1.Celebrate

YES, drop everything and freaking celebrate! This is a moment that you will remember always, no matter how your lover asked the question. For me, my husband took me “hiking” in some woods, and when I turned around, we was just holding out the ring box while STILL STANDING LOL. I asked him later why he never got down on one knee and he told me that there were a lot of sticks on the ground. That is the moment I was about to marry a diva, JK, but I did crack the heck up about that.

I recommend celebrating alone first and waiting maybe a few hours to even a full day to announce the news, because once its out there, ITS OUT THERE. Enjoy each other and think back to all the wonderfully messy moments that brought you both here. You can talk about how cute the o

ther person is going to look when they are super old, white haired and wrinkly. Then, when you are both ready to go back to the real world, tell your fam, friends.. and heck, scream it out loud to everyone you pass if you want to.

How you celebrate doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you do, because you freaking deserve it. Love is really really cool.

2. Soak it ALL in.

This will be a season of messy chaotic wonderfulness. Soak it ALL in. You guys will probably feel emotions like you never have before, and they can be both very frustrating and very intense. Allow yourself to feel it all, and don’t be afraid to express them to your partner. I had no idea how much of a front I had put up for my fiance until we got married and could no longer hide anything. Before, if I was super stressed about something, I held it together until I got home and then lost my dang mine. Afterwards.. all my meltdowns were exposed, and he realized the hard way how all the planning really affected me. So, embrace the emotions together. Its worth it.

And one more piece of advise would be to not rush the season. You will have forever to be husband and wife. Rushing things only take away from the beautifully mundane moments of your life.

3. Write out your priorities.

This is freaking important. Announcing your engaged is basically like a store opening its doors for Black Friday shopping.. except your the store that is being bombarded with overly aggressive people. Seriously. Facebook and Instagram will begin showing you posts from venues, dresses, flowers, DJs, photographers, videographer, planners, THE LIST WILL GO ON. You will get so many new friend requests, and people will probably start commenting on old pictures of the two of you telling you how cute you guys look. (I AM FREAKING GUILTY OF THIS, WOW). If you don’t have whats important to you written down, it can be easy to fall prey to all the adds being thrown at you, because everyone has what they think is going to be best for you. However, no one can decide that except you and your partner, which leads me to my next bullet, boundaries.

4. Set boundaries

Sorry to all the mommas out there, but sometimes you don’t always know best (someone remind me to come back and read this in 20+ years when Abel is getting married). Gonna give a shout out to all the BFF’s out there too and say that sometimes you don’t always know whats best either (telling myself this too because my best friend is currently engaged YAY NANCI!).

It can be overwhelming to have so many ideas thrown at you. They may very well be fantastic ideas, but maybe not really your cup of tea? If you don’t have boundaries, its easy to allow friends and family, who mean well, to accidentally plan a wedding of their dreams instead of helping you create yours. A realistic way to do this, is to assign tasks– the more specific the better. For example, “Momma in Law, please help me find a caterer to prepare our Taco Bar.” It gives a specific person a specific job, that way they aren’t going out and shopping for BBQ because so-and-so, who let met from church makes the best dang BBQ they’ve every tasted. It still gives the person a sense of purpose and accomplishment, but doesn’t leave room for what you truly want to be compromised.

Dress shopping? I highly suggest only inviting people who you truly trust and value their opinion, but who can also take a hint. If you think someone would get offended if you tell them, “I value your opinion but I am going to do this instead,” don’t invite them. It seems harsh, but dress shopping is a huge deal, and it can be super stressful if you are trying to make a decision that you think everyone else will love. I literally didn’t tell anyone except my best friend that I was going shopping. She drove down, since she knew I didn’t want a traditional dress, we went to a consignment store downtown, and found the perfect one!

5. Have Fun

Throw confetti. Build forts in the living room to watch movies. Hike a Mountain. Go find a real Christmas Tree together. Have a dance party. Have a pants party even. Whatever your little hearts desire, do that. Remember, as cheesy as it sounds, the very best is yet to come, so have some dang fun.

6. HIRE US