I am really glad we decided to have one, it was a pretty good night & i did have fun but more importantly it led me to discover a few vital lessons about planning a party. I think the best thing i can take from our party is that it was like a trial run & i'll feel much more prepared once i start planning a wedding.
This is where it gets real though, i want to tell you about the biggest regrets i have from our party, the first being:
- Not going with my gut when it comes to inviting people (in short, there were a group of people i felt obliged to invite who turned up late, didn't say hello, sat down at 1 table for the whole night, pretty much judged everyone else around them, drank all of 1 particular beer, didn't mingle with other people they knew or even speak to us for the short time they were there & then said nothing more that 'cya' as they left...to be honest, until they got there i hadn't even noticed the lack of their presence.)
- Thinking a few strings of fairy lights, bunting, balloons & flower arrangement would transform a fairly plain hall
- Not spending time talking to the people i like the most
- Trying harder than i should to help people enjoy themselves
- Feeling bad about the way i looked for the whole night
- Stressing about pointless things in the lead up
- Not helping my mum more with the food & kitchen clean up
- Worrying about what people thought of me whilst i was dancing
- Not taking more photos
- Not making a speech
Wow, i sound negative. I suppose the reason for that is the fact that i had a major fall on the night.
A good friend of mine was a bit upset & sick in the bathroom, so naturally i was there with her trying to make her feel better, i was really worried about her & wanted to make sure she was ok ! All she wanted was to be taken home & a bottle of water so i rushed out of the bathroom to find her partner & to grab her a bottle of water...on my way i (stupidly) ran towards the kitchen and low & behold someone had just spilt a beer. I slipped & fell pretty hard on the wooden floorboards hitting my chin & wrist. It hurt, it really hurt.
My dad was on his way to clean up the spill & was standing right there when i fell over. He grabbed me into a big hug straight away & asked me if i was alright. Now i don't know about you guys but if something has gone wrong, and your mum or dad appear to ask you if you're alright, it automatically triggers tears. I can be as strong as anyone else, until my parents are there.
So my dad was hugging me & my internal monologue was 'DONT CRY, do not cry!' i pulled away & got to the kitchen, got the water & hid in the bathroom for a while, realising how bad i felt. I had a 5 minute pity party with a can of Coke as my ice pack.
For the rest of the night i tried my best to smile & enjoy it but i just felt horrible. I really felt defeated & i still do. I feel like all my hard work had produced a less than impressive outcome. I feel used as a 'free night out' by some of the guests, i felt like a bad person for not making a speech thanking the people who helped us out, i feel like we don't deserve the gifts or money people were kind enough to give us, i just feel so negative towards the whole night. Sigh.
In order to not sounds like a massive whiner, there were some positive outcomes from the night:
- Dancing with my grandma before she left & feeling amazing that she was having a good time !
- Organising an amazing wood fired pizza catering company
- Seeing alot of my family reconnecting & enjoying spending time with each other
- Taking the time to realise all the wonderfully supportive girls & guys we have around us & knowing we will have so many choices when we (finally) pick our bridal party
- Randomly going up & kissing M throughout the night, this reminded me how lucky i am to be marrying such a beautiful person
So there it is ! A raw & somewhat real insight into our engagement party.
It actually felt really good to be able to write that out & get it off my chest. I'm still dwelling on a few things from the night, but am trying to be positive & make the wedding the best day of our lives
Did you have any engagement party mishaps ? Was there anything from the night you reget ?
I would love to hear some of your stories
x
