Congratulations! You've said yes, but what happens next? It's time to start planning the wedding that you have always dreamt of or maybe it's the wedding that you have never thought about and are completely overwhelmed about where to start. To make it easier, we have compiled a list of the seven most important things to do after you get engaged.
Bask in the Moment!!
It has finally happened and your love for each are at one of the highest points that it will ever be in your relationship. This is the perfect time to bask in the moment and enjoy each other. A key part of enjoying each other is spending quality alone time together. This could be done by enjoying a quiet weekend at home without visitors, enjoying dinner at your favourite restaurant, getting a couple's massage at the spa or taking a trip out of town to see the sites. Don't forget to take loads of ring selfies. Either way, this is highly recommended before you start sharing the big news with your friends and family.
Go Tell It On the Mountain!!
This leads us to the second thing to do after you are now engaged. After you and your now husband or wife-to be have spent your recommended quality. time together, its time to share the big news! Based on your personality, you may prefer to just tell your closest family and friends or you may announce the news on your social media.Show off your ring to your besties or post that ring!
Discuss Your Wedding Budget $$
Now that the initial rush of dopamine of getting engaged and sharing the news has passed, it's time to start getting down to business. One of the first things to discuss with your partner is the budget. This is a key part, if not the most important part of wedding planning process that affects all the other aspects of the big day. Identify how much you and your partner are willing to spend and check with your parents to confirm if they will be assisting with any of the events Another great way to budget, is to further divide the budget into subsections. Some examples of subsections are: total budget for overall event(s), how much to be donated by your family, the wedding planning fees, the venue rental fee, floral and decor, entertainment, photography and videography, food and beverage, the cost of the wedding dress and suit, the cost for transportation among other things. This may be your first wedding and you have no idea as to what things truly cost. But this is a great start in tracking your spend and ensuring that you don't go into debt before you've started your lives together.
Choose the Date!!
Now that you have shared the news, everyone will start asking when is the big date. Depending on how soon you tell everyone, you may have not had the time to even think about it. There are quite a few key things to consider when choosing the day for your celebration. First of which includes choosing a date that is significant to you. This may be the date that you both met, the date that you made it official, or even the date that you got engaged. Secondly, choose a season that will be great for your big celebration. Spring, early summer and fall are great for outdoor events, while winter is great for an indoor party.This will later dictate the theme and dress code that you incorporate for your wedding day. Thirdly, try to avoid dates around big holidays like Christmas, Easter and independence celebrations. This puts your guests in a tight spot as they have to make the decision to either spend time with their families or attend your wedding. Fourthly, consider if you will prefer a weekday or weekend wedding. For some venues and vendors, this determines the cost of rentals.Venues tend to be more expensive for a weekend use versus a weekday event.
Hire a Wedding Planner!!
If you are amazingly organised, always on top of the details, and have a lot of extra time on your hands then you may not need a wedding planner. You may only need a day of coordinator to maintain your timeline and assist with communicating with the vendors and venue throughout the wedding day. If you are not that person and tend to procastinate, forgot big dates, and not as organised, then you need a full time wedding planner. Getting a wedding planner can only be beneficial. Consider this, it generally takes 250 hours or more to plan a wedding, do you have 1-3 hours per day to send emails, file paperwork, cold-calling vendors and venues? This free time allows you to enjoy your engagement without constantly thinking about what needs to be done for your wedding. Having a wedding planner also helps to streamline and guide you in creating and developing the vision that you have for your big day. This includes, choosing the theme, colours, floral and decor, lighting, entertainment and venue. Additionally, having a wedding planner provides insight into the industry. Your wedding planner will already have the knowledge of the area, what to request when contracting vendors, pricing comparisons etc. Your wedding planner is also there to be your sounding board whether for big planning details or a listening ear.
Who's Coming?!
Who should you invite to your wedding? There are a few questions to ask yourself before moving forward. The first question is "Would I invite them to dinner?" If you would have never invited them to dinner and be willing to pay for it. Then it does not make sense to invite them. The second question is "If I wasn't getting married would I see them in the next twelve months?" Your wedding is a special moment and you should be surrounded by people who have loved and supported you and have had an impact of your relationship with your partner. Additionally ,you need to create rules of who you wish to invite or not invite. This includes third or fourth cousins, children and plus ones. Whatever your final decision on who will be invited, you should consider that it will be the most significant thing that affects your budget. Your guest count affects the cost of the venue, the food and alcohol, the floral and decor requirements etc. The more persons attending the more of everything you will need to have.
Finding the Perfect Venue!!
You have figured out your budget, chosen the date, hired your planner and have a tentative guest list, the only thing left to do is to find your perfect venue. Whether you are having a local or destination wedding to Jamaica, this is the final piece of the puzzle before you begin organising the finer details of your wedding celebration. Start researching with your wedding planner venues that m,atches the vision that you have. Are you dreaming of a wedding ceremony on the beach, in a garden, church, or grand hall? Seek out photos of your top choices, get their pricing options, find out the pros and cons of either property and finally do a site visit.
Once you're done with all of the listed must do tasks, you are well on your way to a great start towards finalising the planning of your big day
Once you have done all of the above listed tasks, you are well on your way to a great start towards finalising the planning of your big day.
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