You just got engaged! Now what?
We’ve got you covered on the next steps!
You said YES! You’ve called all family and friends to share the exciting news. You still have those butterfly feelings, you stare at your ring every moment of the day. After those first few weeks you're in total bliss! Then the real panic sets in. You have no idea where to start, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve rounded up our professional opinions, tips and tricks.
ENJOY THE MOMENT. You only get married once so enjoy the happy bubble as long as you can! Don’t go straight to the bridal salon or try to pick your colors right away.
PHOTOGRAPHING THIS TIME. I can't stress this enough of getting engagement photos! These photos will be with you forever and really is a great chance to get some beautiful shots of your fresh brand new ring! These photos can be used for your wedding website if you choose to go that route for planning.
THE RING. Can not stress enough of getting your ring insured right away! This is one thing that tends to be pushed off and later completely forgotten about. It’s important to have insurance on your new ring just in case anything happens to it, you're covered!
THE CONVERSATION. Now that you have let things settle down it’s time to have the conversation with your now Fiance! Do you want a big or small wedding? Spring or Summer? Fall or Winter? Inside or outside? These types of questions are important for both bride and groom. Don’t assume your Fiance doesn't have an opinion on this, more of keeping them included.
WHO IS COMING. Now you have chosen some of the basics of whether your going to be having an indoor or outdoor wedding and what season. This is the time then to make your guest list, we know it’s early but the sooner you have a guest list the easier the planning will be down the way, so you can give a specific number count to your vendors.
BUDGET TIME. The dreaded conversation.. The budget. This is super important though especially when you’ve other people involved that will be financially part of the wedding. Once you have decided on a number this will help you when choosing your vendors. If you don't have a budget this will be very hard once you go deeper in the planning process and can cause extra stress. This is typically when a Certified Wedding Planner will come in to help you curate your wedding budget and give you a very realistic number.
SETTING THE DATE. We've got the big stuff out of the way, now it's time to choose a date. Looking at your calendar and seeing what big events are happening? (Can impact hotel blocks if it's a big city wide event) if some family members are in school? (Can impact travel if coming from out of town, can be stressful) Any major holidays? (Everything tends to go up in price during holidays)
ENGAGEMENT PARTY. I highly recommend throwing an engagement party! Whether you're delegating that to someone or having a Planner design and plan for you. This is the time when you truly get to enjoy the excitement with all your family and friends!
GETTING INSPIRATION. You can get inspiration in loads of places today with all the social media out there. Pinterest, Magazines, Instagram would be my top recommendations to begin your inspiration looking. Remember that if you fall in love with a centerpiece you saw on instagram, it may be very expensive and out of the budget, however you can show inspiration and scale down.
VENUE HUNTING. This is where the fun begins in the planning process, is when you get to look for your venue. You have your guest count, budget, inspirations to help you narrow down and choose your venue. Depending if you hire a planner, they will help you in this process.
CHOOSING YOUR VENDORS. This comes after you have chosen your venue and date, now you can start to reach out and compare with vendors. Start by booking the ones that tend to book out the farthest in advance, (Planner, Photographer, Entertainment, Officiant) Then you can start to look at the ones that don’t need more advance booking (Florist, Cake, Hotel blocks)
Congratulations to our newly engaged couples!
The journey you are about to go on will be incredible! Remember to follow these tips on helping you enjoy your engagement time! If you would like to book a discovery call with me to learn more about our process. Please inquire with us.