5 Things to do Once you are Engaged!

5 Things to do Once you are Engaged!

You finally have that shiny ring on your finger and he’s finally done being nervous about planning the perfect proposal. So… Now what? Most brides first thought after getting engaged is it to go dress shopping. Which, while totally fun, isn’t the most practical first step. You may go shopping and find that you are dying to wear a light chiffon strapless fitted dress, only to realize down the line that you & your fiance want a Christmas wedding. Now you’re concerned about freezing on your wedding day. Alternatively, you may fall in love with a heavy, satin, ballgown with intricate beading only to later question your decision mixed with your outdoor, open sun, June wedding.

Well, if dress shopping shouldn’t be your first step after getting engaged, then what should be?

1. Set your Priorities! What is most important to each of you? Is the location that most important? Has your fiance made one request – his favorite live band? Do you have a planner or photographer that you can’t imagine your wedding day without? Take a moment and each write out your priorities, then sit down together and compare your lists. You might be surprised to find that both of you have Food listed as #1, but neither is very concerned with the florist or transportation.

2. Choose a Season! It’s probably best to start with a general ideal time you’d like to be married. Once you decide if you’re a Fall or Spring couple, then you can begin narrowing down the months and taking other things into consideration. For example, if you’re an accountant, you probably want to avoid peak tax season. If you & your fiance love spiced apple cake, campfires, & pumpkins, perhaps October would be right for you. Now, that you have a month. Now that you have a general time, and you have your list of priorities, you can contact those #1 & #2 vendors to check their availability. Of course, there are exceptions to this. If your date is your #1 priority because every women in your family has been married on Veterans Day and you want to honor that, we totally respect that tradition!

3. Insure your Bling! Most forget or overlook this step because it’s seemingly unimportant in relation to everything else you have flying through your mind. But, in the event that something happens to your engagement ring you are definitely going to be kicking yourself if you haven’t been proactive and taken the time to have your ring insured.

4. Talk Finances! This is the part that is not always fun. This also works differently for every couple depending on if you & your fiance plan to pick up the tab entirely on your own or if your families have set aside money to help. You may all have to sit down and discuss it together. Having that budget & your priority list will help you know what your options are and what percentage of your money you want to allocate to what parts of the wedding day are most important to you, what you’d like to splurge on and what you want to spend less on to allow for more money to go towards that splurge.

5. Don’t Wait! Once you have your priorities & budget set, don’t delay or hold off on booking your vendors unless you have a very good reason to. Often times with the rushing about of day to day life, wedding planning can be put on the back burner. Especially if you are having a longer engagement; 15 months may seem like a long time, but in reality you will find it goes by quite quickly. If you know without a doubt you want to book a certain venue or photographer, once that person or place is unavailable, you will have to either change your date or settle on an alternative. It’s best to have peace of mind, trust us, we’ve been there! It’s not uncommon for planners, venues & photographers to book 12 to 24 months in advance. Crazy, right?! But true. There are certain vendors such as cake artists, florists, and catering who are able to accommodate several events on a day so you have a bit more time to settle up those details.

BONUS TIP! Celebrate your engagement! Be happy, embrace the time together. You will only be engaged once. This is the only time you will be one another fiance. Be excited and fill every moment with joy!