You’re Engaged! Here’s What’s Next…

So you’re engaged! This time should be all about soaking in the post-proposal bliss- the last thing on your mind should be the potential stress that comes along with the idea of planning a wedding. Your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of yours and your fiancee’s lives! Allowing yourself to bask in the glow of being newly engaged is a crucial part of the wedding planning process. Feel free to spend a few weeks (or even months if you’re not too concerned with tying the knot right away) enjoying being engaged before you begin to worry about the details. Though wedding planning isn’t always as fun and carefree as you might like it to be, a clear vision of what you want for your big day and a game plan for how to get there can help make the process much more stress-free. I know it can be daunting trying to plan a wedding and you might be thinking that you don't even know where to start- and that’s why I’m here to help you! Below I’ve compiled a step-by-step list of what to do after the question has been “popped” just in case you’re left looking at each other wondering… “Now what?”

Communicate with each other the significant parts of your wedding day

Consider the biggest aspects of your wedding: Are you eloping? Will it be a full 200+ person wedding? Will it be in-state or out of state? Are you going for a traditional celebration or will it be customized to you and your soon-to-be spouse? All of these are details that factor into your big day, and you may come to find out that your fiancee has a totally different picture of it in their mind than you do in yours. Perhaps they want to invite their entire extended family and you were imagining an intimate day with your closest family and friends. Talking all of these details over, lovingly making decisions and compromises, and prioritizing communication are all important ways to make sure you’re both happy and to help the process of choosing venues and vendors run smoothly. Weddings tend to be something that is widely viewed as all about the bride, but in reality this day represents the start of a life-long partnership, and both you and your fiancee should have plenty of say and involvement in what that looks like for your specific relationship!

Pick a date

One of the first items of business when it comes to starting to plan your wedding day is the date. You might consider tying the knot on a date that’s significant to your love story, or on a date that’s convenient or coincides with your ideal honeymoon. You also might want to choose a date that falls within a season that you’ve dreamed of getting married in, or that can provide the sunny spring or rich autumnal backdrop that you always envisioned for your wedding. Consider what the season you are leaning towards entails: will you need a rain plan? Does an indoor venue make more sense if there’s a chance of inclement weather? If you have budget restraints, consider getting married in an “off-season” when venues and vendors have more relaxed prices than peak wedding season. Nailing down a specific season will also help to determine what flowers will be available for table settings and bouquets, and may even help you decide on a color palette for your wedding. Picking a date opens the door for you and your fiancee to start looking for venues and vendors, as you’re able to find out whether or not they’re available on the day you’ve locked down.

Inquire with venues that fit the vibes for that specific date

Don’t be afraid to research or inquire with multiple different venues before you decide on one. Many people dream of what their wedding will look like for years before the day arrives, and you deserve a venue that can accommodate exactly what you’re looking for on your big day. Tour multiple venues and don’t be afraid to ask questions- everything from capacity to insurance and liability are great questions to ask before you settle on a venue. Dotting these ‘i’s and crossing these ‘t’s are an important way to know everything that the venue will provide you so that you can supplement anything you may want that they won’t be able to include.

Book your dream vendors

After the venue comes the vendors. Book your dream vendors! These include florists, bakers, photographers/videographers, officiants, DJs, and custom signage designers, among others. These aspects of the wedding contribute just as much to the overall look and vibe of your wedding as the venue does.

I recommend finding a wedding planner and a photographer/videographer first, as these people also have to have an understanding of you and your fiancee's vision for your day in order to help make it a reality. The style of the photographer that you hire should match the way you imagine your wedding looking in your head, as the photographer is the one that immortalizes your special day and their photos are going to be your time portal back to your wedding day for decades to come. As much time as possible for them to plan for this and coordinate with you is ideal!

This is my list of preferred vendors to get you thinking about what you might want for your own wedding, many of whom I’ve worked with before and trust to help you bring your dream wedding to life!

Final touches…

Once vendors and the venue are booked, you can breathe a bit! Then comes the fun part of picking out all the details. This includes picking out attire for both of you, rings, hairstyles, table settings, and deciding on a guest list and what your invites will look like! While these are technically the “smaller” details of planning your wedding, this is when your dream will begin coming to life and the reality of your big day begins to take shape!