It happened! You are engaged! What a moment! The situation may be quite surreal or something that you have been waiting a long time for. Either way, the question was popped, it finally happened and the moments, days, and weeks following your proposal are guaranteed to be a bit of a whirlwind!
There’s lots to do, so many people to contact and so much to get organized… but don’t be overwhelmed – there’s plenty of time to plan your wedding and the rest of your lives. If you’re like many newly engaged couples, you’ll be wondering what the next stages are after your engagement and in what order you should do them.
Every couple’s timeline is different, you don’t need rush any part of the planning process. When it comes to the timing of everything, yes it can be confusing – Who do you tell? How soon should you have an engagement party? What planning tasks do you need to tackle first? These are really common questions and luckily we have the answers for you.
Break the news
One of the first steps after you’ve gotten engaged is to share your happy news. Take as much, or as little time as you like! Some couples want to tell everyone as soon as possible and have the Instagram announcement posted pronto while others may like to keep it a secret to be enjoyed only by a few close friends and family for a little longer. When you are ready to tell the world, make sure you’ve told immediate family and friends before posting to social media. Once your immediate family and closest friends are in on the news – you can go public and get your relationship status changed on Facebook. If you are planning on posting a ring selfie be sure to get a manicure or at least make sure your nails are cleaned and shaped – you don’t want anything to distract from that gorgeous rock!
Enjoy being engaged
Round up some of your best friends and family and go out for a celebratory drink or meal, or have a special date night with your partner if that’s more your style. You’re engaged, and it’s definitely worth celebrating.
Once you have shared the news of your engagement you can now take as long as you’d like to just enjoy the experience with your partner. Relax, don’t jump straight into the planning and just enjoy this new relationship status for a little while. You may decide to have a party or arrange an engagement photo shoot to mark the occasion.
Of course, if you are planning on having a shorter engagement or you just want to get straight into the planning then by all means! Do whatever feels right for the two of you.
It’s also worth mentioning that you may want to get your ring insured right away. It’s a pretty sentimental piece of jewelry after all. Adding it to your home insurance policy is usually pretty inexpensive.
Get organized
When you are ready to get down to the wedding planning – we suggest getting an organizer or a planner to keep everything in one place. There will be a lot to coordinate over the next few months. Get into the habit of keeping important information in a specific place – there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hunt out a contract or quote when you really need them.
Start to have those discussions about what kind of wedding you both want. A formal gathering? A relaxed outdoor wedding? Religious or non-religious?
If you have no ideas where to start, think about what suits your individual personalities. Do you both enjoy a good party or are you happier at smaller, more intimate gatherings? Once you have an idea of your overall wedding vibe other things will begin to fall into place.
The Internet is a super helpful tool when it comes to all things weddings. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to get ideas; create your own mood board and pin things that appeal to you. It will come in handy when showing your suppliers exact colors, the atmosphere and mood you want to create for your day and to ensure an overall cohesive look between every element.
Next, it’s time to think about what’s important to you as a couple. Maybe you’ve always wanted a hog roast at your wedding, or to arrive by horse and carriage. If there is something that you’ve always had your heart set on, then you should have it!
Set aside some time to plan
Popular dates and venues get booked far in advance. If you are hoping to get married in the next year or two, it’s sensible to begin thinking about dates early on. Find out what works for both of your families and whether there’s any dates to steer clear of.
Once you have chosen a ceremony date, start a list of tasks that need planning. You can’t book a wedding without a venue so you’ll want to research options and call or visit to get information about available dates and pricing. Discussions about your wedding size and budget should also happen early on in the wedding planning process. You can’t move forward with any area of your wedding plans until you’ve determined an overall budget and know who may also be contributing to parts of your wedding. Once you’ve had discussions about your budget and guest list you’ll be able to make informed decisions when booking your wedding date and venue.
We recommend setting aside some specific days or an allotted time with your significant other to go through plans regularly between now and the wedding day. Planning is best done in stages so you don’t get overwhelmed, but don’t let wedding planning take over a date night. It will be more important than ever to set time away from planning as a couple. By allotting time specifically to tackle your wedding to-dos you’ll accomplish so much more than just getting round to bits ‘here and there’ at the end of a long day.
Make a list of what needs to be accomplished and split the tasks between you. Your partner may not want to be so involved in choosing the decorations for the tables, so that can go on your list and you may decide that you are happy for them to choose the evening entertainment, so that will go on theirs. Have some tasks that you’ll do together also and you’ll soon get into the swing of wedding planning. Be sure to keep communicating though, you don’t want to end up contacting the caterer twice or booking two florists!
When the planning gets tough, take a break! Spend the time to reconnect as a couple and get excited about the day ahead.
And there you have our top tips for what to do now that you are engaged!
We would love to give you a tour of our farm located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, just 25 minutes south of Charlottesville in beautiful Nelson County. Our property is constantly evolving with The Cooper House and an event barn currently in the works.
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