It’s safe to say that engagement season is now over, which means wedding planning mode in is full swing! Now that you and your fiancé have decided to make it forever, you may be wondering what your next steps are! “Where do we go from here?”
Photo Credit | Carina Skrobecki Photography
We’ve got you covered! Here are a few next steps for you to tackle, now that he/she put a ring on it! We like to call it our “6 Things to Do as Soon as You’re Engaged” list.
Photo Credit | Carina Skrobecki Photography
6 Things to Do as Soon as You’re Engaged List:
- Set a Date. Before anything can be booked, there’s got to be a date! We recommend you have several dates that you are interested in for your big day since often times the actual date is determined by venue availability. Only having one date in your mind can significantly limit things and is something we do not recommend unless that is the only date you can do. When you have multiple dates in mind while venue searching, it gives you more flexibility in choosing a venue based off what fits you best rather than what was left as available. All bookings you will be making are dependent on a date being on the calendar. It’s safe to assume, the farther out your date is, the more probable the vendors you would like to book will be available. We recommend 6-9 months at the latest for the planning process to ensure availability of vendors and best preparation for the big day–although shorter engagements are often just as successful and doable! A date determines all other aspects of your wedding day!
- Set a Budget. This is the next important step after your engagement. Your budget is helpful because it provides parameters to operate in while planning your big day. With a budget, you can decide on what aspect of your wedding is where you want to put your money, and what things you care don’t care as much about. Your budget is also helpful in choosing vendors that match your price points in their field of expertise, because you will have an idea of how much you’re willing to spend and where. When there’s a budget, you have realistic expectations! {Stay tuned for another post that expands on this topic!}
- Have a Vision. This is so important; to know what you envision your wedding day to look/feel like. Once you know what expectations you have for the atmosphere/vibe you wish to cultivate, you can move on to the fun stuff; like your color palette or theme you wish to design around. Often times, we find brides describe their vision to include the comfort and experience for their guests, which is awesome! We love it when couples want to ensure their guests are taken care of too! We love the impact hospitality makes on a wedding!
*Planning Tip: Think of experiences/feelings you would like to have at your wedding as well as things you would like to do differently than what you’ve seen done at other weddings. This will help you navigate what you want your day to look like a bit more specifically!
- Book a Wedding Planner. Since this is probably your first go-around at having a wedding, or even if it’s not, a wedding planner, like Perfectly Posh Events has the knowledge and expertise to make your wedding a smashing success! We have the resources and skills to help you navigate all aspects of your wedding. From who the best DJ’s in your price point are, the unique and exciting trends in the wedding industry right now, or to the detailed logistics of your day, we cover all the bases to ensure you feel at ease and confident in the execution of your big day. We are there to be your voice on your wedding day, to ensure your vision comes to fruition, and to relieve any avoidable stress on your big day.
Photo Credit | Kelly Lemon Photography
- Book a Venue. After setting your budget and booking your wedding planner, the next step your planner will guide you to do, is book a venue that’s within your budget and matches with your vision. The venue is one of the biggest ticket items you will want to nail down first, as dates fill up quickly at popular venues, and affects other bookings and details of your wedding. It solidifies your date, gives you a rough draft of your timeline, and allows you to book other vendors from that point on. After booking your venue, you can begin reaching out to all your other vendors: florists, DJs/bands, photographers, caterers, and list goes on and on!
- Make a Wedding Website. Before you can send out your Save the Dates that announce your wedding date, and where said wedding will be, we recommend creating a wedding website to include on your Save the Date! Having a centralized place to communicate information and frequently asked questions to friends and family will make your lives so much easier–trust us! If you’re wondering what all you should include on your wedding website, we have a blog that discusses just that: things to include on your wedding website. Check it out and be informed! You’ll thank us later.
These are just a few things to get you started–your planner will be able to take it from here and let you know the next steps in the wedding planning process. This is an exciting time! Your wedding day will be one of the most memorable days of your life! So enjoy the process, no matter how stressful it may get–because it will go by so fast. So live in the moment and enjoy the ride!
Photo Credit | Carina Skrobecki Photography
Interested in having Perfectly Posh Events be a part of your planning process and wedding day? We are available for Seattle area weddings and worldwide destinations! Click here for our wedding planning services.
Until next time!
~Danae
Shout out to Keiko + Matt for letting us feature their darling engagement shoot in this blog! Photo Courtesy: Carina Skrobecki Photography
