love and marriage, and social media

Long before there were Facebook, Twitter or cell phones there were proposals, engagements and weddings.  But how on earth could you have heard about a friend of a friend of a friend getting married?  Or that girl you didn't particularly like in high school and swore if she got married before you you'd die?  Or your ninth grade boyfriend that broke up with you because you wouldn't let him feel you up?  I guess you had to live not knowing.


Well with life taking form on a Web page it's easy to reach your 950 closest friends with the news that you are engaged ... and you can do it just seconds after it's happened with the picture of your ring.  I've been shared the news in a text message before the newly engaged made the round of calls.  I've been asked to be a bridesmaid via text, since we'd been playing phone tag for weeks. I heard the good news that a former coworker had gotten engaged - but she hadn't changed her status on Facebook yet.  I must have been the first to her wall to you know, formally send my congrats.  No one had said anything.  I was nervous it was a secret (it could happen, right?) so after I wrote "Heard the great news - Congrats!" I got nervous and deleted it.  


I've also admittedly seen an engagement announcement on the 'book and taken comfort in knowing that if she could find someone to marry her, so could I.  Don't you judge me.


So do you need to bring documentation to City Hall when you apply for your marriage license to show that you have indeed changed your status on Facebook from "In a relationship with" to "Engaged to"?  As far as I'm concerned that makes it more legit than a piece of paper.


And then what happens when things don't go as planned?  Do we need Facebook to offer the following options:

• "Broke Off The Engagement To"
• "Working It Out With"
• "Gave The Wrong Finger To"
• "Got Pregnant First With"
• "No Longer Legally Married To"

Ugh, and since dating takes place via late night text messages, what would you do if you got proposed to on your Facebook wall or Twitter feed?  You let me know your thoughts.  Leave some HMOH comment love.


-HMOH