You're allowed to now...we're engaged♥

Despite my past jobs in the wedding industry and my romantic, organized personality, I am not a wedding planner by nature. And I have not spent years and hours planning the details of my wedding (yet). I get bored looking at bridal magazines - and hardly find them helpful. I quickly give up on The Knot. And I do not believe in spending a fortune for one day.

With all of that being said, I still have an idea of what I want. After being in numerous weddings, interning at a wedding venue, and working at a gown boutique - you get an idea. Plus, I'm a sentimental person - and I know what little details will fit Derrick and I. So, over the past two years, I probably have mentioned wedding details more than several times.

Before Sunday, I tried my hardest NOT to talk about weddings. I needed to be patient, and Derrick was not interested. I, sometimes, found a way to slip it in casually. "What do you think of those flowers?" or "If we were to end up together, who would be your groomsmen?" Sometimes he would answer graciously and move on. Sometimes I would get that drop-the-chin, raise-the-eyebrows, stern look, accompanied with "Woman." I would sheepishly give up my endeaver to slowly plan our wedding.

I always said that I would wait a week after being engaged to start planning. We would celebrate for a week...that was the plan. And to this moment I still haven't opened up my wedding notebook (that was semi-organized waiting for this moment in my closet). BUT on Monday night, on our way somewhere, Derrick and I casually, and without meaning to, began the wedding planning process. It's beautiful when you can have fun planning an event with your best friend.

I still haven't shared details with my parents (so don't ask to hear the details yourself), and Derrick and I haven't firmly decided things... I think that we should have this big wedding planning moment. In comfy clothes, with sparkling grape juice - and our attention fully on the reality of the situation - we should sit down and plan. Then discuss the details with my beautiful parents - including them in the planning and the celebration.

Today I told Derrick that I hadn't opened up my wedding notebook yet but I had it with me today...and, in an upbeat tone, he said "Good, you should open it."... Then he asked if tomorrow night would be our grape juice and comfy clothes night, the night to talk and discuss... Every moment I mention the wedding, I still feel a little sheepish. Like he's going to give me that look and change the subject. I shared this with him and he smiled and said, "You're allowed to talk about it now...we're engaged".

I love, more than he understands, how Derrick is embracing this. And I love that I can now share my dreams of the future (not just the wedding, but our home, our marriage...) - knowing that that future is becoming a reality.