You said “YES!” Congratulations!
There are so, so many blog posts out there on what you should do once you get engaged. But even before you post a #ringselfie or dive into your Pinterest board or call everyone you know or start booking your favorite vendors…
Take a deep breath. Here are the first three things you should do once you’re engaged:
1. Take a beat to celebrate.
You. Are. Getting. MARRIED! That deserves a date night! It’s ok to forego planning the wedding day and just bask in the reality that someday soon, you’ll be promising your life and commitment to your best friend. If that doesn’t deserve a fancy dinner reservation or a laid-back night at your favorite brewery, I don’t know what does.
Savor this time to enjoy the fact that you’re about to take a huge life step with the person you love most in the world. Take it from me, while planning a wedding is wonderful and fun and married life is legit awesome, you will never just be ‘engaged’ again, and there’s something really beautiful and wonderful about that. Enjoy the heck out of things like cake tasting, registering for gifts, and hearing stories from your mother or grandmother about her wedding day. Soaking up all that engagement life goodness just makes the wedding day all the more special.
2. Take time to dream.
What will your marriage look like? What will your house feel like? What are your priorities as a couple? Have you talked about household budgets? You don’t have to have the answers, but this is your time to check-in with your future spouse and dream about your future. Even if you’ve already done this (and chances are, you have) there’s something special about planning your marriage once you’re actually engaged.
3. Envision your wedding as a couple.
Even if the groom doesn’t seem interested, it’s important to include him in the planning process. If you’re committed to the health of your relationship, you know how important it is to keep the other person abreast of important decisions in your life, and your wedding is no different. Have a conversation about the budget, the feel of your wedding, and what is most important to each of you.
When Sam and I got engaged, we knew that we were working with a limited budget. Neither of us wanted to go into debt, we were very young (so savings accounts were reallllllly low) and our parents weren’t contributing tens of thousands of dollars. Of course, we still wanted to have a beautiful wedding, so we decided to prioritize the things that were most important to us. For me, that was photos and the music (I was a music major in college). For Sam, it was the food. We planned our budget around those items – investing in a photographer that we loved, hiring really wonderful musicians, and making sure the food was kick ass. Things like decorations or rental equipment got less attention, but for us, that worked.
Once you get the budget and overall vision of the wedding pinned down, you can start to move forward with planning. Take the time to research vendors and venues in your area and come up with a game plan (if you’re in the TC area, feel free to reach out to me on Insta for my vendor recommendations!).
Trust me, this will all go so fast and it’s a wonderful, magical whirlwind of love and romance and excitement. I’m so excited for your marriage, but don’t forget to enjoy and celebrate the engagement season for what it is!
