First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! What an exciting time for you, your honey, and your loved ones. I am absolutely sure that color schemes, budgets, finding “the dress,” deciding who your wedding party will include, picking a venue, choosing a honeymoon destination, guest count, and infinitely MORE decisions are hitting you right now - and this is okay! Just know you are not alone, friend! We’ve got your back (and would love to help you plan your big day). Before you get caught up in these decisions, there are a few sometimes-forgotten to-dos that we want to make sure you don’t miss.
1. Personally tell your loved ones before posting on social media! The best way to get off to an awkward engagement is by posting photos of the proposal on Facebook before calling your Grammy first. YES, the engagement is about you and your honey; however, it’s important to be considerate of the feelings of your friends and family when sharing the news. Call Grammy (and everyone else)!
2. Get your nails done! Your left hand is about to be the most famous part of you - at least for a while. Everyone is going to want to check out your new bling and take photos with you showing it off! Avoid the chipped nail polish look and get this done ASAP. Plus, this is a perfect excuse to #treatyo’self (Parks and Rec, anyone?)
3. Insure your ring. Adding a policy onto your homeowner’s, renter’s, auto, and other insurance policy usually provides the opportunity for a reduced rate on your ring’s insurance. Make this to-do more exciting with a celebratory treat. Seriously. Not only are you getting married, but you are insuring your bling. Is this what adulting looks like? Pop the champagne.
4. Get your ring sized. Don’t be that girl whose ring falls off in the middle of the ocean because you put off resizing. The last thing you want is to toss thousands of dollars and priceless sentiment away if it could have been prevented. Bonus points if your honey knew your ring size and you are one of the lucky ones that gets to skip this step.
5. Consider your timeline. Before you can really do anything else, you need to have a date - or at least a date range - chosen. This will determine what venues will be available, when you need to send out invitations, when you need to pick “the dress” to allow time for alterations, how far in advance you need to book that cover band you love, etc. etc. etc. times infinity. Timeline is everything when planning your big day! Everything else depends on it.
6. Decide on a budget. Like with picking your date, deciding on your budget will play a HUGE role in determining what your wedding day will look like. Once you know how much you have to spend, you will be able to start narrowing down your decisions on venue, catering, guest count, attire budget, etc. etc. etc. times infinity...again.
7. Be intentional about the changes to the relationship. Remember how it felt the first time you guys kissed? It probably feels about like that again (and we love it). That said, there may be loose ends that need tying up: Do you both want children? Are there nitty-gritty conflicts that you’ve had in the past that you want to resolve before marriage? Are there hard decisions that you need to make together, like whether or not you would be able to move cities or change jobs if one of you needed to? Depending on whether or not you’re religious/if your church requires it anyways, think about looking into premarital counseling! You don’t have to have any outstanding “problems” for this service to be beneficial to you both. Many couples come out of premarital counseling stronger than EVER and ready to take on anything that life throws at them - as a team!
8. Enjoy the calm before the crazy! You’ll definitely have breathers throughout the planning process (especially if you work with a planner); however, really make sure to take time with your future Mr./Mrs. to just enjoy the moment. You guys are engaged now! Spend time thinking about your future marriage, as opposed to the wedding day. As much as we love the wedding, it’s one day. Marriage is forever! Appreciate each other, love on each other, and do what you need to do to prepare for the awesomeness ahead!
9. Talk to local wedding planners if you are feeling overwhelmed. A certain level of feeling overwhelmed is completely normal right after your engagement. But, if planning your wedding seems more daunting than exciting, think about working with a planner! Most wedding planners offer tiered packages based on how much assistance you are looking for, which makes it easier for them to cater to your exact needs. We would LOVE to help make your wedding dreams come true (and save your mom and mother-in-law from logistical craziness on your wedding day), if you’ll let us! Reach out and we can set up a meet-and-greet with you.
This is just the start to the adventure ahead - get excited! Yes, there is a lot to do, but if anyone can do it, you can! Don’t let yourself stress during this time that is meant to be giddy and happy. Call us and let us handle the logistics for you and take some of the load off! It’s what we do, friend, and we would be happy to give you the opportunity to focus more on enjoying this time than on the little details.
Wondering what's next? Before you set a date or book your venue, check out our blog post
Have any questions, comments, ideas, or maybe you need some help through your wedding planning process? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would absolutely love to help you make all your wedding day dreams come true!