Not Engaged Yet

Officially went BSC this weekend... ugh

Yeah,  I lost my damn mind Saturday morning. Not proud at all, but hitting my "engagement fever" low point helped level me out in the long run. I seriously lost my damn mind though. It was about as crazy and ridiculous as you can get.

Obligatory back story: BF and I have discussed marriage for a long time. He's VERY fiscally responsible, so his goal has been to completely pay off his debt prior to our engagement so that we can focus on my student loan debt after marriage. Additionally, we realized a few years ago that due to our parents' financial situations, we'd be paying for the wedding ourselves. BF wants to do everything out of pocket, no credit, which meant we needed to figure out a savings plan and a general wedding date (October 2015). He told me for a long time that he expected to have his debt completely paid off in June of this year, and then he would need a month to save for the ring. For a couple of years now I've basically been anticipating Summer 2014 as the engagement. I've been looking forward to it for a long time and had an inkling that he would time it around my birthday (end of this month) or the 4th of July.

Well, as I'm sure all of you know, life happens. Debt payments get pushed back due to various events popping up, and it dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that his debt would not be paid off in June. He then confirmed it last week when he made his final payment on his student loans but said he still had 3 months left on his car (PS how awesome is it that he paid off his student loans at age 25?! He's pretty baller). I did the math and realized my engagement would probably occur in the fall, not the summer. I guess this really hit me hard because I'd been getting a little bit sadder every day for the past week or so. I kept having to remind myself that we would spend more time married than not married in the long-run, absolutely nothing will change when we do get married except for my last name and a tax break, and our life together will not start when we're married--it started when we began dating 3 years ago. I knew I was being silly and was fixating on the wrong thing. The ring is just a formality, just a silly token. But whatever, I wanted it and couldn't shake the obsession.

Friday night BF brings up the timeline again, and he mentions that one of the delays was partially due to our upcoming trip to Cancun this August. Now, when we booked that trip, he insisted he pay for me almost entirely. I honestly thought I would pay him back for my portion, but he later insisted I only reimburse him $300. It felt like a slap in the face when he insinuated that the trip was partially responsible for the delay of the proposal because I would have paid him back entirely for my portion if I'd realized it would delay the engagement. I woke up Saturday morning really upset about this, and when I brought it up to BF, I actually started crying. I CRIED ABOUT IT! Seriously?! I had an out-of-body moment and was like, "WTF, get it together, Liz!" I mean, I cried because the man I love who has already told me he wants to spend the rest of his life with me decided to push back the engagement by maybe 2 months so that we can be in a more sound financial situation when we get married. Um, yeah, I suck. Talk about a giant brat. It was such a low point. 

He handled it really well, and I could tell he felt really guilty, which in turn made me feel guilty, so I cried a little more because I was being so ridiculous. He kept saying, 'You make it so hard to surprise you! Just let it happen! I've got it all planned! Stop being a goober!" I calmed down after a few minutes and started to laugh at myself. But it doesn't end there... after I stopped crying and was laughing at myself, my nose started bleeding.

Yes, that's right. I not only cried like a brat about my engagement getting delayed for legitimate reasons, I ended up giving myself a nose bleed. BF was like, "Well, this is GREAT material for my vows." 

Ladies, please tell me I'm not the only one who had a completely absurd BSC breakdown. Share your stories! lol

Also, sorry for the novel!


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Re: Officially went BSC this weekend... ugh

  • Nope, you're not the only one. I think I spontaneously cried about it at my desk a couple times, because some of the financial things that FI mentioned made it sound like it was a long way off, and it felt like marrying me wasn't a priority for him. Of course, that wasn't the case, and I'm sure it's not the case for you and your BF either.

    Last week a reminder on my phone popped up to tell me that I needed to have a conversation with him about it if June came around and we still hadn't talked more about it. Like I said, I was pretty BSC. Eventually I resolved to quit worrying so much and focus on other things. The proposal came sooner than expected, but I wouldn't have died if it came later.

    Take deep breaths, remember that it's not a race. It's awesome that you have a man who wants to marry you and also provide for you (especially nice vacations) and your relationship is great right now.
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  • ShallowSeasShallowSeas member
    Sixth Anniversary 1000 Comments 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited June 2014
    No worries. It happens.  FI use to talk about getting married all the time before we were ever engaged, so I assumed that it had been on his mind and that he was planning to propose soon. One day, shortly after I re-joined TK and very stupidly put my address in the sign-up thingy, I got several postcards from wedding vendors (thanks TK) and FI just happened to check the mail that day. He was like, "uhh..is there something I should know..?" so I tried to play it off as "omg, idky i'm getting stuff like that sent to me..." to which he replied, "I hope you don't think you're getting a ring this year..."

