Just Got Engaged! What's Next?

Congrats on your engagement!  Planning your wedding is one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can be overwhelming.   Before you start to stress, we're here to help.  

Many couples we work with at Celebrations Remembered hire us before taking many of the following steps, but if you are planning to navigate the planning process on your own or if you are hoping to bring someone in to assist after the initial decisions have been made then this outline will help you get starting with planning the wedding of your dreams.

CELEBRATE!

Planning a wedding is a timely process, but it does not have to start the moment you say "yes."  Take some time to celebrate your engagement.  Take as much (or as little) time as you want to enjoy the experience with your fiancé.  

You can start by sharing the happy news.  Be sure to let your VIPs know first (think parents, immediate family, and closest friends), then you can share with extended family and friends.  Once the your key people have been looped in, you can go public on social media.

Host an engagement party or take an engagement-moon.

Have Your Top 3 Conversations

Once the excitement starts to wind down and you're ready to get started with planning your wedding, make sure that you and your fiancé set aside some time to start with these these 3 conversations.

Set the budget - 
I know, I know!  Talking about money is not always the most fun, but it is essential.  If you have never been closely involved with the planning of a wedding, you may be surprised by the overall investment of a wedding.  To avoid a lot of stress, determining your budget will set the foundation for the decision you make moving forward. 

Who will be helping with the wedding?  Will it just be you and your fiancé footing the bill?  Will you have family contributing? 

• If you and your fiancé are paying for the wedding, what can you comfortably set aside to cover wedding expenses while still maintaining your regular monthly expenses?  Do you have money in savings that you can pull from?
• If family is contributing, you want to be sure that it is clear what areas they want to contribute and how much.  It is not enough to know that your mom really wants to pay for your wedding dress.  You need to know that she can only contribute $800 so that you aren't disappointed when you fall in love with that perfect dress that has a price tag of $2,000 and then find out mom can only afford $800.

Determine your wedding size - 
Next, consider how many guests you would like to invite. But don't send out those save the dates just yet.  The cost of your wedding is pretty much based on your guest count.  Yes, you read that correctly!  The size of your venue, how much food and alcohol you will need to provide, and the number of items you will need to pay for - including invitations, tables and chairs, wedding favors, etc. are all determined by the guest count.  A $35,000 budget for 50 guests will look much different than for 200 guests.

I highly recommend that each of you - individually - make a list of people you can't imagine getting married without them present.  Then, if appropriate, ask your families to do the same.  You may need to review the collective, negotiate as needed, especially if you're on a tight budget.

Decide on your location - 
The world is open to you when it comes to where you will host your dream wedding.  Will you go traditional - bride's parents are paying so you will host in their hometown?  Will you go with convenience - having the wedding in the town/state where you and your fiancé currently reside?  Do you love to travel and want a destination wedding?  Whichever you choose, keep in mind your wedding budget.

Get Organized

Now you're ready to start planning and the first step is to organize your wedding information.  Get a planner or notebook to help you keep everything in one place.  Be sure that it has a pocket that you can keep all your important documents - copies of your contracts and vendor invoices. 

Then take The Knots Style Quiz to get some wedding inspiration.  Once you have a vision, you will be able to start looking for a venue and select your date, as well looking for your perfect vendor team.

Now that you have taken care of these starting points, you are ready to dive into planning your wedding.  Remember to have fun along the way!

If you are unsure where to start, Contact us for a free consultation to see how we can help.  We'd love the opportunity to assist you with planning your dream wedding.