What to Do when Your Wedding Gets Cancelled

I had been seriously dating a girl for most of last year. Things were seemingly going great, I had thought she was "the one." One fateful October evening, I proposed to her. She said yes, we were both excited as could be for the possibility of marriage. A few months later some real concerns began to appear in the relationship, and by mid April, it was quite apparent that we just weren't meant to be together. It was a very emotionally trying experience to say the least, but if something like this happens to you, you need to be prepared. Here's how to get alive both emotionally and financially.

Get Your Stuff Back - If you're the male, get the engagement ring back. You have a legal right to it under US law. Get back any of your stuff that's over at your significant other's apartment, and put all of his/her stuff in a box and bring it back to them. Chances are you're separating for good, you'll want to get all of your possessions that your ex-fiancé had back before you part ways for good.

Cancel Your Wedding Plans - Call the photographer, the church, the caterers, and anyone who was supposed to be providing a service at your wedding. Tell them that the wedding's been cancelled and their services aren't going to be needed. Take care of this stuff right away so you can get it done and over with. If you've signed a contract, you'll probably get stuck paying some sort of cancellation fee, but there's no way to avoid that. Fortunately in my case we were still 4 months away from the wedding and hadn't signed anything for certain yet.

Get Rid of the Ring - If you're the man, chances are having the memory of your ex-fiancé around is the last thing you want. Sell the engagement ring that you bought for your former bride to be so that it's out of your life and is no longer a grim reminder of what's no longer. Chances are you're going to take a big hit on the ring. The best place to start is where you bought the ring. Otherwise you can try to sell it to a local diamond broker or on eBay.

If you live together, Move out! - Many couples choose to live together before they're married. Fortunately in my case, we were not. If the relationship ends, its time to find a new place to live as soon as possible.

Keep Your Friends Close - Try to keep yourself occupied as much as you can for the first couple of weeks as it ends. Ask your friends to spend time with you and just enjoy their company. This will make it so that you don't beat yourself up over the lingering feelings. If they're willing to listen, talk about the situation. Don't let your feelings boil up inside of you and erupt. If none of your friends want to hear about it, call up mom and dad, they'll listen for sure.

Don't Start Dating - It takes quite a while to heal after such a dramatic and emotional experience. Give your self at least 6 months before you decide to start dating again. You need time to heal and process all of the emotions that you're going through before you're ready to start dating again.

Ending a relationship that's heading toward marriage can be an extremely emotional time, and be financially painful as well. Take proactive steps to manage your feelings and all of the lose ends, and the process will be a lot easier to swallow.