If you’re recently engaged, congratulations! This is such an exciting time in your lives. Planning a wedding will not only be a busy time for the two of you, but your families as well. A lot of important decisions will need to be made and whether you decide to get married quickly or wait awhile, there are 10 things you need to do once you’re engaged. To start your wedding planning journey off on the right foot, I’ve made a list of the ten things you should do before anything else at the beginning of your engagement.
10 things to do once you’re engaged
1. ANNOUNCE YOUR ENGAGEMENT
Make sure to tell your closest family and friends about your engagement before you post anything on social media. You don’t want your mom or best friend finding out about this very exciting news on Facebook or Instagram.
2. HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
The very first vendor you should hire is a wedding planner. They are well worth the investment and will guide you through all aspects of the wedding planning process from start to finish, making the wedding planning journey an enjoyable and stress-free process.
3. THROW AN ENGAGEMENT PARTY
Throw an intimate party to celebrate your engagement with your closest family and friends. Your newly hired wedding planner will be happy to assist you with this event and you can consider this a great way to test out some vendors for your upcoming wedding.
4. DETERMINE A WEDDING BUDGET
Figuring out your budget is understandably the least enjoyable but most important part of planning your wedding. To create a budget, you’ll need to tally up your savings, figure out how much you and your fiancé can realistically and comfortably set aside from your current income, as well as determine if you’ll be receiving any contributions from parents and loved ones.
5. WRITE UP AN INITIAL GUEST LIST
When touring venues, you’ll need to know the approximate number of guests you’ll be inviting to your wedding so you can abide to the venue’s capacity limits. Deciding who to invite to your wedding can be complicated so for tips on how to determine your guest list, head over to our other blog.
6. TOUR WEDDING VENUES
Most wedding venues will need to be reserved up to a year in advance. If your ceremony and reception will be happening in different locations I recommend reserving your ceremony space first.
7. DECIDE ON A WEDDING DATE
When touring different venues make sure to get at least three possible dates around the time you would like to get married. It is impossible to accommodate your guests’ busy schedules so choose a date that works best for you and your partner.
8. HAVE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS TAKEN
A beautiful memory as well as a great way to test out a photographer for your wedding is to have them shoot your engagement photos. You can use these photos for your “Save the Dates”, on your wedding website and even display them at your reception.
9. CREATE A WEDDING WEBSITE
If there’s anything we’ve learned from this past year is that communication is key. The easiest way to communicate with your guests about any changes or new procedures is through your wedding website. The Knot, Zola, and With Joy, are great platforms that allow you to create a website easily and for free.
10. SEND OUT YOUR “SAVE THE DATES”
Once you’ve decided on a venue and have selected a wedding date send out your “Save the Date”. Use a photo from your engagement shoot and make sure to include important information such as your date, the city your wedding will be taking place and of course your wedding website so that your guests can easily be kept in the loop.
Planning your big day
I know these 10 things to do once you’re engaged may seem like a lot, but try not to get too overwhelmed by all these tasks. If you’re located in Toronto and don’t know where to begin, feel free to send me a hello. I’d love to get to know you and help you with any of your wedding planning needs.