The Perfect Wedding Timeline: From Proposal To 'I Do'!

There is no real rule of thumb about how long to wait after proposing before getting married. Brides.com suggests that most weddings are a year or eighteen months after the engagement. Van Wyck & Van Wyck founder Bronson Van Wyck says that 12 to 15 months allows couples to enjoy the wonderful halo of that time together but not lose sight of their future marriage or momentum in the wedding planning process. Therapist Jeannie K-Suh, MA, LPC, married her husband only three months after he proposed.

Average engagement length is 12-18 months

The average engagement length is 12-18 months. However, this is not a rule and it depends on the couple's preferences and how much planning is needed. Brides.com suggests that most weddings are a year or eighteen months after the engagement. The Knot Real Weddings Study found that the average engagement length for U.S. couples was 15 months.

Brides.com also suggests that you wait three weeks or a month after the engagement before you jump into planning a wedding. This gives you time to revel in your engagement, but not too long so you don’t lose momentum.

Van Wyck & Van Wyck says that 12 to 15 months allows couples to enjoy the wonderful halo of that time together but not lose sight of their future marriage or momentum in the wedding planning process.

WestmountCC says that while research shows the average length of engagement for most couples in the United States is between 12-18 months, you shouldn’t let this influence your decision. Some couples have shorter engagements and others wait closer to two years before tying the knot.

Burgh Brides says that the average length of an engagement in the U.S. is a year to a year and a half, but that doesn’t mean that 12 – 18 months is the right amount of time for YOU. Some couples are quite content with (and capable of) planning their dream wedding in just a few short weeks. Contrarily, other couples want to save up money for a while or are simply in no rush to take that walk down the aisle.

Most weddings are a year or 18 months after engagement

There is no real rule of thumb about when you should get married after you get engaged. Brides.com suggests that most weddings are a year or eighteen months after the engagement. That’s why so many engagements happen in the winter months, they said. They also suggest you wait three weeks or a month after the engagement before you jump into planning a wedding. Your wedding planning timeline will also vary according to other things going on in your life, such as waiting until a graduation or relocation. Wanting a wedding in a certain season – such as a Halloween or Christmas season wedding – may also affect your wedding planning timeline.

Your engagement should be as long or as short as you and your partner want (or need) it to be. A number of factors will play into how long your engagement is, from when your dream venue is available to what your work schedules look like to whether you need extra time to save up for your big day. Therapist Jeannie K-Suh, MA, LPC, married her husband only three months after he proposed. “I was super efficient at making decisions because I had little time to think about options, but it wasn’t easy pulling things together so quickly,” she says.

The average couple is engaged for 13 months, and we think that’s a great timeframe if you can make it work. We recommend waiting about three weeks before jumping into wedding planning. This gives you time to revel in your engagement, but not too long so you don’t lose momentum. Bronson Van Wyck, founder of Van Wyck & Van Wyck, says, “I think 12 to 15 months allows couples to enjoy the wonderful halo of that time together but not lose sight of their future marriage or momentum in the wedding planning process, that might be the perfect fit for you and your partner, and an engagement of that length is a great balance.”

It’s more about the couple's preference and how much planning is needed. Your wedding planning timeline will also vary according to other things going on in your life, such as waiting until a graduation or relocation. Wanting a wedding in a certain season – such as a Halloween or Christmas season wedding – may also affect your wedding planning timeline. Yes! I always thought that when we got engaged we would marry within 12-18 months but then my fiancé proposed in November 2020 and we decided to err to the side of caution with COVID so have ended up with a wedding date just over two and a half years from when we got engaged. It's been nice to enjoy the engagement and take our time planning but sometimes I can't believe there's still so long until the actual wedding!

Brides.com suggests waiting 3 weeks or a month before planning

Brides.com suggests that most weddings are a year or eighteen months after the engagement. However, it also suggests that you wait three weeks or a month after the engagement before you jump into planning a wedding. This gives you time to enjoy the engagement and not lose momentum in the wedding planning process.

The average couple is engaged for 13 months, and this is a great timeframe if you can make it work. However, your wedding planning timeline will also vary according to other things going on in your life, such as waiting until a graduation or relocation.

Bronson Van Wyck, founder of Van Wyck & Van Wyck, says that 12 to 15 months allows couples to enjoy the wonderful halo of that time together but not lose sight of their future marriage or momentum in the wedding planning process.

Your engagement should be as long or as short as you and your partner want (or need) it to be. A number of factors will play into how long your engagement is, from when your dream venue is available to what your work schedules look like to whether you need extra time to save up for your big day.

Planning timeline varies depending on life events and season

There is no real rule of thumb about when you should get married after you get engaged. Brides.com suggests that most weddings are a year or eighteen months after the engagement. That’s why so many engagements happen in the winter months, they said. They also suggest you wait three weeks or a month after the engagement before you jump into planning a wedding. Your wedding planning timeline will also vary according to other things going on in your life, such as waiting until a graduation or relocation. Wanting a wedding in a certain season – such as a Halloween or Christmas season wedding – may also affect your wedding planning timeline.

Your engagement should be as long or as short as you and your partner want (or need) it to be. A number of factors will play into how long your engagement is, from when your dream venue is available to what your work schedules look like to whether you need extra time to save up for your big day. Therapist Jeannie K-Suh, MA, LPC, married her husband only three months after he proposed. “I was super efficient at making decisions because I had little time to think about options, but it wasn’t easy pulling things together so quickly,” she says.

The average couple is engaged for 13 months, and we think that’s a great timeframe if you can make it work. We recommend waiting about three weeks before jumping into wedding planning. This gives you time to revel in your engagement, but not too long so you don’t lose momentum. Bronson Van Wyck, founder of Van Wyck & Van Wyck, says, “I think 12 to 15 months allows couples to enjoy the wonderful halo of that time together but not lose sight of their future marriage or momentum in the wedding planning process, that might be the perfect fit for you and your partner, and an engagement of that length is a great balance.”

If you can be extremely flexible on what you want because so many places will be booked with rescheduled weddings. Yes! I always thought that when we got engaged we would marry within 12-18 months but then my fiancé proposed in November 2020 and we decided to err to the side of caution with COVID so have ended up with a wedding date just over two and a half years from when we got engaged. It's been nice to enjoy the engagement and take our time planning but sometimes I can't believe there's still so long until the actual wedding!

Engagement length is a couple's preference and amount of planning

The average couple is engaged for 13 months, and this is considered a great timeframe if you can make it work. Therapist Jeannie K-Suh, MA, LPC, married her husband only three months after he proposed. She says, "I was super efficient at making decisions because I had little time to think about options, but it wasn’t easy pulling things together so quickly."

Reddit user I says that they thought they would marry within 12-18 months but then their fiancé proposed in November 2020 and they decided to err to the side of caution with COVID so have ended up with a wedding date just over two and a half years from when they got engaged.

Your wedding planning timeline will also vary according to other things going on in your life, such as waiting until a graduation or relocation. Wanting a wedding in a certain season – such as a Halloween or Christmas season wedding – may also affect your wedding planning timeline.

Frequently asked questions