As many of you know in November of 2018 Brady proposed to me at a secluded A-frame cabin out on the lake in a canoe. I would like to say it was a beautiful sunshiny day, but it was late fall cold and kind of sleeting. Brady may be one of the sweetest men I know, but has a stubborn streak when he sets his mind to something and he was bound and determine to propose in a canoe in November. After, managing to pass the ring to me via a canoe I happily said yes and not even the rocky canoe or the sleet could keep us from beaming.
I have been married before. I have 2 beautiful children with that man. Brady has been married before also. He has 3 lovely children with that woman. We have a past. We have had other lives before we met. We both had to grow and learn from our previous marriages to hopefully succeed at this one. However, it has been interesting how different a second engagement is treated.
I truly believe everyone around me is very excited to have Brady be the man I choose. He is undeniably a great person. However, we didn’t receive the excited enthusiasm we both experienced the first go round. No big engagement parties, no excited family greetings, no begging to see the ring, or big displays to share in the excitement. We are not yet to the wedding, but no word of even a bachelor party or bachelorette party. Even as time has gone on it is rare for people to congratulate us, ask about our plans, or even ask to see the ring if they haven’t.. Most go on as if nothing has happened. I often wonder if some figure they celebrated for us once and that’s pretty much all a person gets. However, most likely there is no real social etiquette around a second engagement and my guess is most don’t know how to handle it.
I on the other hand have never been happier and all I want to do is celebrate it and shout from the rooftops that I finally met a men I would like to believe I am equally yoked with. So we have celebrated in our own ways. We don’t push people to talk about it.
Our engagement is longer than most, so hopefully as we get closer to the wedding date those around us get more excited. For anyone that knows me I had a long journey after my divorce of dating and working on my own self to find the right man. I feel this alone is worth celebrating more than my first time around, which was more out of timing and just being together long enough.
If you happen to be engaged again and don’t find others to be as enthusiastic just know you aren’t alone. I truly don’t think people know how to act and that is ok. I have no doubt all those who care and love us will show up at our wedding and celebrate “us” and I can’t wait for that day to come.
PS the wedding is scheduled next summer, which yes is still a year away.
