What Does It Mean to Dream of an Engagement?

If you have someone in mind to marry, it makes sense that you could dream about an engagement with them.

Even if you are not in the market for marriage at the moment, however, a variety of human relationships ask people to commit to each other. The symbolism of an engagement dream is therefore not limited to the context of romance.

Engagement Dream Symbolism

Commitment…

An engagement is commonly understood as a promise to get married, and the intention of marriage is usually to stay together for life. A dream of engagement can therefore symbolize a situation where you are putting down roots and committing to someone or something.

An engagement dream may clearly refer to a situation where engagement would be a realistic possibility in waking life, like with a partner you are considering the possibility of marrying. However, it could also symbolize deepening your commitment to a job, your own personal growth, or many other things depending on the details of the dream.

…But Not Quite Yet

A 2019 study by The Knot found that the average length of an engagement for couples in the United States was 15 months, though some engagements are shorter and others longer. Having a longer engagement can give a couple more time to plan a wedding, or, for couples who are still in school, to finish school.

On the very long end of the range, as chronicled in the documentary Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement, Edie Windsor and Thea Speyer were engaged for 40 years before they married in Canada in 2007, as same-sex marriage was not yet legal when they became engaged in 1967. After Speyer died, Windsor then went on to successfully fight at the U.S. Supreme Court for federal recognition of same-sex marriage in the United States.

However long an engagement lasts, and whatever the reason for its length may be, it typically does not have the rights or responsibilities of marriage. Your status may be solid in your partner’s heart, but you have no legal recognition if anything goes wrong while you are still engaged rather than married.

Dreaming of an engagement can therefore symbolize a situation where a process is underway but not yet complete. Even if things are largely going in the direction you want, some important component is still pending. You may feel both relieved about the intention to commit that has been expressed and anxious about the part that remains unresolved.

Common Engagement Dreams

Dream of getting engaged to your partner

If you are not currently married or engaged to your partner but are thinking in your waking life about getting engaged and married to them, a dream of getting engaged to your partner can simply be processing your current thoughts. A dream of moving in together, if you do not currently live together, can similarly mirror your waking life thoughts about increasing the level of commitment in your relationship.

If you do not think you want to marry your partner because marriage seems too restrictive, or because you are not sure your partner is the right match, a dream of getting engaged can be more challenging to interpret. Start with looking at how you felt emotionally in your dream of getting engaged.

If you felt trapped when you got engaged in the dream, this could symbolize that you feel like your relationship is drifting toward a marriage you don’t want. Even if you never marry or get engaged to this person, however, and you just continue the current state of things indefinitely, would you feel any less trapped?

If you felt relieved when you got engaged in the dream, this could symbolize that a part of you does want to settle down and have the security of marriage with your partner, even if you also have reservations.

Dream of getting engaged to your spouse you are already married to

If you dream of getting engaged to your spouse you are already married to, this could symbolize that you are going through a time of renewal in your relationship. Maybe one or both of you has been through a lot of personal growth lately.

A dream like this could also be about revisiting the circumstances under which you got engaged and married to your spouse. If this was many years ago, you may be trying to reconnect with a younger version of yourself in general. Maybe something recently reminded you of the passion and energy you felt when you were younger.

If you did not get the proposal or wedding you wanted when you originally married your spouse, like if you were rushed or short on money at that time, a dream of getting engaged to your spouse could encourage you to reflect on how far you have come since then and figure out how you can celebrate in the present.

Dream of getting engaged to someone else you know

If you dream of getting engaged to someone you know but are not romantically involved with, looking at the general symbolism of different types of people in your life can be helpful.

If you dream of getting engaged to someone you know in a professional context, like a boss, client, or co-worker, this can symbolize that you are considering increasing your commitment to your job. Make sure that any proposed increase in commitment is going in both directions and that you are not sacrificing yourself to someone who does not care as much about you. The details and emotional atmosphere of your dream may help you assess whether the commitment is reciprocated.

If you dream of getting engaged to a family member, especially a parent or sibling, this dream could symbolize that your bond with your family of origin is so intense that it interferes with you finding a mate outside your family. You might not be able to find anyone else, even if you are looking, because there is not room in your emotional life for anyone else.

Dream of getting engaged to a stranger

For anyone, dreaming of getting engaged to a stranger could symbolize committing to your own personal growth in some way, as the stranger could represent a part of yourself.

The meaning of a dream about getting engaged to a stranger could also vary based on your current relationship status. If you are currently married or partnered and dream of getting engaged to a stranger, this dream could symbolize that your spouse or partner has been changing lately to the point that you feel like you no longer know them in the way you are used to.

If you are single and dream of getting engaged to a stranger, this could mean that you are opening up on some level to the possibility of partnership, even if you are not thinking about it consciously yet.

Dream of an elaborate proposal

The Knot provides suggestions for proposing marriage and beginning an engagement in unique ways, such as having “Marry me?” spelled out in fireworks or having a surprise party where friends and family get in on the proposal.

If you received an elaborate proposal of this sort in your dream, how did you feel about it? If you felt embarrassed or uncomfortable, this could symbolize that you feel like someone in your life is coming on too strong and trying to push you into something that is not a good fit for you.

While a proposal dream could refer to a romantic relationship, the word “proposal” is also used commonly in a business context, so a proposal dream could alternately refer to a business offer you are considering. If you genuinely appreciated and felt comfortable with the elaborate proposal in your dream, this could symbolize that a romantic or business opportunity you are considering is a good one for you and that the other person will go the extra mile to meet your needs.

If you were the one making the elaborate proposal in your dream, this could symbolize that you feel like you need to go to great lengths to impress someone in your life. It may be necessary for you to look at how your efforts are being received.

Conclusion

Engagement is a common stage in the process that many people go through to get married. Writer Amy Gahran describes this process as the Relationship Escalator, noting that it is not the only option for intimate relationships.

No matter what kind of relationships you have, an engagement dream can symbolize that you are considering deepening and formalizing some sort of commitment.