Congratulations, you’re engaged! You said “yes!,” your friends and family are ALMOST as excited as you are, and your mind is buzzing with a million ideas for your wedding. You’re madly pinning every pretty image that catches your eye, folding over bridal magazine pages and then “BAM!”

Suddenly, you realize there’s a lot more involved in planning a wedding than you thought. With so many options, where do you even start? To help you figure out a wedding planning game plan, I’m sharing 9 things you should do when you first get engaged.

 

      1. Take a Deep Breath and Enjoy Being Engaged

Seriously, just take a moment to breathe. There’ll be plenty of things clamoring for your attention soon enough. Take a bit of time to journal, do something fun and relaxing with your new fiance, and remember why you’re here in the first place. Writing down your thoughts and the little details of how your fiance proposed is a great way to look back on your journey and remind you of your love for each other.

     2. Tell Your Friends and Family

Telling your parents and immediate family in person and allowing them to be the first ones to hear your exciting news is a great way to honor the ones who love you most and have invested so much in your life. Next you may want to share it with your best friends, co-workers, and announce your engagement on social media.

     3. Choose a Theme or Style

Let the wedding planning begin! Choosing a theme and overall style gives you a great starting point and will help you make so many other smaller decisions. Have you always wanted to get married under budding cherry trees? Or maybe you’re envisioning a rich autumn vineyard affair. Thinking about seasons, location/venue, and colors will help you narrow down your choices and pick a specific theme.

     4. Pick Your Date

You don’t have to know your exact date within a week of getting engaged but you’ll need a good idea of the overall timeline to start contacting vendors and knowing how much time you have to plan your wedding. 10-12 months gives you ample time to plan and ensure you book your favorite vendors without the stress of a time crunch. If you’re absolutely set on a June wedding and you got engaged on New Year’s Eve, don’t panic. In you’re planning a wedding within several months you’ll just need to be aware that some venues might be booked up already and wedding items may be more expensive because you’ll be paying for rush shipping.

     5. Set a Budget

Who’s paying for your wedding? Are you and your fiance footing the bill, your parents, or are you both chipping in? How much money are you working with? Choose exactly how much money you want to spend and stick with it. Do NOT go into debt! One day, no matter how special, is not worth the two of you starting your life together with massive debt hanging over your heads.

Once you have a set amount, write down your priorities in order of importance and spend the majority of your budget on what matters to you most. Is a modest gown one of your top priorities but your flowers aren’t? Maybe you have your heart set on a pricier venue or photographer. There are no rules on how much you have to spend on a certain part of your wedding. Prioritize your needs and wants and then free yourself from others expectations of what you should be spending.

     6. Book Your Wedding Planner

If planning your own wedding looks like an overwhelming task or you have limited time, your first step will be to hire a planner. A seasoned professional will be able to help you navigate the wedding planning process and also recommend trusted vendors.

     7. Book Your Venue

Venues, especially in larger cities, tend to book as far as a year or two in advance, so securing your venue should be one of your top priorities. Locking in your venue will also help set the tone and look for the rest of your event.

     8. Book Your Photographer

Since your wedding photographer will be spending most of the day with you, it’s important that it’s someone you know, like, and trust. When choosing your photographer, browse their portfolio, blog, and social media to make sure their photography style and approach matches your overall vision. Wedding photographers tend to book pretty far in advance so contact your favorite photographer as soon as possible.

Once you’ve booked your photographer, you’ll want to schedule your engagement session. Your engagement session is a great time to get to know your photographer and gives you professional photos for your save the dates, wedding website, and sharing your engagement with friends. Get a free download with tips for your engagement outfits here.

     9. Book Vendors

Once you’ve booked your main vendors, contact others such as your videographer, wedding gown, florist, caterer, dj/band, officiant, cake baker, stationer, etc. It’s better to book farther in advance rather than assume you have plenty of time.

     10. Bonus Tip!

Set aside specific days or one evening a week to work on your wedding tasks. Include your fiance and use this time to work on things you need his input on. Setting aside a specific time to work together ensures that you catch all the details without allowing your wedding to consume your relationship.