HAPPY NEW YEAR! With the holidays complete and the start of 2017 a week underway, there are many of our followers who may have some new bling-bling to share (aka you’re engaged!) Congratulations! Last month, we talked all about engagement, from our favorite rings to how to pick the right ring and planning the perfect proposal. Now it’s time to talk to about your engagement checklist…there’s a lot to do!
ENGAGEMENT CHECKLIST FOR YOUR BIG DAY
You’re Engaged. ENJOY IT!
Take time to stare at your new sparkle and live in the moment. It’s human nature for all of your friends and family (and let’s be honest, Facebook acquaintances) to say “Congratulations! When’s the wedding?” immediately after your engagement. You’re all over here like “Thank you! I am just in shock. I have no idea when! This is just so surreal.” That is a perfectly acceptable answer. Actually, it is acceptable for weeks following the engagement.
Explore Your Options
We are not kidding when we say you should take a few weeks to let it sink it. Once some of the emotions settle, you can clearly envision what you want your wedding and begin marking things off your engagement checklist. Don’t feel the pressure to jump in instantly and think about when you picture yourself walking down the aisle. Are there fall leaves on the trees? Maybe some white sand between your toes or even snow flurries outside the window as you say “I Do.” You can begin to gather information and inspiration from Pinterest. Start saving some of the photos that capture your attention as you scroll through.
Budget Talk
Take it from our personal experience: do not jump into the wedding planning process without talking about a sensitive topic for some, money. Knowing what you are comfortable spending will help narrow down the guest list and location. Most people skip this step on their engagement checklist. They get so excited and begin searching for the perfect location but we would ask you: how do you know if it actually works with your budget? A venue that is $7,500 doesn’t fit in a $30k budget if you’re looking at 200 guests.
It’s all too common that a couple will come in and say “we don’t have a budget,” so we will throw out numbers like $60k or even $100k? All of a sudden they realize, there is a budget.
Who’s Invited?
Ah, this is one of the biggest conflicts between a couple and their parents during the planning process. Back in the day, it was our grandparents’ friends invited to our parents’ wedding but today, it’s truly about the couple. In an era of social media, couples have so many more connections and friends. If you think about it, a wedding guest list consists of the bride’s parents’ friends and family, the groom’s parents’ friends and family, then of course the couple’s friends and family. Obviously we know a lot of the family overlaps, but we’re still talking about a minimum of 6 individual people and their families uniting on one day. We’ve already written a blog post on “How to Decide who gets a Wedding Invite” for you!
Location
Location can be everything. It sets the atmosphere, expectations and logistics of the big day! It’s important to know the cost and how many guests it can fit. It’s a big part of your engagement checklist. This is the reason you should set your budget and guest count before booking a venue.
Try to find a place that reflects you as a couple. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a place near and dear to your heart (although that is always a great place to start!), but maybe it reminds you of a memory you have together or the setting is just what you imagined for your wedding. Keep in mind that many dates, especially Saturdays in May, June, September and October go fast! Fridays are becoming very popular, too, so picking a location and setting a date is important.
Congratulations to all you lovebirds on your engagement!
We’d like to send a special congrats to our very own, Ariel. She was engaged on December 30th on the beaches of Florida. We couldn’t help but share a snapshot of Ariel & Brian right after it happened. Cue the “awes.”
