Elven Courtship

Traditional elven courtship is a fairly involved affair. Typical courtship prior to marriage lasted a couple decades. In the recent century there has been pressure to change this to being much shorter due to a significantly reduced population as a side effect of The Plague of Silmora.
While there is a tradition of exclusive Elf to Elf relationships, it is not unknown for them to date and marry outside their own people.
The traditional stages of courtship are:

• Approaches in the Glade - The flirting stage, often as part of parties, dances, and other social events. In this stage each person is flirting with multiple partners and this happens for years. These events are often held with invitations from far flung elven settlements. It is said that elves historically would cross all the nine realms to visit elvish parties from everywhere.
• Walks in the Moonlight - The initial dating stage with extensive time to learn about the other's interests. This happens usually over a decade with the couples paring off for a time and then exploring other partnerships for a time.
• The presentation - This stage is where the family and friends get involved seriously. The courter enlists perspectives from those they are close to in evaluating the possible union. Mostly this is done with a single pairing. Family dinners, events, and working together are all common in this stage. This stage usually takes 5 years.
• The betrothal - This stage goes from a formal declaration of single courtship to a formal engagement. This usually happens over a year or two.
• The Wedding - Wedding planning and preparation usually takes several years. The exact trappings vary by individuals and which elf settlement they are from. While this is ongoing a home is found or built for the couple.