You're Engaged! Now What?
Congratulations! You just got engaged to the love of your life. The easy part is over, now it’s time to plan the wedding! You might not know where to begin or how to prioritize all the things that come with wedding planning.
Step 1: Come up with a Budget
Probably the hardest thing about planning your dream wedding is figuring out the financial aspect of it all. What do you spend your money on? What’s important to you? Will you have help from family or will it be your financial burden to bear? I’m a firm believer that one should never go beyond their means, especially for a wedding.
Prioritize what’s important to you and your fiancé. For some, it’s decor. For others, it’s food and drinks. Know where you will spend the bulk of your funds. Typically the venue is going to be the largest investment next to catering and alcohol. After that, it’s usually photography and videography. From there, it’s up to you and the overall wedding aesthetic you’re trying to achieve.
Step 2: Pick a Wedding Venue and Date
You can’t have a wedding without a venue. Pick a venue that’s important to both you and your future spouse. Will you need a space to hold a specific religious ceremony or will any venue do? Pick a place with beauty and meaning. Look at a number of venues before you make your choice. Decide if you want the venue or a date that holds special meaning to you. Be open to compromise and adjusting your plans.
Step 3: Pick a Wedding Theme
What kind of style or theme are you looking to have? Something simple and traditional, or something with a specific look? Some styles include: Rustic, Romantic, Tropical, Fandom, Whimsical, Bohemian or Modern. Pick what works best with your venue and vision. Pick your vendors, outfits and decoration around your wedding theme. Try not to stray from that style and if you do, consider changing up your theme moving forward.
Step 4: Choose Your Wedding Party and Guests
One of the most important choices is choosing the wedding party. Do you want your best friends and close family members to be up there with you? Will you need bridesmaids, groomsmen, bridesmen or groomswomen? Maybe you want to keep things simple by not having a wedding party and that’s alright! If you do decide to have a wedding party, make sure that each of the members can afford to be part of the festivities. Travel, outfits, hair, makeup and gifts will start to add up fast.
When choosing your guests, invite the people that are still impacting your life in a positive way. Don’t feel obligated to invite everyone you’ve ever met. If there are individuals you’re unsure about, make a B List and if some of your A List guests can’t make it, then give the invite to the other guests. Family tends to be the biggest factor when choosing the guest list. They might guilt trip you into inviting the sister of your great aunt’s best friend’s daughter or people you don’t want to interact with at your wedding. Hold your ground and explain you want to invite guests that are actively a part of your life. Easier said than done, but unless your family is paying for the wedding, they don’t get the final say, YOU DO.
Step 5: Research Your Wedding Vendors
Before you book any vendor: DO YOUR RESEARCH. Check out different vendors’ portfolios, websites, social media and reviews. Make sure they fit your wedding style and are a reputable businesses. Too many couples get scammed by unverified vendors especially those trying to save a few bucks by hiring a newbie. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is; so do more research on that vendor before booking them.
Step 6: Book Your Favorite Wedding Vendors
Once you have done all the research, start booking your vendors ASAP. They won’t be available forever and they can book up fast. Remember to prioritize what’s important to you and stay within your wedding budget. Read all your vendors’ contracts and payment plans. Many will require a retainer or deposit at signing. Mark payment dates on your calendar. I suggest opening a bank account and/or a credit card specifically for wedding purchases. It will be the best way to keep track of all your wedding expenses.
Main Vendors to Book- Coordinator/Planner; Catering; Bar Services and Alcohol; Photographer; Videographer; DJ and/or Live Music; Rentals; Florist; Baker; Hair and Makeup; Officiant; Lighting; Wedding Attire; Wedding Jeweler; Hotel.
Step 7: Plan Your Honeymoon
Start to make Honeymoon plans before you get too busy with planning the wedding. Pick a destination to start researching flights and hotels. Keep a look out for any deals or packages. Google Flights and Costco are great resources when researching your honeymoon options. If you decided to open a credit card specifically for wedding expenses, consider finding one that offers travel points or other perks while making all your purchases. Check out Nerd Wallet and Credit Karma to find some credit card options perfect for you. Once you book your flight and hotel, start working on a honeymoon itinerary to make sure you both see everything you want to see. Check out TripAdvisor, TikTok and Google for honeymoon ideas. Pin all the places you wish to visit including local attractions, museums, restaurants, parks and historical locations.
Step 8: Finalize the Wedding Details
As you get closer to the wedding date, make sure everything is finalized with your vendors, wedding party and guests. If you have a coordinator (which I highly suggest), they will start this step for you. Finalize the guest list, tastings, venue walk-thru, fittings, hair & makeup trials, mock-ups and any other loose ends. Finalize vendor payments and work with your coordinator on the final wedding timeline & floor plan. From there, it will be your journey to navigate the final steps of the planning. Don’t stress and reach out to your closest friends if you need help. Your wedding will be the happiest day of your life, just be sure to plan it out!
