So what exactly is the reality of a long engagement? The reality is that it will go by much quicker than you imagined.
Chris proposed on April 22, 2017 and we settled on September 21, 2018 for our wedding date. We knew we wanted a fall wedding and fall of 2017 was too close to be a serious option.
I remember counting out the months. 17 months?! That’s practically two years (it’s not, but felt like it at the time) and I told myself that it was ok. I’d have plenty of time to plan and could stretch things out to make it less overwhelming.
Which we did . . . kinda. We booked our venue, photographer, and caterer (three vendors we had very strong feelings about and wanted to make sure we got who we wanted!) all within the first 3-5 months of being engaged but then we pulled back and took things a little slower for the rest of the year.
At one point, I looked at Chris while we sat together on the sofa on New Year’s Eve (sick as dogs with whatever was attacking everyone this winter) and realized it was our wedding year. No longer did I have to say next September when someone asked when the big day would be, I could finally say, September! It was also at that point when I realized we had less than nine months to plan almost an entire wedding. Until then I truly felt like we had two years.
Since January we’ve booked all of our major vendors with the exception of two. The calligrapher is addressing our invitations, we’re picking out rings, and the wedding is really starting to look cohesive! The to-do list is still pretty long but things are moving finally and I’m happy with where we are in the planning process.
How has eleven months since the proposal gone by so quickly? I feel like I blinked and it was already 2018. The saying is true: The days feel long but the weeks and months fly by. So enjoy your engagement no matter how long or short it is because you’ll be walking down the aisle before you know it!
