Your partner or you got the courage up to pop the question! I bet you were full of excitement to tell the whole world? You’re likely thinking where the heck do I even start? Well hopefully this newly engaged to do list will get you off on the right foot! For now take a deep breathe. Go grab a cup of coffee, your favorite glass of wine, coffee or tea and dig in!

Celebrate & tell the world!

Hopefully you have told your parents by this point & likely you’re best friends! Maybe you even shared that awesome ring selfie on social media? If not GET GOING! This is the best time to be over the top! YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!! I know it’s early but maybe you might have an idea for a hashtag! Throw that in and remember to save it! Having a hashtag will come in handy for your actual wedding day for your guests!

Get your ring sized!

The next obvious step is, if that ring doesn’t fit like a glove, get it in to be sized STAT! The last thing you want to do is to loose your ring down the sink while doing dishes or at the beach because it doesn’t fit! It usually only takes a week or two depending on your ring company. It’s always a bummer to have to send your ring off, but you’ll have more peace of mind when it fits right!

Get your ring insured!

Easily one of the things couples don’t handle right away or put off for too long is the insurance! What if your ring gets lost, stolen or damaged?! Thats what insurance is for y’all! There is so much that comes with getting insurance, one of my favorite articles that discusses this is from brides.com! Go read that to get all the details!

Plan an engagement party!

While it obviously isn’t required, planning a party to celebrate your upcoming marriage is a BLAST! Its an early excuse to bring all the people you love to one place! Either way this is a time to celebrate and be excited for the upcoming year!

Essential! Create a wedding email account!

Creating a wedding email account, is easily the one thing I wish I had done right away during my own planning. Creating a wedding email means it won’t mix in with your personal or your work accounts. You don’t want emails from your venue or wedding vendors getting lost in your day to day emails. Opening a separate email allows you to keep track of the details of your wedding day.

Start considering your date.

So many factors go into picking a wedding date. Maybe you’re thinking about a special one to the two of you? Maybe the date is the one at the dream venue you want to book. Either way, you can’t book a venue or vendors without a wedding date! Honestly we always recommend having more than one date in mind, in the event the venue doesn’t have the first open for booking.

Discuss your budget open and honestly!

If there is one thing most couples argue the most about are finances! Take this time to set yourselves up for success by being open and honest about your budget. The average cost of a wedding in the United States is $28,000. This price obviously will depend for you on the cost of your venue, photographer, catering etc. The best way to decide is to do some research! I always recommend taking a look at this wedding report from Wedding Wire & The Knot. This will give you average pricing for vendors, costs etc.

Build a guest list

One of the biggest costs of weddings is feeding and entertaining your guests! It is going to be the bulk of where your money for your wedding goes. Most couples spend on average $100-$215 per person for food/entertainment/favors/florals for each table for their wedding. If you’re trying to make decisions about who should be invited and you want to do it drama free. 

Start researching venues

Step two in ANY planning is figuring out where you’re going to hold your event! Are you thinking you want it outdoors? Do you prefer a more upscale feel? Either way now is the time to start researching venues. To do this just make a list of your top 10 venues. Give them a call & set-up a time to tour the venue(s). I always encourage couples to try to plan to have everything in one location. It makes it easier for guests, easier for planning and coordination, but it also can actually save you money when it comes to the amount of time you will need photo or video coverage and whether you will need transportation for the wedding party and guests to get to and from locations.

Get inspired!

When thinking about your day you have to start thinking about the look & feel of your day. Start with a Pinterest board! From there you can decide what colors, what linens, chairs, table settings, florals etc! These will help you make decisions about what other vendors you want to hire! From the type of music: live band/DJ or whether you’re doing Pinterest worthy florals or something more simple. All of these decisions will guide you through picking the rest of your vendor team!

Book your favorite vendors!

Your partner or you got the courage up to pop the question! I bet you were full of excitement to tell the whole world? I bet you also thought I’m engaged Now what? Well hopefully this list of essential to dos once you’re engaged will get you off on the right foot! Also don’t miss out on the free planning checklist below! It is printable! For now take a deep breathe. Go grab a cup of coffee, your favorite glass of wine, coffee or tea and dig in!

Celebrate & tell the world!

