Just Engaged? Great! Here Are The 5 Things You Need To Do First.
You're engaged! Congrats. Grab a cup of coffee and get cozy, because we've laid out the 5 things you need to do first.
Katherine Salvatori Photography
1. Stop! In the Name of Love...
Before you dive headfirst into wedding planning checklists, stop and take a moment to really bask in your newly engaged bliss. In other words, celebrate your engagement! And no, we're not talking a formal engagement party here. We're talking about taking a little time to revel in your new relationship status before getting wrapped up in the stressful world of wedding planning. Why? Because it's a monumental event in and of itself that should be properly acknowledged. Whether it's a date night with your fiancé or a casual BBQ with the fam-bam, be sure to embrace and savor your engagement before moving on to Step 2.
2. Get organized.
As you start planning your wedding, you're going to end up with lots of ideas, checklists, venue and vendor favorites, photo inspiration, contracts, etc. etc. Figure out an organizational system NOW so that you can keep track of all your wedding-related collateral. It could be Google Drive, Evernote, a dedicated Pinterest board, a wedding binder, a nifty new calendar app, or a combination of several systems. Getting yourself organized early will minimize stress and allow you to hit the ground running with those all-important wedding decisions.
3. Set a date range.
You may not know your exact wedding date for a while, as it depends on many factors—including your dream venue's availability. But settling on a general date range will enable you to get your planning process in gear. "Summer 2024" or "next fall" will give your plans some structure, and it'll also be nice to have an answer when all your friends and family members start asking, "Sooooo, when's the big day?!"
4. Have the money talk.
Setting your budget is one of the first items mentioned on any wedding checklist. But it's even more important to be sure you and your fiancé are on the same page as far as how much you're both willing to spend. Consider your savings, any contributors to the big day, and even things like your current debt. Then, have "the talk" with your significant other to come up with a ballpark range.
(And keep in mind that with weddings, size matters. The cost of your wedding will be directly affected by your total guest count, so both of you need to agree on that number, as well!)
5. Piece together a custom wedding checklist.
We have a rather awesome wedding checklist on HereComesTheGuide.com, but we're not going to pretend it fits every couple's needs. Maybe you have a really tight timeline. Or maybe you're just not into the "traditional" wedding elements that we include on our list. Plus, there are some pretty great wedding checklists on other websites, too! That's why we think it's a good idea to review a handful of different checklists and pull things from them to create your own, custom to-do list. By piecing together the items applicable to you, you'll have a personalized, super-focused guideline of what needs to be done—and when you need to do it—to accomplish your unique wedding #goals.
Planning your wedding? Let's be BFFs.
Venue Photo: Casa del Mar
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Some clients may have paid to be placed in our editorial and some of these links may be affiliate; however, we never include a venue, vendor, or product unless they have a proper place here. This is part of our Core Values. We create our website first and foremost to be good for the couples using it to plan their Big Day. We won't stray from that for a few advertising dollars. #scoutshonor