Gringa and Groom: Sharing Our Engagement

The thing about a 20-month engagement is that life goes on. The world does not revolve around my wedding planning; in fact, it keeps on spinnin' on its own! Crazy, huh? Well, life did go on...and it took the form of other proposals. Lots and LOTS of proposals. Prior to our proposal, I had been to 7 weddings, two of which I was old enough to drink during. Mr. Lion had been to even fewer. Since our proposal, 7 more couples among our circles of friends have gotten engaged. Yep, I will soon be doubling the number of weddings I've been to. As the news of each of these new engagements reached us, my first thought was utter excitement. Of course, I was happy for our friends! The second thought, was a tinge of anxiety. Many people, especially women, have the tendency to compete. I feared that sharing engagements would result in "one-upping" and "keeping up with the Joneses." You know what I'm talking about:

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I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised! Wedding planning has actually been a really fun experience to be able to share. It's been helpful to have someone to bounce and idea off of, knowing that they'll be considering that idea as critically and honestly as you would because they're weighing the same options. It's been a relief to have someone to vent with when things get stressful. And most of all, it's been an interesting lesson in bride individuality.

My favorite part of wedding planning is how it's such a unique form of personal expression. I adore personal touches at weddings, and I love when the bride and groom's personalities shine through. It's been really fun to witness our friends' weddings take shape in the form of their personalities. No two weddings are exactly the same, and the differences between them are what make them so beautiful.

Two of the newly engaged girls are fellow Gators, though we didn't become friends until PT school. They have since moved back to Florida, so our weddings/showers/bachelorette parties have been excellent excuses for reunions!