Frustrated he waited so long

I would let the past go. Your feelings are valid, but you can't go back and change how long it took him to propose, so I wouldn't hold it against him now. Focus on the future and where to go from here, instead of what you wish happened in the past. The other thing I suggest is maybe plan your wedding for fall 2024? There should still be a lot of venue availability for that time frame, and you should be able to get your first choice of dates. When I got engaged, we were planning around 11-ish months in advance of our original date, and then postponed to 2022 due to COVID. And honestly, having that extra time was exactly what I needed! I felt like I had so many things to focus on at once in that year and it was all hectic, but once we postponed, I was able to take the time to really perfect our plans (though a three year engagement was just a little too long for me). If you plan for fall 2024, you can take your time on a lot of the details, and truly enjoy the engagement, instead of rushing through it all in 11 months.

I would start reaching out to your ideal venues asap if you haven't done so already to see what they have available. You won't know if you don't ask. I wouldn't hold this against him though because there is no guarantee that even if he would have proposed sooner that things would have been different.

Like Veronica said, reach out to any place you even have a slight interest in. You may luck out and someplace you love will be open. We got engaged right before the pandemic, but we didn't start actively planning until like 8 months ago. We still got everything booked. If literally every place you'd consider is booked during the months you want to get married in, opting to push the wedding to 2024 isn't a terrible idea. You'll have tons of time to plan, you'll have way more available vendors, and you'll be able to save up more money to have the wedding of your dreams. Especially with the pandemic, long engagements are becoming pretty common.

I’m curious about his feelings in all this. You have resentment he didn’t propose on your timing, but maybe he wasn’t ready?

To be honest, even if he had proposed months prior, you would probably be in the exact same situation you are in now. Most venues booked out Fall 2023 over a year ago due to all the pandemic reschedules. So I would definitely let go of this idea that had he propose a few months ago things would’ve worked out perfectly. Most likely it would have had no impact at all. Plus, holding onto that hostility is only serving to self-sabotage your own happiness. Have you considered having your wedding on a weeknight? There may be Fall dates available if you are open to days other than Friday or Saturday. Or you could consider a Sunday brunch wedding also. If you are absolutely stuck on having a Friday or Saturday night wedding, I would suggest widening your search to areas a bit further out (ie, venues located 1-4 hrs away). Otherwise, you may have to push your wedding out at least another year. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it will give you the opportunity to take planning slowly, and will afford you an extra year to save money.

You can't change it and the bright side is that he did ask and you are getting married. Mine asked after 8.5 years and I also wanted a fall wedding. I didn't want to wait over a year so I'm getting married in February instead. It wasn't my initial thought but I'm still so excited. You will find a date you are happy with whether you wait for a fall wedding or pick something different. It won't matter in the end, I promise!

If you really want to “enjoy wedding planning and have fun with my FH”….you gotta get over yourself.
Going into this with unnecessary bitterness that bubbles up every time something doesn’t go your way is going to make you both miserable. Perspective.

Genuine question because I keep seeing this type of thing (he waited so long) keep popping up recently. Could you have proposed to him? You can have a fall wedding within the year you want, but like some other have said it may be a little difficult. You can also get married at the courthouse and then have a fall "wedding" later. The only set back is the season. You can get married any time. But I would kind of think about why his timing is making you resentful because the way this comes off is you are more concerned about the wedding (ie the party and the look of it), instead of being over the moon about marrying your fiancé.

Congratulations on your engagement!

You'll never know if a few months would have changed anything. I booked my March 2023 venue in July of 2021, for an off-season Saturday, and I took one of their last available weekends. Wedding planning right now is just insane. Let go of the what-ifs and the past and enjoy things going forward. You will have to compromise about a lot of things during wedding planning, maybe season or year is what you need to compromise. You may even be able to save a ton of money by doing a very early November "Fall" wedding in the off-season as opposed to the busiest season of September/October. You could also consider a Friday evening wedding or a weekday.

I have to agree with everyone. We got engaged in September 2019 before Covid. I desperately wanted to get married in the fall of 2020. We started looking at venues a few days after he asked and there was nothing available for September or October. Found our dream venue and they had a Saturday in August 2020 available. The plus with having a wedding not during peak season is most vendors are available. The important thing here is that you are getting married to your one true love. The time of the year really doesn't matter.

I can certainly relate to how you are feeling as my FH waited more than 9 years to propose. Every time one of my friends got married before us, I felt that same resentment as we had been together longer than all of them. I even had to go to some of these weddings alone as only married guests were allowed a plus one. But the minute he asked and I saw the genuine love and joy in his eyes, all of that negativity melted away. If he had asked sooner just to meet my initial timeline, he wouldn't have been ready and maybe he would end up feeling resentful. I know that he is honestly so happy and excited and that matters so much more than any roadblocks we may hit in the planning process due to a shorter engagement.

For reference, my FH proposed 10 months before my dream wedding date of 5/19/23 (our 10 year anniversary). Things have been working out so far in terms of vendor availability, but I can honestly say that I am so excited to marry my soulmate that I wouldn't be upset even if the whole wedding derailed. The party and the party planning are fun but I care so much more about spending the rest of my life with him that nothing else matters.

You may need to compromise your initial vision in terms of the day of the week, or the month or maybe the year, but the most important thing is that you will be spending the rest of your life with the person you love! Best wishes!