10 Thoughts You Have When a Friend Gets Engaged

When you learn that a friend is newly engaged, it can send a mixed bag of thoughts through your head — here are 10 of the most common ones.

1. When your friend comes crying to you on a monthly basis over something their partner has done to hurt them, then they announce that they are getting married: We’ve all had that one friend who seems to be in a bad relationship. They’ve come crying on your shoulder more times than once to complain about something their partner has done, yet they accept a marriage? You’re thinking to yourself that their marriage isn’t going to last long at all, and you’ll still hear about the woes of matrimony. It’s a vicious cycle that now is bound by the contract.

2. When you are enjoying being single: Here you are being single and having the time of your life. You can come and go as you please, date as many people as you’d like, and keep enjoying doing whatever it is you like to do. However, when your friend announces they are getting married, you say your Hail Mary’s and count your blessings that it isn’t you.

3. When you’ve been hoping to get engaged for eons, and they just met by comparison: You’ve been with your boyfriend for several years, and you have yet to get a ring on your finger, despite being in a happy relationship. So when you hear about a friend getting engaged after only been dating this person for a couple of months, of course, you’re going to get frustrated. The question is, who are you more frustrated at? Him for taking so long or the friend for rushing into it?

4. When you believe everyone deserves their happy ending: Not everyone expects a relationship to go down in a flaming ball of bad luck, and you’re one of them. You’re one of those happy people who feels like everyone deserves a happy ending, so why can’t it be your friend’s turn? You’re ecstatic that one of your nearest and dearest friends is getting their happily ever after, and it just rekindles your faith in love and that one day it will be your turn.

5. Since you’re single, you already know you aren’t going to be getting a “plus one” invitation: Weddings are usually meant for the married couple and most of the people they will invite will have a plus one. However since you’re single, chances are you won’t be able to bring a guest. Unless you’re tight with the family or run in the same circle of friends, the best you can hope for is that you’ll have a seat with other cool and single folk, and not at a random table with grandma and that creepy uncle.

6. You don’t understand why they insist on using #somanyhashtags on any #engagement related posts or photos: Please, can we put this out there and hopefully put it to rest? Stop forcing words together to create a witty hashtag that sums up you, your partner, the engagement, and the planning process?
Instagram and Facebook feeds needn’t be clogged with ridiculous hashtags that don’t describe the photograph at all.

7. Many of the people who are getting engaged are close friends or family members: Of all the people who are getting engaged, many of them are close friends or family members. This means that you’ll probably have to be involved in the wedding somehow, which means shelling out money, helping to create DIY wedding favors for the hundred or so guests, and still wear an ugly dress that makes you look like Frodo. Yay.

8. If you’re fortunate enough to have some single friends who aren’t going to be getting married anytime soon: In the midst of all this wedding talk, people assume that all single women hovel into a cave and start their cat collection. This isn’t the case, as there are plenty of women who meet up with their fellow single women friends and talk about everything. Plus when you hang out with your single friends, you’re able to get a bit of fresh air and talk about something other than the upcoming nuptials.

9. If you’re anxiously waiting for the drama on the big day to start: Everyone loves a little bit of drama, especially when some people don’t understand that the wedding day is where everyone focuses on the couple and no one else. We all know those few people who hate not to be the center of attention, so if they are invited to the wedding, chances are they’ll make some scene!

10. No matter what your relationship status may be, when every few weeks there is a new engagement announcement in your social media feeds: Red alert, red alert! You’re an adult, and people are doing adult things around you. Hang on tight because it’s going to be an exciting right—this adulthood thing.