First 5 Things To Do After Getting Engaged

GIRL, you just said YES!! Congratulations! While I’m sure you’re soaking all the text messages, hearts, comments, and shares, you’re probably low-key freaking out about what to do next. There’s no doubt you’ve envisioned this day for what feels like forever, but actually planning it? That’s a whole other thing. How do you set a date? Choose your vendors? Plan a budget for them all? How do you decide on a n y t h i n g? 

Give me your hand, Darlin’. I’m about to lead you on a simple path. As a professional wedding photographer, I’ve seen everything from perfectly planned days to a chaotic craze (in the most loving of ways). But one thing I’m undoubtedly sure of is knowing how to enjoy every moment of this celebration. So, here are the first five things you should do after getting engaged:

1. Mark this moment

Before you forget all the tiny details of how it happened, what you were feeling, and all the sweetness that came with it, mark it. Whether that’s buying a journal and writing out the whole story, putting a vlog together throughout this season to eventually look back on, or simply storing away that perfume bottle for a while so the sweet scent allows your memories to flood back the next time you spray it. Do something that will encapsulate every detail of this brand-new chapter. The last thing you want is for wedding planning to take away the joy of being engaged – it can and often will if you aren’t ahead of it. Mark this moment so you won’t forget what this season is all about.

2. Define your vision

The stress of planning a wedding often happens because of one thing: there’s no clear vision. Through unqualified opinions, messy Pinterest boards, and past “experts”, it quickly becomes a collection of mediocre ideas that eventually make you want to elope. To avoid this dark rabbit hole, I encourage you to sit down with your fiancé and decide TOGETHER on what you want your wedding to feel like. What emotions are most important to you? What feeling or experience do you want your guests to take away from your wedding? What do you NOT want to feel or experience? It really makes a difference when you have a defined vision. You’ll approach every decision with it in mind and you’ll both be intentional about not losing sight of it.

3. Come up with a total budget

I recommend setting a total budget before breaking down the numbers and inquiring to any service providers. I’ll explain why this will help later on, but for now, having a total budget will undoubtedly keep you from sinking into debt or overspending. Deciding on a guest number will help with knowing this number as well. You don’t need to know details of what things cost yet, just decide on who you want there and the maximum dollar amount you’re willing to spend as a whole, in order for your wedding to happen.

4. Decide on a season, not a date

Choosing what you actually care about most and least will help you plan more efficiently when it comes to picking a specific date – because every season has its pros and cons…

Springtime has high availability for vendors and a wide variety of seasonal florals. But, it’s often chilly, rainy and you’ll be spending higher prices for vendors toward May.

Summer is great if you’re planning on an outdoor wedding and a steady climate. However, its humid temperatures and low vendor availability may keep you from finding who you want.

Autumn weddings are perfect for those couples who love colorful foliage, cooler nights and intense sunsets, but being that it’s the most popular time of year for weddings, you may be paying higher vendor prices – not to mention busy work/sports schedules for your guests. 

Lastly, Winter weddings are known for their cozy atmospheres, vendor discounts, and high availability.  It’s also a high risk for bad weather, dark indoor photos,  and the shortest hours of daylight.

5. Book by importance

Remember when we talked about deciding on your budget? Here’s why you shouldn’t break those numbers down until you’ve figured out what details are most important to you.

Arrange a list of wedding items from most important to least important. Choosing to spend your budget in the order of what’s important to you will guarantee you’ll have the funds for them. If an amazing venue, meaningful photographs, and a professional coordinator are your top three must-haves, then reach out to those vendors in that order. I promise — PROMISE you will be incredibly happy with your investments this way. As your budget begins to lessen, so will the importance on your list – making it much easier on yourself to compromise decisions if need be. Spend your budget in the order of your priorities!

So, that’s it!

Those are my first 5 things to do after getting engaged! Do you agree? Let me know in the comments – I love hearing about your experience! And if you want to see more of this kind of content, share this with someone who could use some wedding advice.