Did he propose? Are you newly engaged? Congratulations! Take a moment to enjoy! It is truly a special occasion when two individuals recognize their love for one another and choose to wed!
Start by telling your closest friends and family and be prepared to share all the wedding proposal details. You may even want to write them down so they stay fresh in your mind. If you love to write, it can be the first chapter or entry in a special wedding journal that documents the process for your children and grandchildren someday!
But, after you bask in the bliss of your love, what do you do next?
Planning a wedding can be a daunting experience, especially when you don't know where to start or you haven't been around a lot of weddings. I would personally recommend finding a professional wedding planner to walk you through the process (wink, wink!). Search for wedding planners in your area and find one that matches your personality as a couple, your budget, and your style. Give them a call and set up a meeting if possible. Even if you don't decide to go with that planner, I am sure you will get some beneficial information out of the meeting.
While wedding planners do require an additional cost, they can save you tons of time, money, and stress by making the wedding process much more enjoyable for you and your family and friends who otherwise might be over-worked to make your wedding day happen. Wedding planners know all the best vendors and venues and where to get the best prices and quality. They have important wedding day checklists, wedding timelines and budgets, and have an emergency kit for your wedding day that will ensure that any major mishaps are avoided. So, if you can squeeze it in to your budget, hiring a wedding planner or wedding day coordinator is well worth it!
However, if you want to get started on planning your own wedding RIGHT AWAY, begin with your own general timeline and budget. These two things will get the ball rolling on all the other important decisions you must make.
A Wedding Timeline will help you decide when to reserve a venue, find a dress, hire a photographer, caterer, florist, etc. If you and your fiance are planning a wedding during a popular season or at a venue that is in high-demand, be prepared to start early because venues can be booked up to a year in advance!
The time of the year you choose is also important in determining whether you will choose an indoor or outdoor wedding venue. If you plan on doing a summer wedding in a warm climate, pick a time of day for your ceremony that won't be too hot and won't put your guests in direct sunlight. Or, plan on providing cold beverages and fans or parasols to help beat the heat.
If you want to do engagement annoucements, save the dates, and printed invitations, you will need to know your wedding date before you can get started on those. So, it is very important to start talking with your fiance, closest family and friends and determine a wedding timeline and finalize a wedding date as soon as you can.
The next place to start when planning your wedding is with a Wedding Budget. The budget really sets the stage for everything and helps you to determine what you or the responsible party is comfortable spending on your wedding day. So much of your wedding planning process is based on the overall budget and how you allocate funds to different vendors.
Find out if family or a special friend plans to contribute and talk with your fiance about how much you as a couple will contribute. Open communication is always the best way to approach this topic; don't assume that someone will contribute a certain amount until you have specifically talked with them about this.
The big cost items on your wedding budget list will more than likely be the photographer, venue, and food and beverage items. You also have to calculate in all the flowers, attire, officiant fees, decor, honeymoon, etc. Know your limits with each and stick to them! Weddings can get expensive fast if you loose track of your goals; be smart and use a budget tool or hire a planner to help keep things under control.
The wedding planning process should be fun! Having a clear wedding timeline and wedding budget will help you know your goals and limits and keep you focused on what is really important for your wedding.
Congratulations on your engagement! Let the fun begin!
Love,
Rachael and Heather
