THIS ISN’T A DREAM, you’re getting married!!! And I’m so excited for you!!!! I replay the day of my engagement to Tommy over in my head every other day and get goosebumps every time I think about it. Aside from the actual wedding itself, it was the best day of my life.
I remember waking up the next morning and instantly looking at my hand to see if the ring was still there. That whole next day Tommy and I must’ve made 40 phone calls to friends/family to share the news, and the story never got old. Nor did taking pictures of the ring – I had to have at least 500 pictures in my camera roll of the ring at different angles.
After a few days passed, the reality started to set in and I realized, oh crap, now I need to figure out how to plan a wedding. Every wedding is different, so there is no strict order you need to follow, but there are a few important things you’ll want to knock out right away!
9 Things to Consider After Getting Engaged:
- Have your ring insured. If your man hasn’t done this already, take a trip to the jeweler and get that beautiful thing insured. The last thing you need is for something to happen to it and find out it’s not covered!
- Start thinking about a date. Do you want to get married in winter, spring, summer, or fall? Once you decide on a season, try narrowing it down to a month. Think about things like annual family vacations, holidays, planned weddings or trips. Run some dates by your parents as well!
- Figure out the type of wedding. Do you want a destination wedding, or something near your home? Do you want it to be outdoor or indoor?
- Will it be big or small? Will you have less than 50, closer to 150, or more than 300 guests? The wedding size is something that needs to be considered before researching venues so you can figure out what size venue you will need.
- Start researching and then visiting venues. Tommy and I did a ton of research on venues around our desired area, and narrowed it down to seven. Once we had those, we blocked off an entire Saturday and drove to every single one. We walked around the location, spoke with the event coordinator, asked questions, etc. There were two big drivers for us when choosing a venue; big ceilings and lots of windows. I recommend having a few drivers or “must haves” when choosing your top five-ten venues to tour.
- Figure out a budget. This is one thing that everyone dreads but it will eliminate tons of stress if you discuss it up front. It may also be the determining factor for the venue you end up choosing.
- Who will be in the wedding? This is important not only because everyone’s schedules are crazy and you want to make sure they can attend, but once you have your bridesmaids and groomsmen figured out they can help you with planning!
- Decide on a theme. This may already be determined once you pick out a date and a venue, but I recommend having a key word or two in mind to describe the overall feel of your special day. Ours was “elegant” and once I had that word, I was able to use it when picking out my dress, decorations, flowers, etc.
- Find your vendors. After finalizing your date and venue, start looking for your vendors. By vendors, I am referring to the DJ, florist, makeup & hair artist, photographer, and videographer, etc.
The most important thing is to have fun planning your wedding. Sure you will get overwhelmed and there will be times when you break down in tears, but don’t let those things cause you grief. Remember, this is going to be the best day of your life – don’t sweat the small stuff 🙂
Until next time.
Peace & Love,
