You’re Engaged! Congratulations! Now What???
Congratulations, you're just engaged!
As a new fiancé, you might be wondering, "I just got engaged—now what?" Before you start to stress, we're here to help. Planning a wedding is a timely process that doesn't need to start the moment you say "yes" to your S.O. Every couple's timeline is different, and there's no specific schedule when planning your nuptials. But when it comes down to the order of tasks, it can be confusing. Who do you tell? When should you have an engagement party? What planning tasks should you tackle first? These are common questions you might be thinking of now that a wedding is on your horizon. Luckily for you, we have the answers
1. Declare the News
· The first step after you're just engaged is to share the happy news. Take as much (or as little) time as you want. Some couples want to tell everyone as soon as possible, while others might prefer to keep the news a secret before going public.
2. Enjoy your engagement
· Once you've shared the news of your engagement, take a moment so enjoy the experience with your fiancé. You don't have to jump into wedding planning when you're just engaged—in fact, we encourage couples to take some time to relax before the planning process begins. Host an engagement party with your nearest and dearest, or take an engagement-moon to enjoy one-on-one time. (Yep, it's a thing.)
3. Get Your Ring Insured
· We know, we know—it's not exactly the most romantic or exciting thing in the world, but it could wind up saving your butt in the long run. When added as an extension to your homeowner or renter's insurance policy, it's surprisingly inexpensive.
4. Get Your Ring Sized
If the ring fits, great, and if not, you'll want to take it to your jeweler stat to get it sized—especially if it's practically falling off your finger.
1. Think About a Date
· The most desirable wedding dates and venues get booked far in advance so if you're hoping to get hitched in the next year or two, it's a wise idea to start thinking about dates now. Find out what works for both your families and if there are any potential conflicts.
2. Research Wedding Venues
· Remember: You can't book a date until you've nailed down your dream venue! Do some research online first, or maybe you already have a place in mind and can call to get more information on pricing and availability.
3. Discuss a Budget
· Money talks, but unfortunately, no one likes to talk about money. It can be, well, awkward. However, before you can really move forward with any of your wedding plans, this is a discussion that has to be had, be it between you and your spouse, or you, your spouse, and the parents.
4. Gather Inspiration
· Create a Pinterest board, Google Doc, save photos on Instagram, or create a folder on your computer to compile imagery of your favorite wedding elements. Keep it to yourself just for organizational purposes, or share with your wedding planner, mom, friends, fiancé, and whoever else to view and contribute.
5. Hire a Wedding Planner
· If you're considering bringing a professional planner on board to help with logistics and décor, ask around for references and do a little online research. Then set up some interviews. For the vendor referrals alone, a wedding planner is totally worth their weight in gold.
6. Relax
Do something fun, just the two of you. Mini golf, bowling, ice-skating, a trip to the beach—whatever floats your boat and brings out the kid in you both. Wedding planning can be insanely stressful from the get-go, so try to find the humor in things and take some time to laugh, reconnect, and remember why you're getting hitched in the first place.
