I was reading through our discussion forum today, and took a look at the topic, Getting Engaged. Specifically, I spent a little time (and even added a post) to the thread, How Long Were You Engaged Before You Had Your Ceremony?
Of the folks who have posted a response to our poll, 22% say they were engaged for less than a year, and 56% said that they were engaged for 1-2 years. Granted, we've only got a small sample from which to judge, but I'm thinking that this is probably pretty accurate.
My engagement was a long one. About 4 years long. I wonder how much of that has to do with the fact that we declared on our intent for each other and planned our wedding long before it was de riguer. We were slowed down by our worries about getting family on board and finding just the right place for our ceremony. Is it different today?
It strikes me that couples may generally have shorter engagements these days because, when they offer a statement that they intend to wed, they really do mean that the plan to have a ceremony, rather than that they plan to "be together" in a non-ritualisticly-defined way.
If you're interested in helping me test this theory, vote in our poll or post a comment below.