Public vs Private proposals

This week, the internet has been alight with the story of the New Orleans rose being proposed to on the Rose of Tralee. The general feeling was absolute mortification for Molly Molloy Gambel, who has made history after being the first rose to be proposed to live on the show.

For anyone who hasn't seen the clip, don't say I'm not good to you!


So after saying "No!" a couple of times, and even a "please don't" for good measure, she eventually went onto say yes and they are now happily engaged.

What I noticed was the backlash that public proposals got in the land of social media. There were tweets such as "I'd kill him!" and "I'm mortified for her!" But let's face it. While it wasn't the most traditional proposal, it was certainly memorable!

Even if public proposals aren't for you, it takes guts to go out in front of a crowd and put yourself on the line whilst asking someone to spend their life with you. So I think anyone who does that should be commended.

We've all seen videos on Youtube of proposals going wrong with cringey aftermaths. Proposals are becoming more and more creative, detailed and shared. What could be a private moment between a couple can now be shared with friends and family worldwide with just a few clicks.

The way I see it, the way in which someone asks you to be their husband, wife, significant other or Zombie killing partner, shouldn't be the most important thing. The fact that they have asked you to be with them and to stand up in front of your nearest and dearest to say "This is us. We love each other and want to share our happiness with you" is far more important.

Whether your proposal was private between the two of you, in front of friends at a party or at a stadium filled with thousands of people. The most important thing should be that you've found someone that you want to spend your life with, through the bad times, good times and great times! That feel good factor trumps a red faced moment any day!

Excited face!

Getting shit done!

This poor blog has been gathering dust, but I have an excuse!

The wheels have been set in motion and we've moved into the next gear. In the last few weeks we've booked a solemniser, organised the bridesmaids to go dress shopping, sorted out what we wanted to do for our Honeymoon and cemented down other plans.

Tonight we've got one of the big things off our to-do list.

We have chosen our wedding rings.

SPOILER - Not these exact rings, but you get the idea.

Oh yes. The rings that we'll wear for our married life together have officially been chosen and ordered. We tried on so many.

Seriously.

There was literally a suitcase FULL of rings for us to try on. We asked 101 questions and the excitement has officially hit!

Lego bling FTW!

We've learned a lot from the experience. So here are our top tips:

1. Shop around - Can't emphasize this enough. We had looked at a variety of different designs, metals, settings etc., Choose to suit yourself and don't be afraid to take your time to think it through.

2. Ask questions -  That's what the experts are there for. If you want to know the pros and cons of a tension setting or what metals keep their shine longest, then there's only one way to find out. Just ask.

3. Try everything on -  This is the MOST IMPORTANT of all the tips. We had very set ideas about what kind of wedding rings we wanted. We found similar rings and tried them on. They were lovely. Really lovely. But there was something not quite right. We both chose rings that didn't exactly fit our 'brief' but which we ultimately love! Be flexible and keep an open mind, you might just surprise yourself.

4. Be clear with each other - If you love your wedding ring, make it clear to your partner that you're done looking. The look on your face should say it all!

5. Don't be afraid to haggle - the worst they can say is no!

6. Once you have chosen your wedding rings, don't look elsewhere - Seriously. You'll just torment yourself. Have faith in the decision that you have made and stand by it. There was a reason you had that "WOW!" moment.

Tempting...

It's one of the big things off our list, relief is in the air! Next we have to decide about engraving, but that's for another post!