dress: Study NYC [exact]
bag: Baggu [exact]
shoes: Miista [exact]
earrings: Anthropologie [similar]
This Christmas I joined the ranks of clichéd masses who get engaged over the holidays. It’s kind of funny that he popped the question over Christmas: it really did just kind of happen that way. The long story short is we’d planned to stay in on Christmas Eve, we decided to go out instead, and he asked when we got home. It really was sweet and very “us”, and I’m very happy to be spending the rest of my life with him.
This is the outfit I was wearing when we went out that night and I’ll always remember it as the “engagement outfit”. I felt fun and festive for the holidays without being too literal: metallic accessories like the rose gold bag are my current style favorites, and introducing friends to new brands and small shops has been one of the best things about running this blog and IG account.
Telling people I’m engaged just makes me feel weird, like I’ve just joined the ranks of something I’m not sure I belong to. And by that I certainly don’t mean ‘married’, because that’s the part I AM excited about. What I’m NOT excited about is the planning and spending of money and potential fights about some stupid wedding-related what-have-you and feeling like no matter what we do we’re going to be letting someone down… it’s that part that makes me anxious.
We haven’t done anything other than get engaged at this point: no date, no plans on any other wedding details. I have a feeling I’m going to hate this whole planning process, but perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised, I don’t know. Though I’m sure I’ll write about the planning part from time to time, one thing I can say for sure is that this will NOT become a wedding blog, and you already know this ain’t a lifestyle blog. Someone’s got to remain sane around here is all I’m saying.
Do you have advice for wedding planning you wish you’d had when you went through the whole process? Please, help a girl out and share those gems in the comments!
You cake will most definitely need to come to you with extra frosting shots! I am SO HAPPY for you gurl! Just keep it FUN! Keep all the planning and activity around your weddingFUN! I KNOW you can do it! Think about what YOU want and do ONLY THAT! Everyone who loves you will enjoy the event no mater what.
Thank you SO much for the kind words, Robyn! You KNOW the cake is #1 on my list: we’ve joked about it being just a fondant shell filled with frosting (but I wouldn’t do that to my guests). I’m sure we’ll get it figured out. Miss you all in Boise: stay WARM and I know you’re loving all the snow!
Think about all the weddings you’ve been to and remember what made them awesome (music, food, alcohol), what made them awful (no alcohol, driving from ceremony to reception), and what you don’t remember (flowers, trinkets that the couple handed out) and go from there. If it’s not important to you, don’t force it into the wedding. It’s going to be great!
Brett actually saw your comment before I did and said what good advice it is, and I agree. We’re eliminating some “OMG you HAVE to do this” crap right off the bat, so I don’t feel tied to have to do, well, anything. In terms of importance, cake is up there, everything else is negligible. There are two main things I remember from your wedding: dancing and alcohol. And it was friggin’ awesome.
As someone who felt as you do, my only advice is to set aside any discomfort or cynicism with the wedding-industrial complex and go all out, to whatever extent is in your means and within your comfort level.
Sound advice, and this is what we’re leaning towards. We’ll do *something*, but none of what we do will be because of tradition or some other thing “we just HAVE to have”.
Hi Liz,
Finally, another gal that feels the way I do about this whole engagement wedding planning tizzy! It’s so weird. What got me was all the people wanting to know all the details the second you get engaged. As if we just assume all women have been secretly planning our weddings from the moment we come into this world. I’ve been engaged for a whole year now and am just now coming around to the idea of getting excited about planning a nice tasteful, minimal event. Keeping your priorities straight of what actually makes you happy is the most important. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by letting others down or feeling pressures of what you’re “supposed” to have at your wedding. But screw that! You can have your day whichever way you please! Good luck! 🙂
YES! Thank you: another person out there with some sense when it comes to this stuff. Glad to know I’m not alone! Thanks for reading!