Hopefully you have told your parents by this point & likely you’re best friends! Maybe you even shared that awesome ring selfie on social media? If not GET GOING! This is the best time to be over the top! YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!! I know it’s early but maybe you might have an idea for a hashtag! Throw that in and remember to save it! Having a hashtag will come in handy for your actual wedding day for your guests!

Get your ring sized.

The next obvious step is if that ring doesn’t fit like a glove, get it in to be sized STAT! The last thing you want is to loose it down the sink while doing dishes or at the beach because it doesn’t fit! It usually only takes a week or two depending on your ring company. It totally stinks to have to send it off, but you’ll have more peace of mind when it fits right!

Get your ring insured!

Easily one of the things couples don’t handle right away or put off for too long is the insurance! What if your ring gets lost, stolen or damaged?! Thats what insurance is for y’all! There is so much that comes with it, one of my favorite articles that discusses this is from brides.com! Go read that to get all the details!

Plan an engagement party!

While it obviously isn’t required, planning a party to celebrate your upcoming marriage is a BLAST! Its an early excuse to bring all the people you love to one place! Either way this is a time to celebrate and be excited for the upcoming year!

Create a wedding email account!

This is easily the one thing I wish I had done right away during my own planning. Creating a wedding email means it won’t mix in with your personal or your work accounts. You don’t want emails from your venue or wedding vendors getting lost in your day to day emails. Opening a separate email allows you to keep track of the details of your wedding day.

Start considering your date!

While so many factors go in to picking a date, maybe you’re thinking about a special one to the two of you. Maybe the date is the one at the dream venue you want to book. Either way you can’t book a venue or vendors without a date! So secure that first then the rest will start to piece together.

Discuss your budget OPENLY + HONESTLY

If there is one thing most couples argue the most about are finances! Take this time to set yourselves up for success by being open and honest about your budget. The average cost of a wedding in the United States is $28,000. This price obviously will depend for you on the cost of your venue, photographer, catering etc. The best way to decide is to do some research! I always recommend taking a look at this wedding report from Wedding Wire & The Knot. This will give you average pricing for vendors, costs etc.

Build a basic guest list!

One of the biggest costs of weddings is feeding and entertaining your guests! It is going to be the bulk of where your money for your wedding goes. Most couples spend on average $100-$215 per person for food/entertainment/favors/florals for each table for their wedding. If you’re trying to make decisions about who should be invited and you want to do it drama free. 

Start researching venues!

Step two in ANY planning is figuring out where you’re going to hold your event! In this case where do you see your wedding taking place?! Are you thinking you want it outdoors? Do you prefer a more upscale feel? Either way now is the time to start researching venues. To do this just make a list of your top 10 venues. Give them a call & set-up a time to tour the venue(s). I always encourage couples to try to plan to have everything in one location. It makes it easier for guests, easier for planning and coordination, but it also can actually save you money when it comes to the amount of time you will need photo or video coverage.

Secure your vendors!

Once a date and venue are secure it is time to get vendors booked! If you have someone in mind already get in touch ASAP! If not start with Google, theknot.com or Zola!

One of my first recommendations, price isn’t everything! Find reviews from actual couples! Check their websites for actual engagement and wedding work. If you don’t see what you’re looking for ASK for past client reviews, portfolios, and for photo/video full galleries! A wedding photographer should be immediately ready to share one or more full galleries with you.

My biggest and last one is GET ON THE PHONE! You need to be comfortable with who you choose! Not just you but your partner as well. Having an actual phone or video call will help you see if you click or not. We spend some of your most intimate times of your day with you! You want to be comfortable laughing, crying and being a bit vulnerable with us!

HAVE FUN!

Bottom line this can feel like crazy town at some points and snooze fest during others. There are times where you will feel like you have a million things to do. Where other times you will feel like you’re not doing enough! My biggest recommendation is to make sure to take some time to celebrate just the two of you! The time is going to go by so fast, that this period will seem shorter than it is. Take it all in, every step of the way! I hope this list of newly engaged to dos helps you along the way!

I hope you find all of this helpful on your journey! Remember to truly take time to enjoy all that comes with the journey! it goes fast friends!

Sending Love

Ashley

PS. still need a wedding photographer I would love to chat! Just reach out to me here!