5 Things To Do After You Are Engaged
Congratulations! You are ENGAGED!! What an exciting time!!!
After you’ve shared the wonderful news to all your family and friends, and after staring at your newly insured ring for the 10,000th time (no, this will never get dull), you’re probably eager to get going on the wedding planning. If you’re at a loss of what to do first and where to start, don’t freak out. Here are 5 things you should do first to get started on a great wedding planning journey:
Set a budget
I know. Talking about money is not fun. In fact, it can be quite awkward and uncomfortable. But setting a realistic budget really helps ground you in reality. It sets the tone for what kind of wedding to have, how many guests you can invite, and more importantly, it keeps you from spending more than you can realistically afford. Weddings can be expensive, and it definitely isn’t a good start to a new life with your spouse when you’re knee deep in wedding debt.
So have that talk, and be honest with each other. If your parents are offering to help pay for all or a portion of the wedding, include them in your discussions. You’ll be grateful you had this discussion early on.
Determine approximate size of your guest list
This isn’t the stage where you decide who to invite. That happens later on in the wedding planning journey. At this stage, all you’re looking for is a range - the minimum and maximum numbers that you and your fiancé/fiancée are comfortable with.
Knowing the approximate size of your guest list is good to have because at times, your guest list may dictate your venue. For example, if you are planning on having 300 to 350 guests, your pool of potential venues automatically decreases to a handful that can accommodate that number.
Think about possible dates
If you live in an area with 4 seasons, the summers are usually the most popular time for weddings. And it’s at these times where the most desirable venues get booked pretty far in advance.
If your heart isn’t set on a specific date, have several dates in mind as a back up, in case the venues that you really like are already booked.
Think about the theme or style of your wedding
Knowing the style or theme you want for your wedding helps narrow down your venue choices. As a wedding planner, before I even begin to look at venues and vendors, I need to get an idea of what style the bride and groom want. It doesn't make sense to spend my time looking at hotels when the bride and groom want a rustic barn style wedding.
So make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, browse through some magazines, and figure out what styles you’re attracted to. Bookmark the images you like, and near the end of your session, review your bookmarked images. You’ll find that the majority of your bookmarked images reflect the same one or two styles.
Find a Venue or Wedding Planner
If you’re hiring a wedding planner, it is at this stage where you can go ahead and hire one. You already know what your budget is, you have a date (or several) in mind, you have a rough estimate of how many guests you want, and already have an idea of how you want your wedding to look like. So you’re good to go!
If you’re planning your own wedding, you can now start scoping out possible venues based on your budget, venue capacity, availability, and the venue’s style. Do keep in mind that if your heart is set on a specific venue, you can alter the venue’s interior (to an extent) to match your preferred style.
As a wedding planner, when I get to the stage of booking venues and vendors, I always always book my venue first. It dictates the wedding date, and confirms the size of the wedding celebration. Once you’ve secured your venue, the rest of the wedding planning builds off from it.
All this talk of wedding planning is getting me super excited! I’m seriously getting giddy!
Congratulations once again on your engagement, and sincerely I hope you’ll enjoy the planning process as much as I do. And if you need a hand, connect with us because we love weddings and we’re more than happy to help.
And as always, feel free to leave me any questions or comments below.
Happy planning!
Warmly,
