18 February 2012

Friday... at long last! And what a week it's been. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook or who follow me on Twitter will know that life as I know it changed completely last Saturday. Well, that's a bit dramatic, but until it happened to me, I didn't realise just how big getting engaged would feel. I was completely and utterly blown away when my new fiancé got down on one knee, and equally surprised at all the love we both received in the days that followed our engagement.

{My beautiful engagement ring}

I went through a range of emotions after the proposal: at first I couldn't quite make sense of what was happening and asked, 'For real?' repeatedly, followed by insane laughter, tears of joy, countless kisses, back to laughing... it was magical. There are a few things about getting engaged that surprised me, though:

1. Questions about whether we've set the date for the 'big' day come immediately. After my fiancé proposed, we went for dinner and decided to keep it to ourselves for the evening. It was fun to have a little secret, even if only for a few hours, but we couldn't keep it to ourselves for very long. We called our parents after we got home from dinner (and after we'd polished off a bottle of champagne between just the two of us!), and called the rest of our families and close friends the next morning. Already, people were asking when we were planning on walking down the aisle - I hadn't even wrapped my head around the fact that I am engaged yet!

2. How different and how real it feels. It's such a big step and although nothing much has changed, it just feels so much bigger and more official. 

3. How important and meaningful that ring would become - and that after only two days of wearing it, I feel like something's missing when it isn't on my finger. My fiancé (I love that word!) spent a few of his teenage years in Kimberley, which is where his family still lives. He bought the ring at the jewellery store where his mom works, The Jewel Box, which makes the ring even more special in my eyes. He didn't get the size quite right, which means I've had to part with my ring in order to have it resized. I dropped  it off at the jeweler's on Tuesday, and they've said that I can expect it back next Thursday. The waiting is horrendous. If I must be honest, I've been feeling quite emotional about it all week.  I may have shed a few tears earlier today. I didn't realise that a piece of jewellery would ever have this effect on me.

4. That some people would be quite bitter about my engagement. Several friends are yet to congratulate us on our engagement, which has been a bitter pill to swallow. I also didn't realise just how offended I would get at some peoples' failure to wish us well. There are many people who didn't think that things between my fiancé and I would turn out quite so well, and I guess the thought of us working out is just a tad too much for them to process at this point. Or they just don't care. I'm not sure which hurts most!

5. I've already started planning, and even started a 'wedding' board on Pinterest within hours of getting engaged. Just the prospect of planning a wedding, going all 'bridezilla' and being the centre of attention has never really appealed to me. I don't want a big, white dress, I don't want a buffet dinner, I don't want a shmaltzy wedding DJ and I certainly don't want 150 guests. Fortunately, my fiancé is on the same page and we've both agreed on an intimate, low-key celebration with close friends and family. We haven't set a date, but I already have a few ideas for a venue and I'm really enjoying finding inspiration on the internet, and strangely enough, I'm excited at the thought of planning our big day.

{Wedding day inspiration, via Cupcakes & Cashmere}