Give Yourself Time to Know Your Partner Through the Good Times and the Bad. As a baseline, Ian Kerner, PhD, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist, couples therapist and author of She Comes First, suggests that one to two years is often a good amount of time to date before getting engaged.

How long should I wait for proposal?

Some couples wait six years before making it official, while others date for just six months—it all depends on your unique circumstances. (Though, if youre one of those people who wants to put a number on it, one study showed that most couples decide to marry after about 2.8 years of being together.)