Weddingbee Blog

Post-proposal, we headed back home to start our normal Friday—except now we were ENGAGED! Yay!

Remember my man-gagement present? Well, so much time had elapsed since we bought it and, in the flurry of excitement in proposing, Mr. Hot Tea forgot that he could now wear his watch. Double yay!

* personal photo *

Notifying the parental units was the very next order of business. I’m originally from Ohio, and my parents still live there. Because of the distance, Mr. HT placed a call earlier in the week to ask them for their blessing. Such a gentleman! As Mr. HT tells the story, Papa Teacup questioned, “Are you sure?” and then said, “Good luck with that.” What a joker.

As I mentioned before, I’ve had a prior engagement (or two). My parents knew of Mr. HT’s upcoming proposal and, instead of the expected phone call, I decided to send flowers to announce our engagement in the hopes of a pseudo-surprise.

Mama Teacup received the flowers and did what any proud mom would—she posted a photo on my Facebook wall for all the world to see.

* personal photo *

Oh crap! I saw it during a business lunch and could not call her fast enough. Delete! Delete! Delete! Mr. HT had not yet told his family, and we planned to host a dinner with them at our favorite local restaurant the next evening. That picture had to go, and STAT. I’m friends with Mr. HT’s siblings, and we didn’t want to ruin the surprise. After a quick scramble, she figured out how to erase the evidence. Could Mama Teacup keep it a secret for another 24 hours?

Um, in a word—no. To her credit, she lasted almost 20 before she posted it on her own wall. Sneaky, sneaky mom. My extended family started peppering my FB with congratulations. Sadly, I deleted each one as it came in and sent the well-wisher an apology. The HT family dinner could not come soon enough.

Somehow Mr. HT and I managed to keep our engagement under wraps until that night. Mr. HT’s brother came down from the Bay Area, and his sister and family traveled three hours to be there. His other BIL speculated that someone was either preggers or engaged. We maintained poker faces.

I don’t know, doc! / Image via John K. Stuff / Credit: Warner Bros. Cartoons

Finally, after we had all eaten, Mr. HT made the announcement and my ring found its rightful place back on my finger. Whew! I’m a terrible liar and felt relieved to reveal our little secret to the world.

Mama HT inspecting the goods / * personal photo *

Engagement watch and Mama HT tearing up—happy tears! / * personal photo *

It’s officially official! / * personal photo *

We gave our families a little engagement drama, and those stories bring back a flood of excited anticipation as we spread the love…

Image via Instructables

How did you decide to share the news of your engagement with your families? Share your experience here. Did you receive any unique or unexpected responses? Who was the most surprised?