Congratulations! You’re engaged. Now what?!
- Breathe
- Expect that elders are going to want to voice their opinions and you’ll receive unsolicited advice from friends, peers, and co-workers. Try to have the mindset early on to have calm communication with those that may influence the wedding financially and take the chatter from others with a grain of salt.
- Get a wedding planning book or sign up for a wedding planning site like to help you prioritize what should be planned right away and what can wait a few months. Hop on Pinterest for all kinds of Wedding Planning visuals, blogs and vendors to help you during all areas of the planning process. Not everything has to be done today (like finding the perfect dress or tux) but some things do need to be done very soon.
- Create a wedding website. This will keep you organized but it will also be great for your family and friends to stay on top of any and all info you’d like to share. You can share planning details, post pictures and links to registries, and individuals can use it to RSVP for the big day. Some will even email you each week with reminders of what to do next.
- Explore what type of wedding you’d like to have. Will it be big, fancy, small, intimate, casual; at a church, courthouse, a beach resort, Vegas; indoors, outdoors, while skydiving?
- Think about the seasons when planning the date and how that will dictate your attire, location and availability of ceremony and reception sites.
- If you’re going to have a reception, think about your guest list and start a draft. No sense taking the time to choose a reception location if you’re not sure how big of a venue you will need.
- Jot down future major holidays or family events already booked. Even consider big sporting events your area hosts as they can affect availability for ceremony/reception locations, accommodations and desired wedding party/guest’s schedules.
- Agree with your future Bride/Groom on a ceremony site and a reception site and book it ASAP. Popular wedding sites book up a year or more in advance. Seasonally, it’s no secret Summer is high time for weddings and with limited weekend dates to choose from, venues will be slim pickings if you wait too long. If you choose a destination wedding, choosing that location sooner rather than later will give the guests you invite time to plan and save for the trip.
- Once you set the date, have a budget and secure the the location, start interviewing the entertainment, photographers, and flower vendors. The really great ones get snatched up quickly. Similarly to the venues, they can be booked a year or more in advance.
- Start your gift registries. You can always modify them later but if you’re have an engagement party – or even if not – people will want to acknowledge your engagement with a gift. With a registry in place, they’ll easily gift you something you really want or need in terms of guest head count.
- If there’s anything our Wedding Gown Experts can help you with in regards to restoring a family heirloom or prepping the wedding party’s attire prior to the event, we’re here for you when that time comes. Right now…
- Have fun! It’s a joyous exciting day you’re planning so be yourself, stay true to visions of your “dream wedding” with your “dream partner” and enjoy the process!
– S.O.
