Some Thoughts on a Long Engagement

The length of an engagement is a very interesting concept to me.  It varies so much by couple, and it's such an individual choice.  We talked about our wedding date (well, roughly...more like our wedding season) before we even got engaged.  Once I had Spring of 2011 stuck in my head, it didn't matter when we got engaged.  I have a friend who had similar thoughts, though her thinking landed her with a very different engagement length.  She and her now-fiance planned to get married in August of 2010.  They made this decision well before August, but when the proposal didn't come until April, they ended up with only a 4-month engagement.

Now, I would not have been able to handle a 4-month engagement.  She, on the other hand, can't imagine having an engagement as long as ours.  Having a long engagement has had several advantages for us.  First of all, we're on a pretty tight budget.  The fact that we've had plenty of time to shop around and find the best deals has definitely been helpful.  Also, it's allowed us to focus more on everything else that's going on in our lives right now (not much really, just graduating, taking the bar/boards, and starting our careers).  We still have plenty of time for wedding planning, without forcing everything else to be put on the back burner.

I have noticed, though, that an engagement longer than a year seems to invite a lot of comments from the peanut gallery.  I've heard all sorts of advice and suggestions regarding our engagement length and frankly, I just don't see why it's such a source of criticism.  The comment that caught me the most by surprise was, "Aren't you afraid people will forget about it by then?" Maybe it's just me, but I'm not so selfish that I need people to be CONSTANTLY thinking about our wedding up until the big day.  No, they're not going to forget about it; it just won't be on their mind the entire time, which I think is perfectly appropriate.  Conversely, I'm sure my friend with the 4-month engagement hears her own fair share of criticism.  You can't please everyone.  The sooner we brides accept that, the sooner our planning process becomes much easier.

The best part of a 20-month engagement?  The pre-anniversary.  Hey, I'll take any excuse for a celebration.  Give me a reason and I'll make a holiday out of it!  April 2, 2010 was an absolutely gorgeous day in Atlanta.  If that day is half as beautiful in 2011 as it was in 2010, I'll be thrilled.  We took Lion Corgi for an extra long walk as we gazed upon just-budding trees and smelled the new spring air.  We made a delicious dinner, followed by a big night in featuring some Netflix and some baking:

Personal photo: CUPCAKES!

We talked about how much we were looking forward to our wedding day, and we joked (in our usual corny manner) about, "Hey what are you doing this time next year?  Wanna meet for lunch with some friends?"

Engagement length is a personal decision, and I think everyone chooses what works for them.  For us, dragging out something this fun seemed like a good choice.  How about you?