Welcome to the Board, BeardedVin!
Now if you want 5 or 6 inches, you are speaking in terms of just about a yeard, as the average beard grows 1/2 inch per month. So go for that yeard. Now at some point, there will be no reason to trim anything. Right now keep your cheek line natural. Never trim the stache as a big beard needs a big stache. And I am not sure if you are carving a neck line or not, but within a couple of months, you will no longer need to do that. So grow on and post your updates. At some point, you will not need any more advice and I will be moving your thread to the Bearded Journey forum, as that is where you will need to be as you go for that yeard!
Patrick