You're Engaged, Now What?
Congratulations you just got engaged! Now that you can call yourself a fiancé, you’re probably wondering, what do I do next?
We know it can be overwhelming with everyone asking, “When’s the wedding?” and you haven’t even stepped a foot off cloud nine. Jumping right into planning a wedding can be a stressful and long process that doesn’t need to start the moment you say “yes” to your partner.
Though every couple will have a different timeline, our team has broken down what exactly you should do after you say “yes!”.
Step 1 – Celebrate!
You just got engaged! Take a moment to share the news with loved ones and enjoy the experience with your fiancé. After the proposal, go out to a nice dinner and talk about how your partner proposed! Reflect on your relationship and the time you two have spent together.
A great way to celebrate is to plan an engagement party with some of your closest friends and family. This is a perfect way for both families to meet each other before other events leading up to the wedding. When sending out an invitation, we recommend putting together a list of people that you both know are going to be at the wedding. This is also a great way to start figuring out a guest count for the actual wedding.
Of course, if you are planning on a shorter engagement or working on a stricter timeline, we recommend not delaying the wedding planning too much. Remember that the wedding process is a timely one! In the end, do what feels right to you and your partner.
Step 2 – Get Organized!
Now is a great time to truly discuss with your partner when you are both looking to have the wedding. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to choose the exact date, but you can both figure out what a time-frame could look like. We encourage couples to take some time to relax before the planning process begins.
Whether you are starting to get organized for your engagement party or for your wedding, right off the bat you should create a space that organizes your information. We recommend creating a joint email with your partner. This way you both can reach out to vendors and have all the information in one place. If you plan to create an email through Google Drive, this is a great way to create and share documents or spreadsheets for the guest list with your partner.
And you can have fun with it! Here are a list of great email addresses to inspire you:
johnandjanetietheknot@gmail.com
Another great way to get organized is to head to The Knot and download the Wedding Planner app. This is a great way to do everything in one place, from your registry to your wedding website and your vendor list.
Step 3 – Figure Out Your Style!
Create a Pinterest board with your joint email and start pinning ideas. Pinterest is a great place for both you and your partner to create boards to share what each of you like and envision for your wedding. Another great way to get an idea for your style is to look on Tiktok or take the Style Quiz through The Knot. Once you have a vision of what you both want your wedding to feel and look like you can move on to creating a guest list, looking at venues, and selecting a date.
Step 4 – Make Time to Plan!
Like we said before, wedding planning is a timely one and is no easy task. Utilize your joint Google calendar to mark off times when both you and your partner are free to sit down and go through everything. We recommend both partners be involved every step of the way. Make a list of details to be taken care of, then choose what you each want to do. Also try to find time to sit down and create a checklist of tasks that need to be completed, of course the deadlines might prove to be unrealistic until you start getting deeper into the planning process.
Step 5 – Start Planning!
Now that you’ve taken time to enjoy your engagement, spread the news, figured out what you both like, and set aside some time to plan, you are well-prepared for the wedding process! Always remember that communication is key during this process. This is going to be a frustrating and timely process no matter your timeframe so, always remember to take a step away if planning becomes overwhelming. Find something fun to do like simply pinning inspiration on Pinterest, writing party biographies on your wedding website, or adding items to your registry.
In the end, take time to enjoy the process and this next big step you and your partner are taking in your relationship. If planning starts to get overwhelming, we recommend taking a short vacation together to reconnect and remember why you both fell in love. Interested in getting away? Our Love-Break package is the perfect way to plan a romantic trip away and reconnect for the weekend.