Calling Off a Wedding

To be honest, I don't know how this will go. I will also state that I do have my reasons and if I have not made them known to you, you don't need to know the details. So, please do not ask me what happened. All you need to know is that Andrew and I are not getting married. We are staying together, but we are no longer engaged. So, I thought it would only be customary to finish off the bridal section of my blog by detailing the many reasons for calling off an engagement and the proper etiquette to go about it.
As we know, the divorce rate in our country is 50%. This rate is increased for couples who live together before marriage. This also increases the younger you are when you get married. So, for whatever reason you decide to call off your engagement, you are more than likely doing the right thing. Marriage is not something to be entered into lightly. It is not a promise to be made and broken, which is what society has made it. It is a promise to love someone with all your heart for all eternity. If for any reason you have intense doubts about getting married, and this is basically anything beyond cold feet or wedding jitters, call it off. I'm serious! Yes, it will hurt your family, your fiance, your friends may hate you, your fiances friends will more than likely hate you, and it will hurt you too. If it doesn't hurt when you break it off, you have no soul. But, think about it. Those doubts will come back to haunt you and the more you repress them, the more they will build up until all you have is an unsalvageable marriage. I know it's unromantic to call off a wedding when really you should be the perfect bride or groom and have stars in your eyes through it all, but really...do not get married if you have doubts. It will save you tons of heartache and lawyers and alimony in the end.
So, etiquette. This is the hardest part, girls. But if you follow these easy steps you will do just fine.
1. Take the ring off your finger.
2.Return it to the rightful owner. If he bought it, give it back to him. If you bought something for him, ask him nicely to give it back. If it is from your family, give it back to the family.
3. By doing this you will save yourself many a brawl and court battle. It has happened.
Give yourself and your fiance time to talk about the situation. Talk about where you will be going from there. If you will still be dating, tell them so. If you are breaking up, tell them so. Don't leave anything up to interpretation. If you do, that could lead to even more heartbreak in the longrun.
Call your parents and break the news. Then you may call your bridesmaids and groomsmen.
If you have received gifts, send them back. You are not getting married anymore and you don't deserve them. Sorry about being brash.
If you have put out any news announcements, have the newspaper put out a cancellation announcement.
If you have sent out invitations, call your guests and notify them of the cancellation.
If you are severing ties with your fiance, do it in a civil manner. Don't finger point and fight. They are hurting as much as you, if not, more. Be nice, break things off clean. Take the fond memories you have.
It may be for the best that you attend counseling after the cancellation. You may think you don't need it, but having someone unbiased to talk to about your fears, your hopes, and your moving on. Just remember to take it a day at a time. It does get easier.