A Long Engagement Isn't Always A Red Flag - 6 Benefits Of Waiting A Bit
Waiting, in general, sucks, especially if you are looking forward to your wedding day. But what if we told you that a long engagement might actually be a good thing when it comes to saying I do?
We are sure you can't wait to get started on your new life with your partner, and a long engagement might seem like a waste of time, but if you use this extra time to concentrate on your love for each other and to plan the perfect wedding, you'll have no regrets.
A long engagement is usually over 18 months — we know that sounds like a really long time, but it's important not to treat this waiting period as a red flag. Many couples stay engaged for long periods to get familiar with the idea of marrying their significant other, plus it comes with its list of benefits. So, if you're feeling insecure about the idea of a long engagement, we are here to convince you otherwise.
Celebrating your engagement
We go through life in phases, and rarely do we sit back and enjoy our current life stage. You move from being in a relationship to being engaged, and suddenly, you're married and retiring together. Having a long engagement will help you celebrate that unique phase in your life where you call your partner fiancée or fiancé.
If your wedding is less than six months from your engagement, you will likely be running around planning your special day. And as much as we love making our dreams a reality, we know that planning a wedding is no easy task. You're going to be under a lot of stress, and before you know it, the day has arrived, and you've missed out on the lovey-dovey moments an engagement brings.
Sounds terrifying, doesn't it? This is why you'll benefit from a more prolonged engagement. You'll have the time to bask in the glory of being engaged, be the envy of your friends as you flaunt your ring around, and, most importantly, celebrate your love as a couple looking forward to the next phase of life.
Planning the perfect day
Most of us dream of our wedding day even before we start longing for an ideal mate, so when you finally get around to making your dream wedding a reality, you should do it with all the time you can possibly get. And time is what a longer engagement will give you.
We are sure you already have a Pinterest board full of ideas for your wedding, from decorations to the kind of cutlery you want; however detailed your board may be, you can use your longer engagement to explore other aesthetics and ideas. Maybe you'd end up going a totally different way, so this extra time will buy you no regrets when it comes to planning the perfect day.
But if your canvas is blank, and you have no idea which way to go, you will benefit greatly from a longer engagement. You'll be able to catch up with all the trends and aesthetics out there and pick the perfect one for you.
Time to save up
Weddings don't go easy on your wallet, and the moment the question is popped, the expenses start rolling in. But if you are willing to have a longer engagement, the money doesn't have to come all at once. You can use the extra time you have to save up for the big day, and you won't feel the financial pressure as much as you would with a shorter engagement.
In addition to giving you the time to save up, a more extended engagement will help you cut expenses. For example, you won't have to pay extra to get things done faster, and you'll have more than enough time to think through purchases.
Finances are a big topic in any relationship, and spending your engagement saving up together will help you understand how your partner handles their money. This will benefit your relationship in the long run.
A smoother transition
Being engaged is not the same as a marriage; it's also not the same as dating. Sure, you may have discussed marriage while dating, but that was without a ring of certainty. When you're engaged, you get the chance to envision what it would be like to be married to your significant other. Giving yourself and your partner a longer engagement will also help you to see your role as a married person. This will help you ease yourself into the complicated yet beautiful realm that is marriage.
Take this time to talk to your partner about finances, kids, household roles, and other complex topics. Remember that you're not married yet, and having these conversations during your engagement can save you a lot of hurt in the future. So, make sure to use your long engagement to get used to the idea of having your partner around for the rest of your life.
More parties, more gifts
A longer engagement could indicate an engagement party and a wedding shower, meaning more gifts. The entire period would be a celebration of you and your spouse-to-be, where you'll be showered with parties and gifts, and this should be enough for you to believe in long engagements.
Furthermore, having more parties will allow you to be more flexible when it comes to your wedding guests. If you want a more intimate wedding with fewer guests, you can split the guests between the wedding and the wedding shower, and this way, there won't be any bad feelings. And, if you want a grander wedding with a more intimate wedding shower, you can do so with zero trouble since you'll have the time to plan big.
Although your engagement isn't about gifts and parties, there is nothing wrong with enjoying presents. If your engagement party, wedding shower, and wedding day are in close proximity to one another, your guests might resort to one meaningful gift for all three occasions. This beats the hurried purchases with which we're all so familiar.
No compromises
Your wedding day should be as perfect as it can be, and if you have the patience to go through a long engagement, you can say goodbye to some of the compromises that come with weddings. For example, if you want to wait for a loved one to come from abroad or hold off on your dream venue to become available, you can do so by extending your engagement. And you can be on the lookout for fantastic honeymoon deals and destinations that don't come around often. So, wait a bit, and you won't have any regrets in the future.
A long engagement is in no way a red flag and is definitely something to consider. If you are willing to wait a bit, you will get to celebrate your engagement, plan the big day to perfection, save up, ease yourself into marriage, enjoy the parties, and say no to the compromises that rear their disheartening heads.