Now, I’m sure we’ve all been there, but let me set the scene. You’ve innocently picked up your phone to go for a little Instagram scroll and you’ve suddenly stumbled upon your latest friend’s engagement photo. They’re either boldly showing of their ring, in a casual pose where the ring is centre stage or in some ‘candid’ shot of the proposal taking place. The picture has already raked in hundreds of likes and ‘OMG, congrats! #couplegoals’ comments. You, of course, add your own like and comment before sending them a private message later… but that doesn’t stop you from having a few thoughts yourself. So, here are 11 thoughts you have when another friend gets engaged…

1. Dear god, another one?! Aren’t we all a little too young for this marriage business?! I though the age of marriage was going up anyway…

Of course, you’re happy for them but one wedding a year is more than enough, right?! Plus, once your friends all start getting engaged and married, they start asking when it’s your turn. Even worse, once your parent and grandparents get on that train, it’s basically the only thing they’ll ask you until you start popping out grandkids to shut them up.

2. No, no but I AM excited! They were always super cute together and this Instagram post looks SO nice. Such an exotic location too!

Whether you want to get married or not, a cute engagement photo will always eventually give you a warm fuzzy feeling because they’ll always look so happy in the post (no matter the ring size because it’s not about that, gosh!) It’ll just be a dreamy picture for you to look at time and time. Lowkey, the best part of friends getting engaged is the pics.

3. I better be invited to this wedding. I listened when they went on and on about their relationship drama back in the day.

After listening to, and advising, them in the beginning of their relationship, you’ll expect to be invited. Hell, if you joked about it back in the day, you’ll probably expect to be a bridesmaid/groomsman too. It’s the least they can do, right? I mean your advice basically got them to this stage, so they’re welcome!

4. I should message them and say congrats, that should’ve been my first thought, to be honest. Whoops…?

Of course, when you find out your friend is engaged, your first instinct should be to message them to say congratulations. It shouldn’t be about yourself, but 9/10 times it usually is. Oh well, we’re only human…

5. Oh god, most of our mutual friends are in relationships! They’ll all bring their other halves like the last wedding and ask me when I’m going to meet someone. As if I’m a damn fortune teller, puhlease.

The worst (and I do mean the WORST) thing about all your friends getting engaged and married is that if you’re still single, that’s all they’ll ask about. At the wedding (even if they don’t bring their partners) it will still be a lot of “when are YOU going to meet someone?” and “what about [insert platonic long-time friend’s name here]?” Or, always a great one, “you need to stop being so picky!” Yup, singletons receiving their save the dates saying “Oh, I can’t wait to be quizzed to within an inch of my life about my single status” is something that has never happened. Ever.

6. Well, I need a date. HA! I have about a year; my dating luck could change by then…

Best way to avoid the above chat? Bring a date as a human deflector. Easier said than done, right? Of course, it’ll be great to be in a relationship by your friend’s wedding, but you can’t plan these things… sadly. Hoping to meet someone before a friend’s wedding probably won’t help matters either. Desperation isn’t not an aphrodisiac at all.

7. Oh god, I need an outfit! I should also get back to the gym because “hello single groomsmen/bridesmaids, hit me up!” (Always need a backup plan in case I have no date…)

Another issue with so many friends getting married? Needing a new outfit for each one. If you’re a guy, you can get away with wearing the same suit until you die and you can STILL where it for that too! Women, however, are expected to change it up a bit and that change can be expensive. So, I guess you better decide how much your friendship is worth in terms of outfit costs because you don’t want to be broke BUT you do want to look good. Especially if you’re single 😉

8. The bachelorette/bachelor party better be wild, otherwise what’s the point?!

Two of the best things about weddings? Open bar and the bachelor/bachelorette party. Firstly, there had better be an open bar, otherwise how are you going to get through all the questions about single life?! Better yet, how are you going to work up the nerve to talk to that hot bartender/groomsman/bridesmaid?! Also, if there’s no party with strippers and penis paraphernalia, then where is the fun for YOU?!

9. I’ll probably see them a lot less now, or they’ll be a lot more third wheelin’ now… yay?

As nice as your friend’s partner may be, no one likes feeling like a third wheel. Especially if they’re going to bring their partner everywhere like the ring isn’t enough. Sometimes you’ll just want to hang with your mate and have a sympathetic ear when talking about your latest bad date. That’s harder (meaning awkward) to do with their other half there. Also, when friends are in serious relationships, you’re likely to see them less anyway, marriage makes that more permanent. We know, life can be sad.

10. Gosh, but really, I am SO happy for them! They deserve all the happiness in the world, I mean their ex sucked. Well, mine did too and I haven’t gotten my happy ending yet, but there’s still time…

At the end of the day if they’re happy to be engaged, you’ll be happy for them. If they’ve had a bad time of it with dating and relationships in the past, then you’ll be extra happy! Naturally, you might feel a little melancholy for yourself when you look back at your relationship history, but their upcoming nuptials will make you secretly hopefully for your future too.

11. I’ll get married one day too… maybe. Do I even want to get married right now?! No, I’m good for now. Focusing on my career, travelling and myself is where I’m at and I love it.

There may be a slight “what about me?!” moment when celebrating your friend’s happily ever after, but it’ll pass quickly once you look at your own life and see that you’re happy with where you are and excited for what’s to come. After all, your future is bright baby! Who knows? You might not even WANT to get married, everyone’s happily ever doesn’t always have to involve marriage and kids, guys!

So, there you have it! 11 thoughts you have when another friend gets engaged. Depending on whether you are a nicer person than most of us, these thoughts may or may not have applied to you at some point or other. Either way, hope you enjoy the wedding and down some champers for us. Cheers!

By Jordan Enaboifo

@jordan_enaboifo