You guys! Not only is today the first day of spring, but it is also National Proposal Day! Get your ring fingers ready for some bling!
A guy named John Michael O’Loughlin invented the holiday after he said his cousin was strung along by her boyfriend for too many years. It’s supposed to be a nudge in the right direction for couples who might be thinking about marriage. ProposalDay.com says the holiday is meant to be fun and light-hearted — for example, the site provides you with information on the world’s most eligible bachelors (Prince Harry and Justin Beiber) and bachelorettes (Jennifer Lawrence and Pippa Middleton). But overall, the goal is to help get people thinking about commitment. (So far, I’ve not seen any engagement photos on my Facebook newsfeed, but the day is not yet over.)
In anticipation of National Proposal Day, David’s Bridal published a press release about how weddings and wedding planning have changed in the digital age. If your guy pops the question today, you might not send out a fancy, monogrammed invitation, but a video invite. Instagram hashtags allow friends and family to post filtered pictures of the big day. Pinterest has revolutionized the entire wedding-planning process. People can create boards with all their favorite looks and ideas — from dresses to favors. (Let’s not kid, ladies. We all have wedding boards on Pinterest. Mine is called “Someday,” and it’s pretty cute.)
Weddings can even be broadcast live nowadays. So not only do we get to see The Bachelor Sean and WhatsHerName get married on television, but you and I can broadcast to our family and friends around the world. My mom just went to a wedding in her small Minnesota town that had an audience in Fiji watching, because that is where the groom was originally from.
Overall, I think social media could be great for wedding planning. It is an easy way to keep track of your plans, let people know what’s going on, and include far-away loved ones in all your special moments. But, like anything, social media can also become a way to brag or become self-absorbed with the wedding process. (Yes, we know through your 75 Facebook status updates each day that you’re marrying the most wonderful man in the world, and your DIY, handmade, ring-bearer pillow contains a special inscription. Also, your picture of your golden retriever dressed in a tux as the best man is a bit much. We got it.)
And since I just saw that the average price of a wedding has gone up to $28,000 (!!!), the sheer amount of choices that Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter can present you with in your wedding planning probably doesn’t help with narrowing things down for a simple, cheap wedding that is more focused on the marriage than the party.
But, I digress. How do you think social media can be helpful or harmful in the wedding planning process? (And, did anyone get proposed to today?)
