Five Things No One Tells You About Getting Engaged
There are many things that I wasn't told about prior to becoming engaged. Even after reading article after article on Pinterest, no one can fully prepare you for the absolute awkward and random things that people will start doing when they hear about your upcoming wedding. Being 5 months into being engaged and 7 months out from our big day, I feel pretty equipped to give you a realistic idea of what to expect.
1. The very next day, or even the day of, people will start asking about the date of your wedding. I was so incredibly confused by this! I mean, didn't this just happen? It wasn't planned. Don't you need a venue before you can set a date? These are the questions that raced through my brain every time I got asked this question. P.S. No rush on coming up with a date. We just signed our venue contract, and we became engaged 5 months ago!
2. Everything you have ever pinned on your wedding Pinterest board will all of a sudden seem all wrong. Now that your pretend wedding planning is very real, you'll have a different opinion on just about everything. Oh, and you'll probably change your mind several times, too.
3. Your hand will become topic of conversation at work, family gatherings and any other type of social gathering. Manicures aren't a must, but I would definitely recommend it. My nails were chipped and a mess when Sean popped the question so I was obviously unprepared. I went a few days later to correct the issue once everyone and their mom wanted to check out the new addition to my left hand.
4. People you haven't spoken to in years will begin insisting on being invited to the wedding, and they will repeatedly tell you dates to avoid due to them not being able to attend. It's a bit ridiculous, really. Sean and I were thinking for a while that we would just have immediate family, grandparents and a handful of our closest friends to avoid any hurt feelings when it came to not being invited. Well, obviously we crushed that plan and have just decided to only invite the people closest to us; the ones that have made an impact in our lives both individually and as a couple. 115 people is our magic number, and when said people ask if they're invited, I just politely respond with the fact that we're having a very small and intimate ceremony. It works every time!
5. Friends and family will start offering to loan you things to use at your wedding or reception. I've been offered some pretty off the wall things that I would never in a million years use, and my solution has been to politely respond with letting them know that we're not going the traditional wedding route. That 25 year old bracelet that your coworker insists on you wearing down the aisle? You don't have to accept it. Learning to say no is one of the best pieces of advice I can give you when it comes to things like this!