Engagement season is here!

We have seen so many couples we personally know get engaged recently and have had many newly engaged couples reach out inquiring about our services as a wedding vendor.  With so many engagements happening lately, we thought it would be timely to provide a resource for our recent brides!


Getting engaged is, obviously, super exciting!  But oftentimes, after the initial excitement has worn off, we see couples overwhelmed with where to start with wedding planning.  And understandably so… there are so many details to think through for a wedding day!  We have found a few beginning steps to be extremely helpful in the early stages of wedding planning.  These steps will help you decide on some of the most important things so that you can quickly check them off of your to-do list and move on to the next.  Here is our best advice for the first five things to do right after you get engaged!

1.) ENJOY THE MOMENT

You’re engaged!!!!  Take a few days, even a couple of weeks, to soak up all the just engaged feelings!  Dream with your fiance about what your wedding and life together might look like.  Buy all the wedding magazines.  Share your news with friends and family.  But the steriotypical mug that says "Does this ring make me look engaged?" Celebrate!


2.) CHOOSE A DATE

Of course, you will never be able to choose a date that will allow every single person you want at your wedding.  Scheduling conflicts will always happen.  But do your best to choose a date that works for the people you most want at your wedding.  For example, if your best friend in the whole world already booked a vacation out of the country, you may want to know that so you can choose a different date if you want her at your wedding.  We found it most helpful to choose a date we felt best fit for Connor and I and then checked it with both of our families and our friends we knew we’d want at our wedding to make sure it would work for everybody.


3.) BOOK A VENUE

This will drive every other detail in your wedding planning!  As soon as you have a date, start touring venues.  You want to be sure you have a location for your wedding with a secure date so that you can then book additional vendors.  Most vendors will not feel comfortable booking for a wedding without a secured venue because that is what officially locks in your date.  We suggest first reaching out to venues via email or an online booking system to see if the date you are hoping for is available.  If so, see if you can schedule a tour or time to meet to see if it is a good fit for your day.  In order to book the best venue for your wedding, you’ll also need to have a ballpark idea of how many people will be attending your wedding.  You don’t need to have an exact list nailed down, but it will be extremely helpful for you to know about how many people you are thinking of inviting to be sure there is space to accommodate all of your guests.


4.) BOOK A PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER

As soon as you have your venue booked, it’s time to start reaching out to photographers and videographers!  Start by going to Google and Instagram and finding vendors whose style you gravitate towards.  Do you tend to like a more light and airy feel?  Maybe you love warmer tones.  Or maybe you’re more dark and moody.  Find some different photographers and videographers whose editing style you are drawn to and start reaching out about availability.  We suggest looking for photographers/videographers located in your area, but many are willing to travel, so if you find someone you love a few states away, reach out anyway and see what their travel package looks like! We highly suggest scheduling meetings with photographers and videographers you are interested in booking with as well.  These are the two people you will spend the majority of your wedding day with.  Take the time to be sure you love their style, but also that you enjoy their company and want to spend the most important day of your life with them by your side!


5.) Mail SAVE-THE-DATES

While save the dates are becoming less common, many people still love sharing these with friends and family!  If your wedding is many months away, or even a year or more, these can be super beneficial to help people you are wanting to invite bookmark that date in their calendars and begin thinking about travel plans if travel is necessary for them.  This is also the time when you’ll need to have a finalized guest list so that you know exactly who you will be mailing these to.

The season of engagement can feel overwhelming, I know it because I felt it.  But it doesn’t have to be that way and we’re here to help you along the way!  I hope this post has been a helpful step in the right direction for you, whether you are recently engaged or anticipating a ring soon.  Happy engagement season!