7 Things That Change When You Get Engaged

If you aren’t engaged yet, you probably have a false sense of what it’s like. Yes, you are imagining happy tears, a lot of swooning, and fun party planning. This stage pretty much starts out like everything you thought it would be like! Until reality hits you in the face with a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat (can you tell I’m REALLY anxious to know who Negan killed!) You will quickly realize this was not at all what you thought it would be like. I’m about to run down 7 things that will change once you get engaged!

1. Eloping becomes even more tempting

You learn really quickly that this wedding is becoming less and less about you and your fiance and more and more about your families. The bottom line cost of the wedding you want is making your head spin. And you are starting to lose your balance as you tip-toe around your family and friend politics. In the end, all you want to do is cut the bullshit and just marry your fiance. Vegas anyone?

2. Your Dream Wedding will likely stay in your dreams

It turns out, covering my ceremony and reception in flowers will cost a mini fortune. And my dream menu and various extravagant food tables will cost the equivalent of a down payment for a home. I realized within the first week of research that my dream will forever be a fantasy. But that’s ok, I would rather have a smaller, more practical wedding than being BROKE-ASS.

3. Your relationships will be tested

Getting a guestlist together is my LEAST favorite thing. I would rather be at the dentist...THE DENTIST for God’s sake! I am put in a position where I am literally ranking my friends and family in order of who I like most. It's terrible. Then you are faced with inviting someone you "HAVE" to invite over someone you actually want there! I would invite everyone I like if my budget would allow! Unfortunately that is not the reality.

4. You will have a permanent spotlight on you

You will be unable to fly under the radar for a while. News travels fast and all eyes will be on you. You will be getting calls and messages from people you literally haven’t talk to in YEARS. Unfortunately if you are a shy person, you are going to have to learn how to handle the new-found attention. Don’t take this as people being fake, even though there may be some in the bunch. This milestone in your life something worth congratulating.

5. Your life plan

Whether or not you had your shit together prior to this, engagement changes the direction of where you thought your life was headed. All the major “hypothetical” shit you and your partner talked about is now becoming real! You have to start making moves to get you closer to that reality. These life-altering decisions can take a toll on your sanity, so always be open and talk it out with your partner.

6. You will cave and open a Pinterest Account

If you weren’t on it before, you will be now! Planning a wedding is a lot of work and requires a lot of attention to a lot of details. This digital scrapbook will find a permanent place in your world. This is also a handy tool when meeting up with vendors and showing them your ideas without lugging a huge binder around.

7. Goodbye Me-Time

Your personal time will no longer be reserved for you. Rather you will use that time to either plan your wedding and/or the rest of your life with your partner. This includes meetings with banks and real estate agents. In your suddenly busy schedule, make sure your remember to breathe. WOO-SAHHHHH!

A lot of things will change as you transition into this other phase in your life. I guarantee you will be incredibly stressed out! But that’s not always a bad thing. You will find how badass you are by conquering everything being thrown at you! This is just the beginning of the turbulent transition from single separate lives to one coherent family life, so any strength and resilience you can gain now will only help you in the future. Most engagements are short (relatively speaking) and pass quickly so BOTH of you need to enjoy this very exciting time while it lasts!