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This Is How Long The Average Couple Dates Before Getting Married

Bells are ringing! - by Francesca Wallace
  • 19 Feb 2019
This Is How Long The Average Couple Dates Before Getting Married

How do you know when it’s the right time to get married? Apart from knowing — like, being in love and wanting to spend the rest of your lives together, that sort of thing — there are often other factors which play into getting engaged. Namely, how long you’ve been together.

And while the time definitely varies for each couple, have you ever wondered how long the average duo wait before tying the knot? Thanks to some new research, now we know.

According to a survey by Bridebook.uk, the average couple will date for 4.9 years before making things official. Broken down, it looks like this: a couple will date for 17 months before moving in together, live together for 22 months (1.8 years) before getting engaged, and then wait another 20 months (1.6 years) before actually getting married.

The research also shows the number of previous serious relationships someone has before settling down as two, and that the average age that people get married has risen dramatically. In 1971, women were most likely to get married at age 22, but now that number is 30. For men, it’s 24 and 32, respectively.

Millennials definitely aren’t rushing into commitment as quickly as they might have in their parent’s generation, something the numbers show — instead, we’re all about the slow and steady. Who says millennials are impulsive?

WATCH: Gwyneth Paltrow Shares First Wedding Photo with Brad Falchuk

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Francesca Wallace
Francesca Wallace
Francesca is a contributor to marie claire Australia. She can most likely be found eating a big bowl of fries (don’t forget the aioli!), watching something trashy on TV or spending all her money online shopping. She’s interviewed everyone from Nicole Kidman to Kendall Jenner but didn't get a single good photo.

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