    -_-


    I was so shitty and went to the bathroom to cry a little bit (didnt want to show my BSCness) but was like, "uh, of course not". I was fuming.

    Turns out I DID get a ring that year and only a couple months after this awkward conversation!
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  • It sounds like you were in a similar situation to me then. I'm glad it came sooner than expected! I guess it shows that men can be tricky and do intentionally mislead us...

    But you're completely right. My BF is a great catch, and I'm so lucky to have him. He loves to spoil me, and I'm so grateful for everything he does for me. Sometimes I get a little crazy and focus on the wrong things, but I guess we all do.

    Thanks for sharing your story! I'm not quite as embarrassed about my behavior. :) 

    I know that before the end of the year BF will become FI. That's really all I need to know, and I have to just relax and enjoy the last few months of BF/GF before all the wedding chaos starts. Some days that's easier said than done though.


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  • Sorry you had a crappy BSC moment - at least you realize how silly you were being. I had one kind of BSC moment about a year and a half before getting engaged. FI and I were out at a bar, and marriage came up in conversation (I think I was talking about a friend of mine who had just gotten engaged), and he made a comment like "I don't even see the point of getting married. It doesn't change anything, it's just an excuse to have a party". We then starting talking about something else, but I kind of clammed up at that point, excused myself to the bathroom after a few minutes, and CRIED. When I came back to the table then-BF could tell I was upset - he grabbed my hand and said "That was a stupid thing to say about marriage - I'm just insecure about the financial side of it all, but OF COURSE I want to get married." So yeah, it happens!
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  • @severmilli12 Ahhhh that's awkward! Caught red handed lol. I would have cried too though. It's one thing to hint and discuss timelines, it's another to be blatantly told it's not happening. I'm glad he was only trying to throw you off though and that it all worked out. :)


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  • @Hummingbird125 Oh I definitely recognize how silly I was. I usually judge people who behave like 2-year-olds when they don't get what they want, but I guess I had to throw my tantrum to get it out of my system. Wow, your FI's words were pretty harsh. I'm glad he recognized how cold he sounded though and that he proposed later on. It's funny though how the smallest things like a side comment in a conversation about other people can shake us up. It's like we don't realize we're harboring these feelings until we're confronted with the idea that marriage may not happen. Weird, huh? But yeah, I'm definitely glad your FI apologized and clearly changed his mind about marriage. I guess it all works out the way it's supposed to in the end. Thanks for sharing your story!


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  • @severmilli12 Ahhhh that's awkward! Caught red handed lol. I would have cried too though. It's one thing to hint and discuss timelines, it's another to be blatantly told it's not happening. I'm glad he was only trying to throw you off though and that it all worked out. :)
    I know :\  It was one of the most awkward things that has happened to me. I still don't know if he said that just to throw me off about the engagement that was coming up, or if he really meant it at that point and changed his mind later. Regardless, I quickly changed my address on here.
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  • @severmilli12 Ahhhh that's awkward! Caught red handed lol. I would have cried too though. It's one thing to hint and discuss timelines, it's another to be blatantly told it's not happening. I'm glad he was only trying to throw you off though and that it all worked out. :)
    I know :\  It was one of the most awkward things that has happened to me. I still don't know if he said that just to throw me off about the engagement that was coming up, or if he really meant it at that point and changed his mind later. Regardless, I quickly changed my address on here.
    I would too! I don't think my address is updated on my profile. I bet the current residents at my old place are being inundated with wedding stuff. Whoops! Methinks I'll keep it like that though until he proposes... don't want to come across as crazier than I already am. :-P


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  • The only sort of BSC I remember getting was on the 4th of July.  DH bought the ring in the beginning of June, and I knew this.  And I thought he'd propose on the 4th of July under the Boston Fireworks, which was actually his original plan.  And then my cousin got engaged on July 1st, so he didn't want to "steal her thunder."

    So after the 4th of July fireworks, I went to the bathroom and cried...because I was BSC.  But I got over it.  He ended up proposing on August 14th.
  • FI was in the same boat - he wanted to get his house paid off before we started planning for the future.  I thought this was silly because neither of our houses fit us; but he wanted to do this so he could better save for the wedding (since we are also paying for our wedding 100%).

