While it’s difficult to find silver linings in the past year, spending more time with our partners is definitely one of them. Admittedly, a shift to home working and generally more time in the house hasn’t worked for all couples. But, if you’re one of the lucky ones, then this increased chance to be around the one you love has only strengthened those bonds.
This is fantastic news, and it may seem natural for a step like engagement to be next on your cards. After all, what better time to affirm your lives and your love than in these ever-testing times?
The trouble is that, with marriages suspended until further notice or at least restricted across all corners of the globe, proposal looks very different now to the way it did this time last year. More than ever, couples are having to reassess what putting a ring on it really means.
To make sure that you enter your engagement with realistic expectations, we’re going to unpack the trials a 2021 proposal can bring, and how you can overcome them.
Playing the long game
For some couples, engagement has always been a long game – a promise of what’s to come rather than an end-date. For others, even just talk of solitaire engagement rings puts pressure on to book that venue. But, for couples getting engaged this year, slow is the only option. It’s worth thinking about this engagement as a journey, not a destination. That way, you won’t feel constantly stressed when you spend the next year or more struggling to reach that end goal.
Taking parties online
While engagement is best between two people, the chance to celebrate with friends always takes the experience to the next level. Sadly, everything from engagement parties through to hen dos pose obvious challenges right now. But, there is an easy answer, and it comes in the form of online platforms like Zoom. Here, you can host a unique party that sees you enjoying all of those engagement perks with your nearest and dearest. Even better, you can be sure this will stick in their minds more than an in-person effort ever could.
Planning a different kind of wedding
Even if you’re happy to play the long game, you may face planning a very different wedding than you’d anticipated. After all, guest limitations may remain in place for extended periods, while overseas weddings also remain firmly off the cards for what will likely be well into the future. Keep these changes in mind, and then get to work finding new ways to plan the wedding that you’ve always been dreaming of.
2021 might seem like a difficult time to get engaged, but this is exactly why it might not be a bad idea to do so. After all, we all need something to smile about right now, and what could be better for putting a smile on your face than the prospect of spending the rest of your life with the one you love?