A nine step checklist on what to do once you get engaged.
Soak it all in:
Spend the time right after the question is popped just to take it all in. Relish in the moment of the proposal with each other. This is a monumental moment in your lives, and the start of something so amazing. Engagements are such a short part of your life together so don’t waste that time, love on each other a little bit longer.
Share the news with your Friends & Family:
Just like soaking up the feeling of your engagement, sharing the news with your loved ones is exciting and so important. So whether you plan a fun dinner or bunch to announce the big news, or you send the day after your engagement making phone calls and video chats, make sure you spread the news in a fun and special way with your family & friends. And once you have had a celebratory meal or made all your calls, that’s when you make the local media announcement (with a great ring shot of course!!)
Start Dreamin’ up the wedding & make a budget:
Everyone knows you’re engaged and now they are asking about when the wedding is, but SLOW down. Right now you two need to sit down and chat about what kind of wedding you want to have. Types of locations, time of year, number of guests, color scheme. Maybe even donut cakes vs. mini grilled cheese appetizers. Dream it up, every little detail, and then make it a reality. Included in this reality is to discuss your budget for the wedding. Keeping to a realistic budget and knowing who in your family is helping pay for your big day will keep things running smoothly as the planning really begins.
Set the Date & Find the Venue:
These two tasks go hand in hand. And should be done before much of the other planning. Having a date and location makes it so much easier to book other vendors and to set the color scheme and style of the wedding. When picking the venue, go on tours to the places that you think you would love to have your wedding. Walk around, learn about the locations, and make sure that your guest list works with the venue size and the spaces are what you envision in your mind. Ask the venue owners or property managers to show you all the details of the property and walk you through a wedding day at their property. Also, check out past weddings to see how other couples celebrated their days. Ask all the questions you can think of, because the venue is one of the biggest decisions of wedding planning!
Get your Engagement Photos taken:
This is one of my favorite parts of a couples engagement checklist, of course! This is not just any photo session, this makes a super short but very important time in your life. It’s not the start of you as a couple, but it is the progression of you becoming family. So when it comes to doing the engagement session, you should think about places that are not only beautiful but also meaningful to you. Do you love to hike, do an adventure session and hike to the top of your favorite trail. The views will be epic and the session will be loads of fun. Or maybe you love historic towns, they are filled with charmed great photos ops. Whatever you decided, have fun with it.
Pick out the rest of your Vendors:
The wedding day may be creeping up, but you are keeping it organized and have so much already crossed off your list. Now is the time to make sure you have all your vendors lined up. There are a lot of vendors needed to make sure your day goes as planned. Check out your favorite cake baker, floral designer, DJ, band, Caterer, the list goes on. My best advise to you when picking vendors, when you know you want them, book them. And never hesitate to ask your venue or other vendors for recommendations, we are your go to wedding pros!
Pick out your Dress/ wedding clothes:
What are you going to wear? what’s your wedding dress style? This task can actually be done anytime after you pick your date/venue. You wouldn’t wanna pick out your wedding dress before you know the type of venue or time of year you are getting married. But once you do, spend some time trying on dresses and falling in love with your bride look! And Grooms, this task is important to you too. You have to pick out your wedding clothes too. Are you wearing a tux? a suit? or maybe something different. Either way, the same rules apply, once you pick your date and venue you can pick out your wedding attire too.
Keep Track and Stay Organized:
This might not be the most glamorous of all the task during your engagement, but it is so important. Make sure you have everyone organized and on track. Payments get to vendors, your bridesmaids are getting their dresses on time, the guests are RSVPing. But also know that if you are not down for keeping everything organized with the venue and the vendors, hiring a wedding planning would save you a lot of time and stress. So if you think that you need help with this area, hire that planner sooner rather than later.
The Happily Ever After:
It’s finally wedding day! Everything is planned. The engagement checklist is done, today is all about the wedding and your future as a married couple. So I will revert back to task number one. Today is all about living in the moment and taking in everything about this day. It will go by so quickly. But you have hired professionals who will take care of the day and your photographer will capture amazing moments for you to look back on for a lifetime. So live your love story and enjoy your happily ever after.
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