Making The Most Of Your Long Engagement In Locked Down England

Engaged couples in the UK are choosing to wait a little longer before tying the knot. According to a recent survey, the average length of time a British couple is engaged for is 23.5 months, and 24 percent of couples are engaged for more than two years before they walk down the aisle. Nowadays, people are also postponing their nuptials due to the health crisis, since lockdowns and social distancing restrictions have affected their wedding plans and budget. If your wedding plans have been derailed by the coronavirus crisis, there are things that you can do to spend this time productively with your loved one. Here’s how to make the most of your long engagement in locked down England.

Book an engagement photo shoot outdoors

A 2020 study has revealed that 71 percent of couples have postponed their wedding and are choosing to have it in the later part of 2021 or in 2022. While it may be initially disappointing to push back your wedding, there are benefits to having a long engagement because you can have fun just being an engaged couple. Moreover, you get to have more time to plan the wedding, and one of the best ways to spend the lockdown together while you wait is to have an engagement photo shoot.

An engagement ring is a symbol of commitment and eternal love, and one that you’re likely to pass down to your children in the future. Take time to choose something you’ll love forever, and then celebrate by wearing it while taking couple photos at places such as the Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, the grounds of the Audley End House and Gardens, or the grounds of the Walmer Castle and Gardens. These places are currently open for local people to use during the lockdown period. Keep in mind that visits must be booked in advance and numbers are limited, so couples should have only their photographer and stylist present during the photo shoot to enable safe social distancing.

Go on a date

Having a long engagement period allows you to spend some quality time as a couple, so why not go on more dates during this time? Some of your favourite restaurants and pubs may be closed for now, but you can go for walks in places like the grounds of Corfe Castle, or spend some time walking on the sand at Barafundle Bay. You can even have a stay-at-home date and watch a film or a TV series while enjoying a pizza or other takeaway favourite that you can order online.

Brush up on your life skills

Apart from planning your wedding, your engagement period should also be spent on perfecting your life skills to have a happy and healthy marriage. Go online, and attend classes on financial management and communication, or brush up on your cooking skills from some of the finest virtual cookery schools in the UK, such as Massimo Bottura, Leiths, and Delia online. The knowledge that you’ll gain from attending these workshops and classes will benefit your married life through the years.

Having a prolonged engagement allows you and your partner to have more time to do the things that matter before tying the knot. Consider these tips to spend your engagement in a productive and enjoyable way.