Congratulations, you’re engaged! But now what? Here are 10 steps to take after getting engaged to help you kickstart the wedding planning process.
1. Soak Up the Moment
Take this time before the craziness of wedding planning to enjoy the excitement of being engaged and announcing the news. Get a manicure, post selfies, and have fun saying “my fiancé”!
2. Chat with your Fiancé
Before you make any big decisions make sure that you’re communicating with your fiancé and are both on the same page of what your expectations are and how you both may want your wedding day to look. It’s especially important to be on the same page about the size of the wedding you want, or if you both would rather just save some money and elope!
3. Start a Pinterest Board
If you haven’t already started one, a Pinterest board can be a great way to get all your ideas in one place of what you want the aesthetic to be and even find some of your vendors! And I don’t know about you but me personally I will gladly go down a rabbit hole on Pinterest looking at wedding ideas. (No I’m not engaged yet why do you ask)
4. Make a Budget
Figure out which vendors are the most important to you and who you want to splurge or save on. Whether it’s your parents, or you and your partner paying, make sure you’re in communication about budget expectations as this will be a big determining factor in deciding vendors.
5. Choose a Timeframe for Your Date
Pick a 1-2 month timeframe of when you would like to have your date and which of your top venues have availability within that timeframe. You can use that to cross reference available dates with your other top vendor choices like a photographer or planner. June is one of the most popular dates of the year for weddings, while February may save you some money as it is one of the least popular months for weddings.
6. Narrow Down Guest Count
Figuring out a ballpark for your guess count will be very helpful as most venues and other vendors will want to know how many guests you plan to have. You don’t have to have your whole guest list planned out, as long as you have an idea of how many people you’d like to invite, whether that’s 2 guests or 200.
7. Pick a Venue
If you’re having a large wedding it’s best to book your venue about a year in advance. If you’re choosing to elope at a place like a National Park keep in mind you will likely need a Special Use Permit. For National Parks permit you should apply at least 3 months before the event date but no more than 6 months in advance. Having a beautiful venue is so important as it will be in all the photos and set the mood for the day.
8. Hire Your Photographer
Finding a photographer early is super helpful as they can help you with planning your timeline and the flow of the day. Your photographer will know how much time to set aside for each part of the day to get the best photos. And, like venues, photographers can book up early so it’s important to secure your photographer early on so you can also book an engagement session with them. It’s important to feel comfortable in front of the camera when it comes time for the big day, and it can be a fun way to see how your photographer works.
Annnd if you’re looking for a moody elopement photographer who loves capturing couples in nature then you may have already found your photographer! Hi there, I’m Olivia and I would LOVE to capture your day and help plan and hopefully help you check some things off your list!
9. Build a Wedding Website
Websites like Zola and The Knot have free website designs that can help you do the heavy lifting with building your wedding website. With a website guests can RSVP, check out your registry, and view all the wedding details like dress code and timeline.
The Knot Wedding Website Builder
10. Host an Engagement Party
Share the exciting news with friends or carve out time with your fiancé to celebrate this amazing time of life and enjoy all the fun of being engaged! If you do decide to have an engagement party figure out if you’d like to do all the planning or if you want to let friends/family plan it for you, whichever fits your relationship best!
I hope these ’10 Steps To Do After Getting Engaged’ were helpful to you! To see more helpful posts about your big day or see more of my work click here
Ready to book your engagement session? Check out this post for outfit inspo and a guide on what to wear! Engagement Session Outfit Guide
