You just got engaged! Here are the top 5 things to do next.
You’ve just gotten engaged - congratulations!
Now that you’re engaged don’t let the wedding prep dread creep in! Between the long to-do lists, the difficult decisions of whether you want rose floral arrangements or peonies, and figuring out which family members WON’T stop speaking to you if you don’t invite them to the wedding, it’s no wonder why some break into a sweat when it comes to planning the big day!
Here’s the good news: that DOESN’T have to be you. If you just did a quick Google search for “how to quietly elope” after reading the first paragraph - pause, breathe, and quickly close that tab. Now, keep on reading!
You’ve likely heard that the average length of engagement is 12-18 months, which gives you plenty of time to prepare! So let’s talk about five things you can do right away, so we can ensure that your engagement and wedding planning is a dream!
1. You’re a Fiancé!!! Enjoy it!
Before you launch into wedding planning craziness and/or let anyone know, savour this moment between the two of you. When you let everybody else in on your engagement, that’s when you’ll get hit with a plethora of questions like “When’s the wedding going to be?”, “Have you decided on the guest list?” or “Can I bring my boyfriend Mike to the wedding?”. And while all of those questions are warranted, they can cause a fight-or-flight response.
Before you even get into the nitty-gritty of wedding planning and ALL the details, bask in the engagement bliss and create a bubble around just the two of you. Then, decide together if you want to tell your closest family members or if you want to hold off for another week or two before you announce it to the whole world. (Maybe don’t tell your chatty cousin Martha about it yet - we promise she’ll understand!)
2. Get on the same page.
The last thing you want is to get into multiple fights with your fiancé during wedding prep. Of course, there may be some minor disagreements at some point, but the more you can avoid them, the better.
Likely, you guys have already discussed general ideas around weddings, whether you’d like a big or small one, etc. However, that was BEFORE getting engaged. So make sure to talk about everything you can think of that is wedding related. It’s a day for you BOTH, not for anyone else, so make sure you guys are focused on creating a day you both look forward to and don’t dread.
Need some ideas on what to discuss? Here are a few topics to consider: people you don’t want to attend your wedding, preferences on style/type of wedding or wedding venue, destination wedding versus staying in the same country, number of guests you want to invite, the budget, etc.
3. Go crazy on Pinterest!
Maybe you already have a wedding pinboard, or perhaps you’ve never really thought about what your future wedding would look like. Either way, it’s time to get creative! Find wedding magazines, blogs, Pinterest accounts, and more for inspiration. Get a feeling for what you want your wedding to look like, and don’t let your budget limit you in this step of the process. From ballroom to rustic themed weddings, there are so many ways a wedding can look however having all your inspo in one place can help you make those important decisions, such as picking out which vendors you would like to hire!
4. Determine your budget and your guest list, and plan the wedding in the correct order.
The fact is - weddings are expensive. But you’re looking at creating a magical day that only happens once in your lifetime, and that is worth the expense. However, not everybody has plenty to spend on a wedding, so knowing how to make the most of your budget is essential. The easiest way to do that is to look at what you find most important and what your biggest expenses will be for your wedding and then plan around those. It is worth noting that the amount of guests attending your wedding will also effect the budget as a lot venues and vendors packages/prices will change depending on the amount of people present.
What should you expect to spend the most and the least on? Here’s a general list of what you can expect from highest to lowest in expenses:
Wedding venue and food
Band or DJ (should you go that route)
Photographer and videographer
Florist and Decor
Wedding dress
Transportation from wedding to reception (if they’re in 2 separate locations)
Invitations
Wedding cake
Favours
For those who are thrifty, there are ways to reduce the cost of many of these different items. You can expect the wedding venue, food, band/DJ, photographer/videographer, and florist to take up most of your budget. Knowing that it should make planning a lot easier. Maybe your friend happens to have an insanely large property that you could have your wedding at, or a family friend has a second home in the countryside, or perhaps you may even want to DIY your decorations for the reception!
All that to say, don’t allow finances to ruin the joy of planning this day and remember, you can still have an amazing wedding without having to pay a home deposit!
5. Choose who will be in your wedding party.
First things first, ask yourself if you need a wedding party? That answer is entirely up to you because its your wedding, your rules! However if you do decided on having your closest mates involved, your wedding party can make your entire planning process so much more fun! It’s incredibly easy to get wrapped up in the chaos that wedding planning can become, but with your closest friends and family, it can quickly take away any stress.
With your wedding party, think carefully about how big you want it to be and who to include. This is not the time to prioritise your one friend from college, known for all the drama they create, or your other friend, known to flake out at the last minute. When you’ve chosen your wedding party, communicate their responsibilities so there’s no confusion (or disappointment) later on!
Final Words
At Project Image, we’re super excited for you and your engagement and hope those tips will help bring peace and fun to you both. We love being a part of that special day and capturing moments you can look back on and smile at. From very controlling family members to schedules that were crammed too tight, we’ve seen all the “mistakes” that can be made when planning a wedding. We’d love to help you with your wedding and would be honoured to be a part of it. Check out our “Contact” page; we look forward to hearing from you soon!
