The Five-Year Engagement premieres today, and it's a topic that hits close to home for the BG web team—between the two of us, we have a five-year engagement (two for Kristen, three for Stefania). So, in honor of the movie, we're sharing what we've learned about the benefits and drawbacks to having a longer-than-average engagement.

THE PROS

Time to Build the Life You Want and Prepare for Marriage
One of the best parts of having a long engagement is that it gives you breathing room to focus on your career, get a sense of what your partner will be like as a spouse and decide what you both want for your marriage (living plans, when to have children, etc). It's a commitment towards a future together—one worth waiting for. My fiancé and I decided to get engaged because we were ready to take that next step after dating, but our plans to tie the knot in 2012 were derailed when his physical therapy program added an extra year to their requirements. An extra 365 days is a small price to pay for finding the person I want to spend the rest of my life with! Plus, since we're still relatively young (we're both in our mid-twenties), it gives us a small window of opportunity to enjoy some "me" time before the "we" factor starts to kick in more after we're married, when it's not quite so easy (but still important to spend separate time alone or with friends). — Stefania

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The Five-Year Engagement premieres today, and it's a topic that hits close to home for the BG web team—between the two of us, we have a five-year engagement (two for Kristen, three for Stefania). So, in honor of the movie, we're sharing what we've learned about the benefits and drawbacks to having a longer-than-average engagement.

THE PROS

Time to Build the Life You Want and Prepare for Marriage
One of the best parts of having a long engagement is that it gives you breathing room to focus on your career, get a sense of what your partner will be like as a spouse and decide what you both want for your marriage (living plans, when to have children, etc). It's a commitment towards a future together—one worth waiting for. My fiancé and I decided to get engaged because we were ready to take that next step after dating, but our plans to tie the knot in 2012 were derailed when his physical therapy program added an extra year to their requirements. An extra 365 days is a small price to pay for finding the person I want to spend the rest of my life with! Plus, since we're still relatively young (we're both in our mid-twenties), it gives us a small window of opportunity to enjoy some "me" time before the "we" factor starts to kick in more after we're married, when it's not quite so easy (but still important to spend separate time alone or with friends). — Stefania

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Why take engagement photos? First, it's a great way to get more comfortable in front of the camera with your wedding photographer. You'll get out all of the jitters, learn about how your photographer operates, and, on the flip side, your photographer will get a better idea of your comfort level and your best angles—resulting in better pictures on your wedding day. But the most popular reason to take engagement photos—save-the-dates. That's why we love when couples show off their personalities with creatively-themed shoots. What better way to introduce your guests to the two of you as a couple?

Here, we've rounded up some of our favorite and unique engagement shoots.  Enjoy! 

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The Notebook touched close to home for Cindy and Jean-Nicola. Jean-Nicola's late grandparents both suffered from Alzheimer's disease, much like Allie in the movie. And like Allie and Noah, this young couple's love is intense. "We hope that our love endures all that life will throw at us, much like Noah and Allie," said Cindy.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that Cindy looks so much like Rachel McAdams!

Photography by Blushing Bride Studio.

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Mr. and Mrs. Smith isn't just a romantic action comedy — it's also the movie where Brangelina fell in love, making it perfect inspiration for Daphne and Chris's engagement photos. This couple loves to imitate movie posters. "Their hilarious imitations always crack me up, so I knew I just had to integrate that into their shoot," said their photographer, Michelle Chiu. The couple took a break from being in character to shoot some sweet, vintage-inspired photos as well, incorporating cherry blossoms; Daphne's name in Vietnamese means cherry blossom.

Photography by Michelle Chiu Photography.

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For their engagement photos, KJ and Christian indulged in one "last fight" — a water balloon fight! A little unconventional? Of course! But that's what makes these photos so much fun. 

Photography by Allebach Photography.

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This Nova Scotia couple, Peter and Trudy, planned a truly original vintage-style engagement shoot incorporating one of their favorite activities—skeet shooting!

Photography by Evan McMaster.

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Emily and Mike work together at a ski resort in Colorado and spend much of their free time hitting the slopes together. "Naturally, it only makes perfect sense for this adventurous couple to have their engagement session up on the mountain, too," said photographer Jason of Jason+Gina Photography.

Jason donned a snowboard right alongside the couple to capture their trek down the mountain!

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When photographer and mountain climber Mark Engelbrecht found out Jorina and Stefan shared his passion for climbing, the three of them planned out this incredibly unique—and challenging—engagement shoot! Using the camera one-handed while suspended from a rope, Mark truly captured this couple in their element.

Photography by Mark Engelbrecht.

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Caroline, originally from Canada, met Darius through a local roller hockey team when she moved to Connecticut. Since hockey played such an important role in the start of their relationship and is something they still enjoy playing together, it only felt right to head to an ice rink to start off their engagement photos. They also brought their adorable puppy, Riley, to the rink to play.

Photography by Birchtree Photography.

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