Exact Answer: 2 to 4 years
Dating is the phase when the individual involved in a relationship get to know each other. It is also known as the courting period when each individual gets acquainted with the likes, dislikes, interests, and disinterests of the other. The phenomenon of dating has become an essential part of the romantic process of matchmaking in the modern era.
Marriage is a long-term commitment that couples enter into after being a part of a successful and happy relationship. Through matrimony, a couple is joined together for eternity. Marriage is a lifelong commitment and thus, the decision to enter into marriage must be made after prolonged examination and thorough thinking.
How Long After Dating Should You Get Married?
There is no standard timeline for waiting when it comes to dating, engagement, and marriage. As such, there exists no ‘normal’ time frame that determines the perfect span for dating and then getting married. One cannot rely on a foolproof method of identifying the correct time to get hitched. However, it is possible to devise an overall average from research conducted in this arena.
Most studies suggest that people dating each other tend to enter into marriage within 2 to 4 years of the commencement of the wooing process. The dating period continues for about a year or two. If the couple in question thinks their relationship is getting serious and they wish to commit to each other through marriage, this stage is followed by an engagement.
The engagement period is the most variable stage in-between the dating and marriage phases. For some couples, the engagement period is longer than others. Some may wish to keep it short and get married quickly. However, again there is no stringent rule that indicates the right time to transform an engagement into a marriage.
Those couples that wish for a shorter engagement period might get married within a year of beginning to date one another. While others may wish to invest more time in getting to know each other before entering into holy matrimony. In such cases, the dating and engagement period, prior to the marriage is much longer. However, it is only on the rarest of occasions that couples remain engaged or date for longer than 5 years before getting married.
In Summary:
| Length of Engagement | Time Frame |
| Short Engagement | 2 years from when they start dating |
| Long Engagement | 4 years from when they start dating |
Why Should A Person Wait This Long After Dating To Get Married?
The idea of waiting for a sufficient amount of time before one commits to marriage is quite fruitful. This is primarily because the couple must get to know each other thoroughly before they enter into a lifelong journey together.
It is important to understand all the facets of the person you propose to share your life with. Getting acquainted with the real personalities and selves of individuals outside the ‘romance phase’ or the ‘honeymoon period’ of the initial days in a relationship is important. This helps both partners realize whether or not they are well-suited for each other.
Moreover, some couples may have a longer engagement after they begin to date because of certain contingencies like employment opportunities or educational considerations. People may have to remain away from their partners for a while because of these activities.
Similarly, some couples have to wait until they receive their educational degree or secure enough finances to fund a wedding and the life afterward. In such cases, marriage gets inevitably delayed, even though the couple would want to get hitched at the earliest.
On the other hand, some couples may be extremely sure of their choice within the first 6 months of dating. If they have no other prior commitments that pull them away from the prospect of marriage, they may enter into matrimony quite early. This may mean that they get married within a year of starting to date each other.
However, it is always better to wait for at least a year or two before getting married to the person one is dating. This average window allows the person enough time to understand the nuances of his or her partner quite thoroughly.
Conclusion
Dating is a subjective phenomenon. The period of courtship can vary significantly for each couple. Their comforts as to the length of the period may also vary. Marriage can only follow dating if the couple feels happy and satisfied with the relationship.
Dating can last for about a year or two. This is followed by an engagement if the couple is contemplating marriage. After the engagement period, marriage occurs within 12 to 18 months. Again this estimate is an average representation of the time frame between dating and marriage. It may vary from one couple to another, on the basis of their specific desires, contingencies, and circumstances.