married because of the tax benefits or because they want the gifts that their relatives will undoubtedly give them.
None of these approaches is wrong. If you feel you’re getting more serious about someone, you might start thinking about getting engaged. Any of these motivations or a completely different one might be an acceptable reason to pop the question and start planning your married life together.