First Steps for Engaged Couples: Where to Start Your Wedding Planning Journey

I’M ENGAGED, NOW WHAT?

Congratulations on your engagement! Getting engaged is such a big milestone in any relationship, and wedding planning is such a fun season for couples. You might be wondering where to begin as you start to think about planning your big day. Here are the top three things engaged couples should do first.

First and foremost, have an Open Discussion with Your Partner

The first step in the wedding planning process is to sit down as a couple and have a conversation about three key wedding planning topics. First, establish who is involved in the decision-making process. Throughout the wedding planning journey, you will be faced with countless decisions. Where and when will the wedding take place? How many people will be invited? What is the overall vibe of the day? 

As you begin to think of all the initial considerations, you’ll also want to establish your overall budget. This is extremely important.  Talk with any key individuals that will be contributing to the day to gather the information needed to set your maximum wedding budget. Knowing your budget is crucial to booking your ideal wedding vendors, preferred location, and creating the feel of the day you are looking for.  Talk with your partner about your top priorities for the wedding day. Perhaps your top priorities are the food… or maybe it’s having a live band. No matter what, it’s important to keep in mind the must-haves as you begin to work through your budget and plan your wedding day.

Determine Your VIPs

The second thing to do after getting engaged is to determine your VIPs—your loved ones you can’t imagine your wedding day without. Obviously, many factors will come into play with availability of your preferred location and date, but by checking with them to learn of any potential unchangeable date conflicts, you can avoid future hiccups! Being transparent with your inner circle is a great step toward ensuring they’re all able to make it to your wedding day.

Hire a Wedding Planner

The next thing to do (and let’s be honest, we believe this is one of the most important) is hire a wedding planner.  Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and you should be able to enjoy it! You put so much effort and time into planning a day like this and just like your engagement, and it will be over in the blink of an eye. So why not hire someone who will allow the planning process to be stress-free and enjoyable? Someone that can allow you to see all the details and vision come to life while you and your partner enjoy your time together celebrating with friends and loved ones.  A wedding planner guides you in the decision-making process based on your priorities and budget. Planners help you mediate between different opinions throughout the process. Plus, they allow you to be fully present on the wedding day! There a many different levels of service that can be reserved with a planner so you can be as involved as you wish, or you can take a step back to simply enjoy the time and leave the daily duties to your planner.  

All in all, enjoy this amazing time of being engaged! Wedding planning tasks can quickly pick up, but I encourage you to take a step back and a moment to breathe before diving in too deeply. Booking a wedding planner will save you time and stress when getting started, so reach out via this form if you’d like to work together to plan your dream wedding day!