Seven Things to Consider After You Get Engaged!

Something about the holidays brings out the romance in people! If you are one of the lucky brides-to-be to become engaged over the holidays, congratulations! Your wedding planning is an exciting time. You get to visit venues, sample wedding cakes and dinner menus.  Here are seven things to do after you become engaged!  Enjoy the process!!

1. Take some time to just be happy together, then announce. We live so much in social media land these days, it might feel second-nature to Instagram the moment you realize the proposal is happening. Don’t feel pressured to start calling people or making decisions right away—everything can wait. Instead, pop a bottle of champagne, cry together, laugh together, go away for the weekend…whatever! Just close yourselves up into your engagement bubble for as long as you want to and soak up the beauty of the moment. You’ll be glad you did.  

2. Choose a date and season - What’s your favorite season? Each season has it’s pros and cons so make sure you weigh your options.  The season and date you choose for your wedding could change slightly when you are choosing your wedding venue.  If you choose a popular wedding venue, you may have to opt for a different weekend, as the wedding venue is the first vendor many couples book so their date is set.  The rest of your vendors will first ask what your wedding date is as you seek out the best vendors. 

3. Envision the wedding - The best advice I would give is to speak to a wedding planner OR seek a wedding planning book.  Wedding planners can be someone who will book all of your vendors for you, and be with you through the entire process, or someone who is a "Day Of" planner that will help you mostly on the day of your wedding.  These vendors can be invaluable!  They can help you see the big picture while making sure all of the nitty gritty details are taken care of. 

4. Talk about a budget for your wedding - Take your time and prioritize what is important to both of you to include at the wedding.  Is it the venue? Is it the food? The photographer? Flowers? The DJ? The cake? Once you both agree on what you want you can start budgeting for each vendor.  Pro Tip:  Plan that you will go over budget by at least $2K.  Your most expensive vendors usually are the venue and the catering.  If you end up not going over budget, then you have more money for the honeymoon!

5. Choose your venue - After you’ve envisioned what vendors you desire for your wedding, scouting a venue is next! Are you looking for more of a rustic style outdoors? Promise Lane Barns or Catey Heritage Farm would be great options. What about elegant? Honeywell Wedding Celebrations have several venues to choose from if you don't mind a short drive to Wabash.  If you’re looking for a variety of spaces, Milestone Event Center,  Celebration Gardens and 34 West are all great options and located in Peru, Indiana!

6. Choose your wedding photographer - Wedding Photographers are one of the first vendors to get booked because most weddings take place on the weekend and there are only so many in a year. We get dates that overlap all the time so if there’s a photographer you like, reach out to them as soon as you can!  You can find my wedding photography website here:  Juli Feller Wedding Photography  Most wedding photographers include engagement photos with their wedding packages.  The engagement photoshoot is a relaxed, casual time to capture your love, usually several months before the wedding.  I highly recommend the engagement session, as it gives you and your photographer a chance to get to know each other before your wedding day. 

7. Draft the guest list - This will help you with your budget. The guest list fills up faster than you think - you’re dealing with two families after all! If I learned anything from 2020, it’s the importance of being with the ones you really love as well as the importance of budgeting. Intimate weddings are here and they’re awesome! So if that’s something that you are drawn to vs. the 150-200 person party, embrace it!  Pro Tip:  The more guests you invite, the larger your budget needs to be.

I hope this has given you some key action steps for what to do when you first get engaged. Whether you’re newly engaged or been planning for a while, I have more tips to pass along when you need help!