Whether he slipped the engagement ring into your glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve or spelled out “Will You Marry Me?” in Cheerios on the breakfast table, one thing is for sure: Your life will never be the same.
Thousands of thoughts are likely fluttering through your pretty little head right now — there’s the cake, the dress, the seating arrangement. Of course, it’s natural not to know exactly what to do after getting engaged.
So, for those newly engaged and overwhelmed couples, here’s a guide to inform you of the first steps to take right after he put a ring on it.
1. Quietly Announce Your Engagement
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This precious news needs to be handled with care; after all, it’s an information grenade. You only get one chance and don’t want your best friend or mother to find out via Instagram that he finally popped the question. In that vein, your first task should be to inform your closest family members and friends, those who would take offense to a mass announcement of your engagement. Make the crucial calls and texts before announcing your happy news to the world, but feel free to send off a cryptic text message photo of that ring on your finger with no explanation to your BFF and wait for the explosion of questions to follow.
2. Loudly Announce Your Engagement
After your quiet and careful announcement, you’re then morally free to make it official via the obligatory social media posts. Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, hold up that adorned ring finger and start snapping. Caption your little heart out. Use different backgrounds and lighting. Shape a little heart with your hands. In other words, leave no pun unused, as this is your time to shamelessly hog the attention. As we all know, nothing is totally official until you post it on social media.
3. Size and Insure the Bling
Even if your now-fiancé did his research and purchased the correct ring size, holiday indulgences can plump up those little digits right quick, making that beautiful piece of jewelry painful to wear. On the other hand (pun intended), if the ring is too big, you risk it slipping down a drain in the not-too-distant future. So, if the ring is not a perfect fit, your next step is to head straight to a jeweler to have it sized to your finger.
Once convinced the ring will stay on until you want to take it off, you’ll also want to insure that baby. According to a 2020 study by Brides’ American Wedding, grooms, on average, spent $3,800 on an engagement ring. Meantime, that figure was closer to $8,000 in pre-pandemic 2018.
And whether or not you have a brand-new or vintage or antique engagement ring, regardless of cost, however, it’s still worth purchasing an insurance policy for better peace of mind concerning the emotional cost of losing, or the theft of, your engagement ring.
4. Choose a Date
Your wedding date is more than just a number; it’s a date and time that will surely become ingrained in your head. As you attempt to find the perfect date, begin by doing a little research and know that June and October weddings tend to be popular and favorable because of the weather.
But have you ever noticed that you get invited to a lot of weddings in the typically hot month of August? It’s likely because the Chinese believe the number eight, with its infinity shape, is lucky and August is the eighth month. In other words, superstitious couples should choose carefully based on cultural or even numerology beliefs. Meantime, couples who tend to be frugal and are eyeing more bargain venues may want to decide on a month like January, when demand and, therefore, the price of a locale is down.
Lastly, when considering the date, you want to make sure both families don’t have any conflicts. Indeed, wedding date selection can be a tricky proposition, so start thinking about it now. When an ideal date reveals itself, know the fun can finally begin with sending out save-the-date cards. While you don’t need to know your complete wedding theme at this stage in the game, choosing the perfect promissory note to remind your guests that this date should be crossed out on their calendars is imperative.
Start Checking Things Off Your To-Do List
Sure, there are dozens of other things you’ll need to do to prepare for your big day. Still, take a deep breath and start checking things off your to-do list that needs to be attended to first and foremost. With these steps taken care of, you can relax into newly engagement-hood — for now. The wedding planning is yet to come.
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