The realities of becoming engaged You may have been a bridesmaid a few times, attended many of your close friends Irish weddings but until you actually get engaged yourself you will never know the reality of being engaged.
You cannot stop gazing at your ring finger. As soon as you put that engagement ring on your finger you will not be able to stop staring at it. I remember many a time being beeped in traffic by cars behind me because the lights had gone green and I had failed to move as I was too busy gazing at my hand. P.S don't forget that allot of people will want to see your engagement ring so be sure to have your nails looking well - you might even treat yourself to a manicure to have them extra sparkly. Have a read of our earlier blog how to enjoy being newly engaged
Your wedding date and wedding location. The minute you announce your engagement. Nearly the first question out of everyones mouth will be "when is the big day" I would recommend to set a date or have a month in mind before you announce your engagement as to make your life a little easier. If you want to get ahead of the posse you could post save the date cards to family abroad to let them know your chosen date. In regards to the location this can be a little harder to have prepared for friends and family but even if you have a few locations and venues in mind you can put peoples inquisitive minds at ease.
Engagement story. Start practicing your engagement story right now as you will be telling it allot over the next couple of weeks. You may want to write it down and edit a few bits so to make it as concise as possible.
Not everyone close to you will be happy. Do not be shocked if someone close to you is not as happy as you thought they would be. Don't let it upset you - their negative reaction is all about them not you. Hopefully you will not experience such negative feedback.
Everyone is a wedding planning expert. Friends and family who are already married will offer allot of advice - some really helpful and some not so helpful. My advice is to listen to it all as to not insult anyone. At the end of the day everyone just wants the best for you on your wedding day. If you don't agree just forget it as soon as you leave.
