In your late twenties and early thirties, you've reached an age where you've experienced enough life and relationships to have an idea of what you're looking for in a partner. You've most likely completed your
About 2.2% of Americans get engaged under the age of 20, 74% in their 20s, 15% in their mid-30s (30-34), and about 8% at the age of 35 or older.
“It's best to wait until at least 3-6 months to see if the feelings you have are for real or just a fading spark of lust. You need to have emotional and rational feelings towards one another.” However, award-winning relationship expert Sarah Louise Ryan said that it's never too soon.
One in five people (20%) say that couples should generally date for 12-18 months before getting engaged. Another 15% say they should date for 18-24 months, while another 15% think two to three years of dating is ideal. Women tended to be more slightly cautious than men.
Earnshaw offers a shorter time frame—she says people typically date for about two years on average before getting engaged—but she emphasizes that every relationship is different. "I have worked with couples who have gotten engaged within six months and those that have waited much, much longer."
Most couples date for two or more years before getting engaged, with many dating anywhere from two to five years. Once the question is popped, the average length of engagement is between 12 and 18 months.
How long should you wait before proposing? Here's the thing—there is no right or wrong timeframe for when to propose. The important thing is that you and your partner are on the same page about your future together. Good communication is key, and so are having regular check-ins about your relationship.
“The ideal age to get married, with the least likelihood of divorce in the first five years, is 28 to 32,” says Carrie Krawiec, a marriage and family therapist at Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, Michigan. “Called the 'Goldilocks theory,' the idea is that people at this age are not too old and not too young.”
Two years out is more than enough time to plan a wedding. A year is far more common, and less than a year is even more common than that nowadays. More than 50 percent of the more than 500 couples I've work for have planned and executed their weddings in less than nine months.
Our deep dive into the average American engagement revealed that the average engaged couple is 23 to 27 years old and has been dating for an average of 13 to 18 months.
Personal Space spoke to Dr. Jane Greer about why some people feel the need to get hitched (or engaged) right away. “I think if people are getting engaged quickly, they want the security and stability that comes with marriage,” she explains. “They want someone who will love and care for them.
When it comes to who should propose, many people still follow the traditional model where men do all the heavy lifting; surveys have shown that women proposed in only around five percent of heterosexual married couples.
The truth of the matter is that there is no right or wrong length of time to wait to get engaged. Some couples wait six years before making it official, while others date for just six months—it all depends on your unique circumstances.
Still, a woman proposing to a man remains an incredibly rare occurrence, as it was when Warren proposed to Mann. In 1980, when the pair married, marriage rituals had certainly been undergoing some changes, most of which were aimed at making making married partnerships more egalitarian.
From the mid-1970s until 2018 there was a steady and ongoing increase in the median age of men and women at first marriage. This upward trend halted between 2018 and 2020 but continued again in 2021. In 2021 the median age of men was 30.8 years, and women 29.4 years.
According to The Knot 2021 Engagement and Jewelry Study, the average relationship length before getting married is two (or more) years. This was true for roughly 70% of the couples surveyed, which means approximately 30% of couples got engaged in less than two years.
There is no best age to get married that applies to everyone. You're never too old for it, and while it's very possible to get married before you're ready, it's often not necessarily because you're too young to marry.
Start by telling your mom you want to propose to your significant other. This is a huge step in your life and you should start by sharing it with her. Not close with your mom? This will bring you closer and establish a new, adult relationship/friendship with mom.
How Would a Man React to a Woman Proposing to Him? You may worry though: But how would a man feel about being proposed to? In one survey of 500 men, 70% said they'd be psyched if a woman proposed! So you may be surprised how many men would love the idea.