Congratulations, you’ve got a ring on your finger! Before you dive into wedding planning and bridezilla mode, take a moment and breathe.

Are you breathing? Good.

Everyone is going to be bombarding you with what precisely you should be doing next. I’m definitely no expert, but I have been engaged (and am now a happily married woman, I might add).

Take it from someone who’s been there. After taking a few breaths (possibly to even out the sobs or hiccups), here’s what you can do next!

1. Get a Manicure. It may seem silly, but think about it. Your hand is going to get a lot of action. By that I mean you’re going to want to show off that fabulous ring on your left hand to every person you meet. The lady at the supermarket. Your coworkers. You family. Your friends. Before that happens, treat your nails to some spa-time so the attention will be on your ring and not your unkempt nails!
2. Insure the Ring. If your hubby-to-be skipped this step when he was buying it, go out and take care of it! You don’t want to be showing off your ring and somehow (probably because you were waving your left hand around while talking so the person would notice the rock) scrape the ring on something or lose a stone and then realize it’s not insured. You want that piece of love and memories to last forever—so protect it! Within the first few weeks of having my engagement ring, one of the prongs was bent and I was SO afraid the stone was going to fall out. Thank heavens it was covered and I was able to get it fixed right away!
3. Alert the Media. Press conference, if you please. After you’ve told the A-List (family and closest friends), get to sharing the news. Update your Facebook status, send out a tweet, upload an Instagram picture—do whatever it is you want to do to let everyone know about your current and impending happiness. It’s you’re time to let your love/relationship be the center of attention!
4. Buy a Wedding Planner. No, I don’t mean a person. Go out and find a wedding planner that you love and purchase it. Not a planner type of gal? Then go get yourself something, or subscribe to a site like Engagement 101, that gives you a fabulous taste of your to-be-nuptials and the engagement period without going into crazy mode right away.
5. CELEBRATE! Ummm… HELLO! YOU JUST GOT ENGAGED! Go to dinner with your fiancé. Plan a girls night with your closest friends and toast to you finally getting that ring on your finger. Being engaged is one step closer to being married and a time to enjoy. You enjoyed dating, now enjoying being engaged!

Emily