Congratulations on your engagement!

Did you know that most engagements happen between Thanksgiving and New Year's? Yup, all you guys out there probably have been learning all about the 4C's recently -- cut, color, clarity and carat. You've probably visited your friendly jeweler more times in the past 2 weeks than ever before in your entire life. The choices of engagement rings, from traditional to contemporary, may seem endless. But don't worry, you will pick THE RING soon, and it will proudly burn a hole in your pocket until you ask your girlfriend to become your fiancee! And then the fun really begins!

For some of my clients, I've seen that the future husband's involvement in the wedding planning process is limited to selecting the engagement ring, picking out a tux and showing up to the church on time. However, for most of my couples, planning their weddings is a shared experience. Together, they plan the first (and probably biggest and most expensive) party of their lives, and create happy memories along the way.

In a way, I'm jealous of all the fun you are about to have. My husband proposed to me on December 13, 1997, and I still remember -- with a smile -- all the difficult, trivial, monumental and frivolous decisions we made along the way to the altar. Your journey is just beginning, and I hope you take time to enjoy the process.

Until next time, happy planning ...