    I offered to help buy the ring and such, he didn't take my offer.

    Finding the silver lining:
    With a fall engagement, if you're doing fall engagement photos, think how pretty they will be!!!  You don't need 12+ months to plan a wedding.  Sure you have more venue options and such, but it's totally not necessary!!

    Other thoughts:
    You could always get engaged without the ring.  Shopping for rings was really really fun (got a little irritating because I found out I'm the cheapass in this relationship).


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  • Haha yeah, more like 2055 here, or something... we have over 200k between us. F'ing law school. Major congrats on getting that student loan paid off. I could totally relate to your honest description of your feelings- especially getting more upset because you realize how dumb it is that you are upset haha! That is the worst!!

     

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  • I can definitely relate to the massive student loan debt. His was maybe $20k, mine is $65k. Mine pretty much stays stagnant because I can only afford the minimum payment each month with extra (small) payments here and there. *sigh* School is way too expensive. He's pretty awesome for being so vigilant about debt. I'm pretty lucky I met him when I did (my last year of grad school) because I doubt I'd be in such a stable place financially. He's taught me A LOT about managing money. 

    And yes, @carliealissa, it's a vicious cycle! You get upset, then realize you're being ridiculous and get more upset. Then you cry more because of just how upset you are... it never ends lol. He snapped me out of it pretty quickly, and I bought him dinner that night to make up for being so BSC. I remember crying and being like, "I'm really not trying to make you feel guilty. I don't know why I'm crying! I'm so embarrassed!" and then crying even harder. Oi vey.


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  • I get like that too when I'm feeling depressed/moody/crabby whatever.  I hate that I am acting so irritable and don't want to be dragging FI down-  I kind of want to be alone at those times for that reason-  so I just get more crabby and irritable because I'm annoyed with myself.  It's hard for me to figure out how to snap out of that cycle when it's happening.

     

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  • I usually go to the gym when I get like that. Tons of cardio and/or lifting help get it out of my system.  Plus, you know, all those endorphins and stuff help. I actually went to the gym after my nosebleed was cleared up, and it helped a ton. 

    If gym is not an option, I try to nap the crazies off. Sounds silly, but sleeping normally helps. This particular instance it made my crazies worse, but typically it helps. 


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  • I think we've all had at least one moment like that! BF and I have had to push back our timeline several times and I'll be honest I've gotten upset each time. It really sucks when you have a timeline set up and then life gets in the way and it doesn't happen. On a side note - when is your birthday? It sounds like it's close to mine (July 3)


  • @bethsmiles June 28! Hooray for cancers! 

    And yes, I completely agree with the timeline delays. I had my heart set on our original timeline for about a year or so, so when it was pushed back I clearly couldn't handle it. Hopefully life doesn't get in the way again... we do have a lot of big-ish expenses this summer. My birthday (which BF insists on celebrating and getting me something, even though I said it's NBD), moving in July, and then Cancun in August. It'll be a fun summer, but I'm going to be poor by Labor Day lol.

    I hope your timeline isn't pushed back again! And hopefully your engagement is going to come soon!


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  • @bethsmiles June 28! Hooray for cancers! 

    And yes, I completely agree with the timeline delays. I had my heart set on our original timeline for about a year or so, so when it was pushed back I clearly couldn't handle it. Hopefully life doesn't get in the way again... we do have a lot of big-ish expenses this summer. My birthday (which BF insists on celebrating and getting me something, even though I said it's NBD), moving in July, and then Cancun in August. It'll be a fun summer, but I'm going to be poor by Labor Day lol.

    I hope your timeline isn't pushed back again! And hopefully your engagement is going to come soon!
    BF and I are both pretty set on it happening this summer, we're both sick of pushing it back! I've told him a couple of times, I care way more about getting engaged and married than having an expensive ring! He's pretty set on giving me whatever ring he's picked out though.

    I scared him this weekend because I pointed out some ring that was totally different from what I normally like and said it was pretty. He thought I had completely changed my preferences because of one comment! 


  • @bethsmiles BF does that too when I mention different styles of rings! He gets so annoyed because he thinks I've completely changed my mind, and I told him that I think pretty much all rings are pretty lol. He could get me any style of ring, and I would love it. 

    Do you think it could be a birthday present? 


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  • @bethsmiles BF does that too when I mention different styles of rings! He gets so annoyed because he thinks I've completely changed my mind, and I told him that I think pretty much all rings are pretty lol. He could get me any style of ring, and I would love it. 

