ENGAGED! 4 Must do NOW!
First and foremost, if you are newly engaged, a huge congratulations to the both of you. This is a very exciting journey in your lives, and I am excited to talk you through the process of planning your wedding.
I am quite certain that you will require some guidance and direction on the things you need to know and do as soon as you announce your engagement.
So, allow me to take away the guess work, stress and overwhelm by working you through the exact steps that will set you up for wedding planning success.
Engaged? Now What?
Amongst the scrolling on Instagram and losing sleep over those Pinterest images you’ve saved; you must remember that this is a life-changing experience and one that you must cherish.
SOAK IT ALL IN & ENJOY
Take a little time to soak it all in and savour the moment. The engagement is meant to be a happy period. Invest time in building/growing your relationship and schedule some date nights.
More importantly, have a little celebration, whether that’s with your loved ones or on your own and be sure to tell your family of the wonderful news.
It’s quite tempting to begin with choosing a dress, but don’t lose sight of the most important tasks ahead of you.
SET A BUDGET
Getting married involves spending money and whilst it may sound like a very daunting task, I highly recommend that you take time out to begin with setting a budget.
Think about the absolute “must-have” items on your checklist. Perhaps you really want to spend big on photography or that beautiful 3 tier wedding cake you had your eyes on. These are the things that are going to set the tone for your wedding day.
From this point, you can move onto the guest list to give you an idea of how much you’ll need to cater for, and which type of venue will work for your style of wedding.
Set a wedding savings account, or better yet, determine if your parents are going to contribute to the wedding budget. You will definitely want to spend some time discussing the details with both sets of parents and accordingly, you will know how much money to put aside.
Location And Style
Upon setting a budget, the next step as a newly engaged couple will be to determine the location and style. Location will be a big key deciding factor before working with a styling team to decorate your venue or venues.
It’s important to ask yourselves where is going to be the ideal spot. Is it central to you and your family or is it a little further out from your location? A destination wedding for example, will require a lot more logistics and add to the overall costs.
Bookmark a few dream venues and lock in a few dates in your calendar to go and visit them. You will definitely want to gather some information on the pricing and availability, before making the final decision.
Under the current situation, venues and wedding dates are getting booked so far ahead of time, so determine what dates will work for you and your families.
Don’t forget that you will not be able to finalize a wedding date until you have found the perfect venue.
Selecting the dream wedding venue is often a difficult task for some couples, but if this is something that you are happy to lend over to a planner, then the decision will become a lot clearer for you.
HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
Planning an event that is as important as your wedding is a challenge at the best of times. This is why I always recommend hiring a wedding planner early on in your wedding journey.
A professional wedding planner will initially book in a chat with you to discuss your vision and ideas for your big day. Following this, you can move into the more exciting stage, where the wedding planner will help with logistics, locking in your venue, dates and contracts.
Someone like myself will sit down with you to determine whether you require me as your wedding planner or wedding coordinator, but you can learn more about this here (DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEDDING PLANNER AND COORDINATOR BLOG).
I understand that wedding planning can be quite a stressful process, but I hope that this blog post has provided you with a few simple steps to begin with.
If you would like to know more about my wedding services, you can book in for a free wedding consultation, over here, or email me directly at info@blissnuptials.com
I would also love to hang out with you on my Instagram @_blissnuptials
Don’t forget to tell me what your biggest takeaways were in the comments below.
With love,
Ronke