ICYMI, after 8 years of being together, my college sweetheart put a ring on it and we are ENGAGED! it’s been an absolutely amazing first two weeks, and I honestly don’t think it’s fully hit me that i’m marrying my best friend!

1. the “boyfriend-to-fiancé” title shift does not come naturally overnight

   two weeks in and I still catch myself saying “my boyfriend,” and then pausing awkwardly to correct myself. I overheard my mom on the phone telling someone that her “daughter’s fiancé” will pick it up and it took me a minute to realize that she was in fact talking about me and my “not boyfriend.” after being boyfriend and girlfriend for the better half of a decade, it’s certainly an adjustment.

2. the “dream wedding” pinterest board I had forever wasn’t the move

   literally the day after we got engaged, I had some time to myself that morning, so I pulled up my pinterest. took one look my “happily ever after” board, and deleted the whole thing. it didn’t feel right anymore for some reason, now that the time is actually here! i’ve created a new board that feels much more like us and is actually seasonally accurate to our wedding date!

3. being a “COVID bride” is already harder than I thought

   wedding planning, pandemic or not, is hard. it’s fun, but stressful, but also amazing. timing-wise, since our wedding is in 2022, I thought we’d have a little more time to worry about booking a venue, vendors, or heck actually even choosing a date. but in terms of booking things, not only are we booking alongside couples with original 2022 dates, but also rescheduled 2020 and 2021 weddings. aside from that, we’ll have to be flexible with the size of our guest list - aka we’re doing the ‘list A, list B, list C’ thing in case of (knock on wood) needing to reschedule or government mandates on how many people can be at an indoor gathering.

4. the ‘unsolicited advice’ train rolls in almost immediately

   as soon as people find out you’re engaged, after the initial congratulations and well wishes, some advice is sure to come. and while some of it is actually useful and informative, there’s a lot of “oh? you should do it this way.” two weeks in, and i’ve been bombarded with suggestions - both helpful and not so helpful. and while I know it’s all well-intentioned, hearing “well when I get married, I want to do it in the summer, so you should do it then” or being questioned about why I don’t plan to change my last name, or just general opinions about marriage and weddings that I really didn’t ask for - it’s a lot! it’s a bit overwhelming. when it’s coming from people who are planning a wedding as well, or planned on in the not so distant past, it’s usually pretty helpful! but when it’s the “I have a dream wedding pinterest board” crowd, it just adds to the “i’m already planning a wedding in a pandemic” stress. and i’m only two weeks in. help. (again it’s all well-meaning, it can just be very overwhelming)!

5. those butterflies still haven’t died down (and I don’t want them to)

   these first couple of weeks have been such a dream. it’s been a whirlwind of emotion. the initial shock when I saw him on one knee, the joy that followed when we were the only two people in the world who knew, the outpouring of love from our families and closest friends who found out shortly after, then the love and wishes that came when we told everyone (and the internet) - I didn’t want to forget how blissfully magical it all felt. and I can confidently say that it hasn’t. every time I see my ring, those butterflies are right back. I close my eyes and replay the proposal in my head and it just still feels like a dream.