How long had you been seeing each other before you said, “I love you”

[onlyconnect]

Just curious. How long, and when one of you said it, did the other immediately say it back?

Hubby and I were in a friendship group and got close and I knew before we got together we would get married.
I can’t remember who said I love you first as it’s 45 years ago but the other said it back. 40 years married this June and still very much in love with two grown up kids with a blip or two along the way.
No big marriage proposal either as he knew that is not my thing we just planned our wedding and did it. No engagement ring as well as I don’t do jewellery. He bought me an eternity ring after our first born. I was not expecting it as previously said don’t do jewellery and remember shrieking ‘how much have you spent on that’. I wore it for a couple of months and it resides in a pot in the bathroom. It’s moved two houses with us.

He said it on our second date. Me on our third. We've never stopped saying it and have just celebrated our 37th anniversary.

He said it after 6 weeks. It took me another four months but I felt it about 3-4 weeks after he said it. I was very guarded about it, as I wasn’t long out of a 22 year marriage.

we don’t say it everyday, but we say it when we feel it, which is often enough. He shows me that he loves me everyday

I think I said the three dreaded words far too soon I guess a few months in but in hindsight it was just lust. I think I fell in love when I actually saw him stand by me in the most horrible situations I was a single Mum to three under 8’s with a crap job and massive lack of self respect. He stood by me through countless court situations with my children’s dad and was just ‘there’ that’s when I really fell in love.

This is interesting how many said it on 1st / 2nd date or after a few weeks! Nowadays that would be considered a red flag and the poster would be told to dump him immediately as he is loving bombing!

That is fast, I can't remember exactly, but it was probably around 2 years in. Wouldn't have meant it or known each other well enough any earlier. We lived next door to each other so spent a lot of time together from the start.

A couple of weeks.

I said it straight back.

Exactly im surprised reading this if someone said that to me after a few hours id be like wtf and think he was a weirdo and I wouldn't be seeing him again.

We both said it on the first date.....about 12 hours in. Planning the wedding by date 4. When you know, you know!

I agree with this completely.

It's hard to even define what love is anyway.

A few weeks in, I think, he said it first, I wasn't sure. What an idiot I was.
That was 30 years ago!

Bumping that s one because like the OP I'm interested in what's average/normal.
I've been seeing someone coming up to 4 months. I'd be pretty sure that both of us feel love and show it through kindness and care but neither has been brave enough to say it yet..