With endless lights and decorations, holidays provide a romantic backdrop to inspire wedding proposals. He popped the question, and you said yes!
You are bubbling over with excitement, and ready to start planning your dream wedding. Here are a few helpful suggestions for next steps now that you’re newly engaged.
Initial Family aand Friends Announcement
After saying yes, the first “next step” is telling family and friends. Tempting as it is to update your social media status, call family and close friends first. Personal phone calls keep the sense of romance alive.
Establish a General Time Frame for the Wedding
After your initial announcement, the most common question will be, “When is the wedding?”
If you don’t have a date set yet, you can have a general time-frame answer ready. For example, “We’re planning for Spring 2020.”
Protect Your Ring
Your ring is a symbol your love. And it represents the soon-to-be forever bond between you and your fiancé. Take some practical steps to ensure your ring is well taken care of and protected. Professional ring sizing and insurance are essential practical first steps. Homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies both should offer ring protection.
Wedding Website
A wedding is one of life’s most meaningful events. So many wonderful updates to share a long the way, it is common for new brides to create a wedding website. The first things to post include: a couple photo, your meeting story, engagement news and a guestbook.
Once you have the essentials up, you share wedding information all along the way, too. Bridal registry information and engaging components like interactive quizzes are fun options for your friends and guests. There are several great wedding website template options to help guide you.
Wedding Planning: Gather Inspiration
Do you have a wedding Pinterest board? If you have been planning for the last 3 years or not, now is the time to dive into your dream wedding details.
Wedding Tip: Choose your décor to support the experience aand feel you want your dream wedding to create.
Wedding Budget
Think about your wedding budget. Will you have help from family or are you and your fiancé taking this on together? Once you have a figure in mind, create a bank account just for this event. Track your expenses through the separate account to maintain control of the budget and gauge your progress toward the wedding day. Written budget sheets and estimates will also help outline each part of the wedding expenses and help you keep your budget focused.
Guest List Request
The size of your wedding guest list and party impacts every element of the wedding itself. To build your list of potential attendees, ask parents and immediate family for guest list suggestions. Pull your lists together and estimate the number of attendees you could have. You can consider your budget and prospective venue sizes to determine the maximum number of guests who will be able to attend. Remember, not everyone you invite will come, so plan on a decline count, too. Approximate guest numbers are important for your budget and venue selection.
Wedding Party
Once you have an idea of the budget, guest list, venue, etc., it is time to consider who you will ask to be in the wedding party. Plan a special way to ask your bridesmaids and coordinate a similar plan for asking groomsmen.
Interview Planners/ Vendors
If you will do the planning yourself, schedule potential vendor appointments. Ask friends for references and research reviews to choose initial vendor visits. Arrange interviews and tasting sessions for caterers and bakeries. If hiring a planner, the process will be simpler, but you must select a planner you trust and who gets your vision for your wedding day. Referrals and reviews are helpful. Meet with top prospects and have a face-to-face conversation. Trust your intuition. You’ll know the right planner when you meet them.
Check Dates for Local Area Bridal Expos or Trunk Shows
A great experience for local brides-to-be is to connect with vendors at local bridal expos and events. You’ll enjoy the inspiration offered by many professionals in one location providing you with helpful information for planning your dream wedding.
Enjoy the Moment
Our modern lives are filled to the brim with demands and to-do-lists. Your engagement is important and can be magical. Take a moment (or more) to allow yourselves to be fully present and savor the experience.
Plan a special time away for you and your fiancé. Turn off your phones, TVs, and screens. Enjoy a quiet, romantic evening together. Talk about the wonderful journey that brought you to the place you are enjoying now. Stay connected to each other and don’t get lost in wedding details.
