newly engaged

[olyvia]

i just got engaged. we made it official by calling our parents and telling our friends, but i still feel like its not real. i don't have an engagment ring yet and we plan on being engaged for a year and a half which maybe is the reason i feel weird about it. i am excited in a way but feel weird telling other people who's first instinct is to look for a ring. it just sounds weird saying: "im engaged"
is this normal?

[WebLady]

You should be happy, just the engagement is a big step, CONGRATS!

I was engaged for 3 years!

It is normal to feel a little 'weird sometimes. When we finally set the date, we decided not to tell people until that Christmas and so it didn't feel real to me until everyone got the announcements in the mail and called to congratulate us.

As for the ring, I wouldn't worry too much with that. Many brides don't get the ring right away. Personally, my husband and I don't wear rings at all :wink: Yeah people asked at first but I just told them how it was and that was it.

Don't worry, it will get better. Just enjoy the experience and don't worry about what others might think :)


Best wishes to you!

~ WebLady :)

[WhiskeyGirl]

Congratulations on your engagement. This will be one of the most exciting and one of the most stressful times of your life! Be happy and show people that you are happy, have fun and enjoy the engagement. (we were also engaged for a year and a half before we got married.) It was great, we definately used the time to make sure that everything was right!! Best wishes and welcome to the board!!

~CanadianBride~

[LaceyinPgh]

Congratulations on the engagement. My FH and I will have about a 15 month long engagement so just a little bit shorter than yours. I didn't get my ring until about 3 months into it either. No one really asked about the ring that much except my mother and grandmother who are two of the most materialistic people you will meet. Don't worry about how long you are engaged or if you have a ring yet. It doesn't matter. Just enjoy the experience.

[olyvia]

thanks everyone it made me feel better knowing that other people are out there to relate too.
so is it too early to start planning?

[WhiskeyGirl]

It's NEVER too early to start planning!! If you start to plan ahead you can book the venues, photographers, make up artists, hairstylists and all the rest ahead!! Things tend to book almost a year in advance so my advice to you is don't wait until the last minute to book what you want!! Have fun!

~CanadianBride~

[LaceyinPgh]

Sean and I started to plan 15 months in advance. Right after we got engaged. We are getting married over Memorial Day weekend which is popular in this area. So we wanted to make sure that we got the absolute best choices that we could find. It paid off too. We got exactly what we wanted. So, the earlier you start to plan the more variety you are going to get. Get busy, girl!

[CindySue]

Until I got my ring, my engagement didnt feel real either. I mean I remembered the words he said when he asked me to marry him, but until he slipped my ring on my finger I guess I thought it was a dream or something. Now I have my beautiful ring to look at and then I know its not a dream.

[WebLady]

I agree that it is never too early to start planning. And yes, many venues and vendors can get booked up a year in advance. However, I wouldn't book anything more than a year out. Many vendors I know actually won't book a date more than a year ahead of time.

Take the time you have and shop around. The first thing I would do is find the location for the event and see if they have your date open and get that booked before you book anything else. Most of the vendors I have known and worked with won't take a booking without a location. And some venues won't allow certain 'outside' vendor services.

Of course you can start looking for the dress too, that is one of the fun parts :wink:

Best of luck to you!

~ WebLady :)

[usahgrad]

Congrats on the engagement!

Tip: if you really feel nakey without an engagement ring, take your fiance to claire's or something and just get a little cheap one until you can get the real thing. If you don't tell anyone, they won't know and it will give you something to show off when people ask.

We were engaged in December of 2004 and aren't getting married until May of 2006. I have to tell you, personally, I think a year and a half is a good length for an engagement. It gives you the time to be excited about your engagement and then the time to sit down and start planning your wedding.

It is NEVER too early to start planning your wedding. Facts show it. For example, if you want to get married on Mackinaw Island in Michigan (at the Grand Hotel), well you better start planning your wedding seven years in advance. My brother and sister-in-law got married in Marydale Castle outside of Baltimore, and they had to reserve two-and-a-half YEARS in advance. (Then, to top it off, she fell in love with bm dresses that were being discontinued a year before the wedding--let's just leave that at there were some problems with the bm dresses...) Anyways, what I am saying is, if you want to start planning now...go ahead! Sometimes you get better deals when you book far in advance. In my case, I got the florist I wanted...who only does one wedding on the weekend I chose because of Mother's Day.

I started early too and I found what helped me was a binder with folders for each individual thing: flowers, caterers, cakes, halls, photographers, etc. That way, you can shop around for a few months, get all the propaganda those places give you (this wedding thing is a business you know) and have someplace to store it before you officially decide.

Good luck to you! And lots of congratulations! You're officially in the Bride (zilla-sometimes) club! :)

[dee177]

Congratulations Olyvia,
I know just how you feel. we got engaged and started planning the wedding without a ring and i was a bit wary of telling people in case they looked straight at my finger. I wouldnt go look for my wedding dress until id got a ring because i was scared the lady in the shop thought i was faking it, But i have my ring now and its the most stunning thing ive ever seen but my engagement didnt seem real until i had got it on my finger

[WebLady]

Another thing I would look into is wedding insurance, especially if you are planning on booking things a year or more in advance. You just never know what could happen in a year.

From weather mishaps, to vendor problems, illness or even cold feet.

Check out www.WedSafe.com from what I hear, a couple hundred bucks can get you all the coverage you would need.

Best wishes,

~ WebLady :)