How long were you with your SO before you got engaged?

Before we met. It was an arranged marriage.

We had been dating for about 4 years before we got engaged, and then married 2 years later at the age of 20. We've been married 5 years so far and no complaints. For me it just felt like a natural progression of the relationship. Best of luck to you two!

We're in similar boats! I've known my boyfriend for going on 7 years, and we've been dating for about 4.5. We live together, have a dog, are graduating with our MAs next spring, and will be moving together to get our PhDs (if we get accepted, lol) next summer. We're married in every way except on paper. I'm impatient too, mainly because my previous boyfriend was also serious and we were planning on getting married (he bought the ring, but his father made him take it back as we were both seniors in high school, and I bought my wedding dress), so I've been ready to settle down for something like 7 or 8 years. My boyfriend is right, though, as we don't have the money for a wedding right now, let alone a ring; even though I'd be happy with something cheap and upgrade later, he refuses to go that route.

Patience is the key, my friend. If he's worth waiting for, just be patient.

We got engaged about 4 years after we met. Got married 5 years after we met - to the day.

I've been with my boyfriend 6 1/2 years now, even though we are younger (about to be 22 and 23) I really feel like it's time to take next steps in our relationship. We're planning to buy a house within the next year and I'd really like to either be engaged or married by then. I find that everyday more of my friends are engaged or moving in with their boyfriend/girlfriends I just hate that we aren't at the next step yet. **Edited to include that this is merely an observation, not that I think we should be at the same point or compare our relationships to other people. I know that ours is much different than others and I respect that I just feel like it is time for us to be taking next steps.

So, how long were you with your SO before getting engaged?

Hubby and I have a unique situation...

We have been together for a little over 17 years now. Our oldest child is going to be 16.5 next month. He was born about 6 weeks BEFORE our one year dating anniversary. We officially moved in together just days before our son was born.

we had another child 4 years later...and when she was almost a year old we got married. There wasn't really a proposal or an engagement. he wanted a new truck and told me "we can drive it to the court house to get married...." the truck came home, we got married within the month. We had a tiny wedding with less than 12 guests, the ceremony performed by a family friend.

Met in junior high...1994...
First date = August 31, 2002
Engaged = May 11, 2003
Married = March 27, 2004

So, we met 7 years before we ever dated...we were together for less than 9 months before he proposed, engaged a little over 10 months before the wedding. I was 21 & he was 22 when we said I do. Of course, that was over 8 years ago now. We've had our rough times (any couple who says it's been bliss all the time is lying), but we're better people because of each other. I love him more today than the day we married. I'll also add that we never lived together or even spent the night together until we were married.

Of course, what worked for us might not work for another couple. This is just our "story" in a quick summary. :happy:

been with my SO a little over 7 years. no proposal yet. we started dating when we were 21, and moved in together after college, so lived together almost 6 years. he completes me - LOL, but i'm serious. he makes me happy every single minute of every single day. i have no doubt that he feels the same about me. we have an amazing life together.

my motto: if it aint broke, don't fix it!

I don't put too much stock in marriage - it is a piece of paper given to you by the government approving your relationship. I don't need someone to approve my relationship and I've gotten used to the "why aren't you two married" comments. I'm not a religious person, so that doesn't come into play. Besides, there was always an expectation in my family that marriage = kids and my Sweetie and I decided early on that we would not be having children. So, as of July 1st we will have been together for 19 years and we're not engaged yet! Although we've talked about marriage recently simply so I can add him to my health insurance. My employer doesn't offer coverage to "domestic partners" and we're not getting any younger.

Actually, the purpose of marraige in the legal sense isn't so that the government can approve the relationship. It is actually more like a business partnership. The marraige contract protects you the same way a contract does in any other sense. I would never dream of going into a business and purchasing a building, hiring employees, taking out a line of credit and signing letters of guarantee with a business partner unless I knew that I had some legal protection in case my business partner/s decided to just walk out and leave me financially ruined.

I always wonder why couples are willing to move in together, purchase homes and cars, have children and pool their money into one checking account and then don't see the need to get married. At least with a marraige contract, while divorce is possible both parties have the protections a contract provides.

Not very romantic, but you're absolutely right!

We were together 5 years before we got married.

Ok so talked for 3 months, started officially dating only each other on Sept. 8, 2007 I was 19 and he was 26. I ended up needing a place to live 2 weeks later and ended up moving in with him "temporarily" which turned into us buying a house in March of 2009!! Lol!! Had a wonderful baby girl Sept of 2010, and the Saturday after Valentine's day he took me to buy a ring. Never asked me to marry him, just said here's your ring... So romantic right?? Lol!! I love him he just isn't good at the romantic stuff, but I haven't really started planning our wedding we just want to be married before our little girl starts kindergarten.

together a little over a year - we have bben married for 41 years!

A year and a half

ditto

My fiancee and I were together for 5 years before he asked me to marry him. We got handfasted this March (after another year and a half) and will get married by law next March.

Amber

met in Sept 2010, started dating immediately, and engaged in April 2012. Wedding planned for October 2013.