That moment when time freezes and you’re looking down at your partner on one knee as they ask you to marry them. The world seems to stop and all you can think about is holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, this is happening.
Congratulations on your engagement! The next chapter of your story is just beginning and you have an idea of what to do, but so many things are running through your head. After a week of being smitten and gushing over your ring, you realize: okay, what now? The flood gates break open with questions like:
What do I do first?
Where do I start?
Colors?
Bridesmaids?
Florists?
Photographers?
Oh my.
You go from the joys of looking down and catching the sparkle of your ring and what it stands for, to oh shit.
OKAY
I’m going to stop right there. This is the perfect article to read if you are newly engaged and need a kickstarter road map.
Create a Wedding Email Address
First things first – create a new email address. Something like MrandMrs_____, or FutureMrandMrs_______, From______to_____, or your future wedding hashtag! This is going to save you so much headache and be a stress reliever in the end!
- You won’t be wasting time scrolling through spam, subscriptions, and other daily emails to find what the DJ last said about your first dance song.
- It will keep your wedding planning a little less stressful and more organized. You can even make folders/labels to stay better organized within your mailbox.
You’ll have all the things wedding in one inbox. Click here to go to google now!
Create a Pinterest Board
Creating a Pinterest board is a great way to see your vision unfold right in front of you. Collect all the things you like and see if they are cohesive. This will help you make more decisions when designing colors, a theme, florals, and all the pieces of your story. If you’re like me, you already have a “My Future Wedding” board. Take a look at that and even create a new one. That one you started when you were a love-hungry teen at 18 years old could be all over the place. Pick and choose what you are still into and go out and broaden that. Take a day to step back and when you review it again refine it to your ultimate visual storyboard. Tada! I always ask my brides if they have a Pinterest board that they can share with me. This is helpful knowing what your vision is and sharing the excitement! It also helps us to help you with advice, like if something may or may not photograph very well.
What to Book First
Finding the perfect wedding venue that is in line with your look, story, and values could be very tough. This is my first suggestion to get out of the way. It’s fun exploring beautiful mansions, wineries, churches, and vineyards. After all, life’s about adventure and with your Hunny by your side this can be magical. Once you have your venue, you have your date! Now it’s official. Now you have the opportunity to book your must-have vendors. Believe it or not, photographers get booked a year to a year and a half out. You want to be sure that photographer, or band you’ve been following for years has your date available and you’re going to want to snatch them before someone else does.
Instagram Isn’t Just a Highlight Reel
Not sure who your must-have vendors are? I’m sure you are familiar with hashtags, right? Well, this is the way Instagram turns into something like Google. You can actually search for hashtags and find a ton of vendors for your wedding on Instagram. What makes it that much better is Instagram is visual and more personal. You get a look into those vendors’ work, their presence, and style by seeing their past work. The easiest way to find local vendors is to search for #yourlocationwedding. For example, I’m in the Hudson Valley, so you would search for #hudsonvalleywedding, #hudsonvalleyweddingphotographer, etc.
Enjoy your engagement!
Long or short, this is your time to love each other. It is ultimately up to you as to when to start all the planning. Enjoy this time together it’s not a race to get married. Take your time – as much time as you need to plan your dream wedding. Keep a wedding journal to keep yourself organized. Try to delegate as much as you can to not feel overwhelmed… hello maid of honor! This is the journey leading up to your Wedding Day and you want to stroll not sprint. Enjoy the little moments that go into the process with your significant other. Share the experience with one another, smile, laugh, joke, and don’t let so many opinions sway your own. This is about the two of you. No-one else, remember that.
Here are some places to help you get started!
Wedding Blogs to get some inspiration from:
For a free wedding website, planning, registry, and stationary:
To browse vendors in your area:
