Way back in 2012…

I was just a junior in high school. Then out of nowhere, this super funny and cute guy (whom I had had a crush on for maybe two years now) asked me to be his girlfriend.

Four years later…

On March 9, 2016, that same amazing guy asked me to marry him! And of course I said yes!

If you are anything like me after you got engaged there were a million things going through your mind! “HOLY COW, this is finally happening!” or maybe “I am so excited and happy I can’t even breathe right now”. After the initial shock of this amazing life changing event, you may start to wonder “hmmm…what should I do now?” Well, have no fear! I have compiled a short list of just 5 steps you can take after your engagement!

#1: Tell your Family!

No one will be happier for you with your engagement than your family! And more than likely, they already know it’s going to happen. So after he pops the big questions, take some time to let those most important to you know!

When it comes to your parents, I would definitely recommend making a phone call or meeting up with them in person. With my fiancé and me, we got engaged in Disney World while our families were back in Georgia, so we had to make some calls!

For everyone else in your family a text message is perfectly acceptable! Send out a family group text including a picture of you with your fiancé and your new bling!

I made the mistake of just calling my mom, and then taking straight to Facebook without even considering sending out a message to my aunts and other close family members! While they of course were not mad at me for not sending them a personal message first, it would have been much more considerate of me, and it would have made them all so excited to be included first!

Besides, all the messages of love and support that come in will be sure to make you feel even higher than cloud 9!

#2: Snap That Insta-Worthy Photo And Tell The Rest Of The World!

I have seen so many cute ideas for the “after they said yes” social media post! For my fiancé and I, as I mentioned above, we got engaged in Disney world. More specifically, in Magic Kingdom right in front of Cinderella’s castle. So we got lucky in that they have all of the Disney professional photographers to take pictures of us, and the scene is already so picturesque, it was magical!

I would suggest getting one of the two of you in your excitement phase! And then another of that beautiful new ring that he worked so hard for in order to get for you! Posting on Social Media is going to be the best way to not only share the news with ALL of your friends and relatives, but it’s also the perfect place to gush about your new fiancé and the beautiful story that goes along with your engagement!

#3: Be Prepared For A Million Questions Regarding Your Wedding!

And I did mean to say wedding. Sure you will be asked about the engagement: How he proposed, where he proposed, and the infamous “Let me see your rock!” But I guarantee you that you will automatically get questions like: “When is the wedding date?”, “Where do you want to get married?”, “Who are you going to ask to be in your wedding?”

I kid you not, the first post that we made of us getting engaged (so within hours of us getting engaged) people commented on that picture asking when our wedding was going to be… so it will happen! But try not to let it annoy you!

Remember that all of these people are just so excited for you and this journey you are about to take! And if you don’t know, because I doubt that after mere hours of your proposal you will know these answers, just flash those pearly whites of yours and say “We haven’t really gotten that far yet”.

#4: Insure that Sucker!

Your fiancé searched and searched for hours trying to find you the perfect ring. He worked hard hours to ensure that he had the money to afford the most beautiful ring he could for you.

The last thing you want is for it to get lost, stolen, scratched, or damaged (maybe the diamond coming loose?), and have no way to fix it or have it replaced! In a survey done by theknot.com, the average that men spend on an engagement ring in the United States is almost $6,000!!! That is a little under a three month salary for the average worker here in the states! So if your man worked for 3 months to buy you that engagement ring, you DEFINITELY want it insured.

Now, most jewelers are going to have an insurance system that you can purchase through them that will cover your ring if it were to be damaged, lost or stolen. But you can get ring insurance from almost any insurance company (even companies like Allstate will insure your ring!). So shop around, get some quotes, and figure out the best option for you that doesn’t break the bank!

#5: Last But Not Least, ENJOY This Time Together!

The average engagement period in the U.S is 7-8 months! I realize that this might not seem like a very long time to plan a wedding, so you may feel like you have to immediately start the planning process. But try your best to stop, breath, look at the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, and enjoy each other, even if you can only spare a few days or hours. You are only going to be engaged once! So don’t let the time get away from you to enjoy this chapter in your life.

Trust me, I know, it can be so easy to get caught up in the wedding planning whirlwind that you can easily forget to just enjoy your soon-to-be husband or wife! My fiancé and I didn’t even really talk about the wedding itself until maybe a month of being engaged (however by the time we will be saying “I Do” we will have been engaged for a year and two months, so we had some time to spare). But other things we do is making a conscious effort to take a step back from the planning, and go on a date night!

Go to the park and take a walk, or go kayaking, go see a movie, or even just go out for dinner. Do something to take your mind off the planning, and just have fun and enjoy each other’s company!

I really hope that these tips help you get started with the direction you want to take after your engagement! This is such an exciting time, and I want you to enjoy every moment of it!