We are engaged, now what?
Six tips to get the wedding planning going and enjoy your engagement!
Wow, you’re engaged! First of all, congratulations on this huge milestone. No matter the love story: short or novel-long, a fated meeting or a life-long friendship, this day should be celebrated and shared with those you love most. If you’re feeling a bit elated or overwhelmed, here’s a guide to help you start planning your wedding with grace and ease.
1. Celebrate!
Before the planning, make sure you give ample time to celebrating and relishing in your love bubble — seriously! This sets the foundation for a calmer and happier engagement. Go and do something to commemorate this big day — like visiting your first date spot, popping a bottle of champagne or even booking a weekend getaway. Call your family and your closest friends before broadcasting on social media. Let the big moment stay in your inner circle a bit before telling the world. Spend some time journaling or denoting the special occasion with a photo diary. Not everyone finds love, and you did! This is something to celebrate. Relish in the engagement glow.
2. Set a wedding date
After the initial celebrations are underway, set a date! This will allow you to relax a bit. Once you have this down, it will be easier to plan the wedding. It’s wise to buy a dedicated journal/planner to help you stay on track with wedding planning. Set the date and work backwards from there. To choose a date, first think about what season you want to get married in: spring/summer is great for outdoors AND you may have to book a year in advance. Fall/winter offers a unique and beautiful time of year, but weather may be of concern, and there’s more chances of colds/flu. To give yourself lots of breathing room, plan a wedding at least 10-16 months in advance to notify relatives who are traveling. If you want a small, intimate wedding with less fuss, at least 6 mo. ahead is a good start. And then, think about what day of the week you want to get married: weekends are easier for people to attend, although weekdays might offer a discount at certain venues.
3. Research venues
First ask yourself: do you want an indoor or outdoor wedding? What is your aesthetic: Modern? Classic? Romantic? Rustic? Tropical? (destination). Then, set a budget. These factors will greatly help you filter out a lot of places. Get on Pinterest and start vision-boarding your dream locale — building an objective of what you want will help point you in the right direction of where your wedding will be. Get in touch with local vendors and ask their advice. If you have a caterer you’re set on, ask the venue if they’re open to outside caterers (some stick with their own). If your heart is set on a destination wedding, think about which guests you’d like to invite and where they might stay (is this a realistic place for Grandma?).
4. Research wedding photographers
Finding and booking your ideal wedding photographer is one of the most important elements of your big day. This is the one piece of the puzzle that carries on — it helps tell the story of not only your wedding day, but of your unique love story. So, you’ll want to find a photographer that understands what you want, your story as a couple and someone who has a unique talent of bringing this to life visually. Out of all the people you’ll be working with for your wedding, your photographer is the person you’ll have the most intimate relationship with. You want someone to not only capture the events of the day, but the emotion in the air. First, explore the potential photographer’s social media and website/portfolio to see if their style speaks to you. Then, schedule a consultation so you can assess if your personalities are a match and take note of how responsive they are in their communications and what level of dedication they have to bringing your vision to life. You’ll have these photos forever to be passed on through generations, and you’ll want to be reminded of how special this day was with the perfect photographer for you. For more information, check out article “Five Steps to Finding Your Soulmate Wedding Photographer“.
5. Relax and enjoy each other!
It’s important, for the sanity of you and your relationship, to set aside time to relax a bit after certain milestones have been made (Date set? Check. Venue? Check. Wedding photographer? Check). Get back to that engagement bubble and spend some time just enjoying being engaged instead of racing to the finish line. This is often how the best work is created — when you celebrate milestones and take some time to rest and not plan anything before jumping in again.
6. Make a plan for the next steps
To put your mind at ease (and you may want to do this in the beginning), create a list of all the things you need to check off. Making to-do lists takes all the worry and stress out of your brain and onto the page. You can set deadlines and enlist the help of family and friends!
CHECKLIST:
- Hire vendors – including caterer, bartender, waitstaff (unless it’s a buffet) hair and makeup artist, musicians/DJ, officiant/clergy, chauffeur/valet (if applicable), coat check (if applicable), florist, baker, etc.
- Schedule the engagement session with your photographer so that you can use the photos on your save the date cards
- Create your save the date cards – these can go out at least 6 mo. in advance (8-12 mo. for destination weddings)
- Send out formal wedding invitations following
- Buy a wedding dress and suit
- Select bridal party and dresses/suits
- Plan the rehearsal dinner (if there is one)
- Start thinking about a honeymoon (if desired, you can also do a quick weekend getaway right after and plan a longer trip for later).
This is your big day, whether you’re getting married at City Hall or in Bali. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time and set milestone goals so the wedding planning process is smooth sailing. And enlist all the help you can get!
As a wedding expert, I am here and happy to answer any questions you have when it comes to planning a wedding and creating your dream photos.
Contact me today for a free discovery call to see if we’re a fit, and how I can help you with one of the biggest days of your life! Email mail@vanjamarkovic.com for a free consult.
Happy Wedding Planning!