Stop Making Your Engagement Annoying

If you haven't seen it already, there's a picture that was posted on Reddit that is surfacing all over the internet of a girl's reaction to her three girlfriends getting engaged. For clarification, here's the photo:

Some say the girl in this photo could be annoyed at how much money she now has to spend. This could also be a possibility. This is my take on the photo.

The general reaction to this girl has been extremely positive. Many of the comments (including those found on sites re-posting the picture) state that she is "perfection," "the hottest one in the picture" and many commenters state they want to marry her/become her new BFF. And really, who can blame them? Heck, I want to be friends with her now too.

When you get engaged, it's an exciting moment. I know that when I get engaged, I'll be posting my ring on Instagram and blogging about it just like everyone else. You're entitled to that, right? It's a huge moment in your life and you're excited to share it with your friends and family. I get it. But, then there becomes a point where talking about your engagement is no longer fun and exciting for everyone else. It becomes narcissistic, annoying and you begin to look like a showoff.

This picture is the perfect example of that.

As my friend Mike stated, "'Everyone point and smile at these three chicks!' IS AN ANNOYING PHOTO."

It's true.

You're engaged and we're happy for you. But, you don't need to constantly remind everyone that you're engaged. We'll be reminded of that ourselves when we attend your engagement party, your bridal shower, when we receive the save-the-date, the invite and, most importantly, when we attend your wedding. Posting ridiculous photos on Instagram and Facebook of you posing with your ring isn't necessary (this is different than official engagement photos. Post those wherever you want. After all, you paid for them).

Just for the record ladies, the "Omg, I'm so happy and I want to share my happiness with everyone" picture is quite different than the, "Omg, I need everyone to see this diamond at many different angles" picture. One says genuine. The other says showoff. We can read right through them.

Posed pictures like these (particularly when taken months after the fact. Recent photos can sometimes have some merit) have made engagements less about "I really love this person and I'm excited to share my life with them" and more about "look at my shiny new ring." Wonderful stories like Helene's about engagement rings being passed down from family members are becoming rarer as couples compete to have bigger diamonds and thicker bands. I'm not saying that this is the case across the board but it definitely applies to more and more couples in our generation.

With this picture in mind, this is my appeal to stop making engagements a competition and celebrate what an engagement ring represents: a symbol of love and devotion.

Having a bigger ring does not equate to having a better marriage.

Linking up here.