    Do you think it could be a birthday present? 
    Haha, I'm the same way. I pretty much think all rings are pretty!

    I don't think he'll do it on my birthday because I told him I'm not a huge fan of birthday/holiday engagements. Plus that way I never get my hopes up on holidays just to be disappointed!


  • I had my share of BSC moments, I'm not proud to admit, it happens to most of us at some point I think.  It seems like it was a temporary moment of it.  I felt quite upset when my friend got engaged and she was with her now H a shorter time than FI & I were together, so silly of course. 

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  • I went BSC a lot before I got engaged. When I was dating my ex in college, I had tons of friends getting engaged and married around me and I would get jealous. My ex was on a completely different time frame than I was and we had many other issues about other things other than this. It wasn't time for either of us to be married but I would constantly try to bring up the topic of marriage and our time line etc...it drove him nuts and it made me crazy.

    Once I started dating H, we didn't talk at all about marriage until we had that conversation later on about how we see ourselves getting married and having a family. It was really nice not having to even think about it until he brought it up. Then he said he was thinking about proposing in the next 6 months which then drove me into crazy town again..luckily that only lasted a couple months because he proposed 2 months after he told me that lol. These ladies helped me out though in those two months prior.
  • @bethsmiles BF feels the same way about holiday and birthday engagements. He thinks it takes away from the celebration and wants the engagement to have its own day. It sounds like it's coming soon for you though! How exciting! 

    @peaseblossom55 I can definitely relate to that sentiment. There are a few friends and family members who I think will be engaged soon, and anytime they go on a vacation or have a celebration of some sort, I secretly think, "Please don't get engaged before me!" So silly, petty, and selfish, but hey, it happens. I think as long as we recognize it's ridiculous behavior and snap out of it, it's OK. I hate feeling so BSC about it though. 

    @southernpeach89 Interesting how different your relationship with your ex and your H are! It sounds like you really have a great relationship with your H! I'm glad he only waited 2 of those 6 months too. I can only imagine the anticipation!


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  • LOL BF is now making light of my temper tantrum. I just helped him pick out a set of Star Wars Legos (he collects them), and he goes, " Okay you've convinced me. This should only set the ring back a few extra days. :P" This kid and his jokes lol


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  • @weewittlewizabeth -Yes, they were two completely different men. My ex and I had many many differences that probably shouldn't be different within a relationship. It took me a while to realize this but I also grew up a lot in that relationship. So once I realized that it was not the right relationship and person for me, then we broke up. Best decision I ever made.

    H on the other hand has been the man I've always wanted to marry. I'm pretty sure I knew I wanted to marry him from our very first date. He is a very special man.
  • @southernpeach89 I just went "aaaawwwwww" out loud. Super sweet! Glad you guys found each other :)


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  • phiraphira member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Second Anniversary 5 Answers
    I don't get proposing on a birthday or holiday. But I don't see any reason to postpone an engagement if it's otherwise the right time. If that makes any sense.
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  • You know, nothing makes you feel crappier or more BSC than people telling you you're wrong/ bitchy/crazy etc. for occasionally having feelings like frustration or jealousy.  The honesty in this thread is refreshing to me because obviously, sometimes we all have feelings we would prefer not to have.  Here and there (other boards) I've read posts from people like "My younger sister got engaged first and I'm jealous" and the person gets jumped on for being a hateful, bad sister.  I don't think something like that is so awful or uncommon, as long as you don't ACT crazy or hateful.  Sometimes just knowing other people have felt the same way helps a lot.

    Hopefully that made some sense; I'm tired and it's Monday.  What I'm getting at is I'm enjoying this thread, you ladies and your input.

     

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  • Me as well! I think there's a difference between having a BSC moment and a BSC month. It seems like most everyone here has had a BSC moment, recognized it, and leveled out pretty quickly. My takeaway from all this has been that if you can acknowledge it and move on really quickly, then it's perfectly normal. I'm definitely glad that we're all in the same boat though. It helps to alleviate the embarrassment and guilt on my end.


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  • bethsmilesbethsmiles member
    10000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    edited June 2014
    phira said:
    I don't get proposing on a birthday or holiday. But I don't see any reason to postpone an engagement if it's otherwise the right time. If that makes any sense.
    I don't really see it as postponing it. BF is planning out the proposal and picking the day, he just isn't picking a holiday or my birthday.

    ETA: He also isn't just carrying the ring around with him. He's going to buy and propose, no waiting around while it sits in a drawer. He's mentioned several times that he doesn't see the point in that.


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