So You Just Got Engaged!
Woohoo, you’ve just got engaged! Amazing news, right? But sometimes it can feel like before the congratulations even finish, the questions start - have you set a date? Where’s the big day going to be? Who’s going to the best man/maid of honour/ring bearer/flowergay/ dog of the day?! And that’s before those sneaky algorithms kick in and it feels like every other post you're seeing on social media is suddenly talking about wedding trends for 2027 and suggesting what napkin colour you absolutely have to have or become a cautionary tale of What Wedding Mistakes Not To Make forever more.
Whether through excitement, pressure, or the fear of missing out, it can be really easy to get swept up into wedding planning without maybe an idea of what you want, where to start, and who to say no to! We’ll be adding loads of tips and tricks articles on the whole wedding process, but here are the top five tips we’d give newly engaged couples when it comes to starting to plan your day…
It’s not officially tip 1, but before you start anything - take a breath!
Whether a grand gesture or a low key love-in, your proposal was a special moment and you should take a moment to bask in that feeling. Yes, it’s the start of another part of your relationship journey but it’s also a special milestone in itself, so don’t rush to burst that bubble and crack straight on with wedding planning. Feel like you *are* ready? Then first things first
1. Have “The Talk”
Much like house-buying and holiday planning, the first thing you and your partner actually need to do is sit down and talk about what you’ve pictured for your big day. Does one of you dream of a grand castle extravaganza with 200 guests and the other was thinking more of a small and intimate woodland elopement? OK so it’s unlikely your plans are that extremely different, but getting on the same page now will make your decision making down the line that much easier. Decide on what’s meaningful, memorable and most important to you both. We’re not talking colour schemes and first dance song just yet, but nail down the big things like location, guest list size, and overall vision, along with any ‘non negotiables’ that you feel would make or break your day.
2. Make That List
So on the subject of meaningful and memorable we always recommend listing the elements of your day that are special to you in order of importance - whether it’s your ideal venue, having amazing food, looking fantastic or dancing til the early hours to your favourite band. That order will help you prioritise and organise everything from your budget to what order you book suppliers - and what suppliers or elements will you need to make those moments happen?
At this stage it’s not only your vision you’ll be listing - don’t forget the people! No, you don’t have to write your full guest list now, but it *is* worth thinking about what size of day you’ll be having as your head count can affect everything from your budget to your choice of venue, so think about who you absolutely HAVE to have at your day to make it meaningful.
3. Set A Budget - and Stick To It!
Now you know what your ideal day looks like you can think seriously about your budget. You may already have a set amount in mind for your day - whether that’s an amount you already have available to spend or a figure you know is achievable to save in your timeline - or it may be a case of researching what your most important moments will cost and then setting your budget accordingly. You will always need some wiggle room for those last-minute things you’ve forgotten so make sure to give yourself a buffer, but it’s also easy to get carried away later down the line and start adding on things you’ve seen in Pinterest or Aunty Janice tells you you just HAVE to have, so sticking to your budget now is less likely to lead to impulse buys you regret later.
4. Set The Date!
You didn’t think we’d forgotten the most important part did you?! Now you’ve got your vision in mind and some nitty gritty out of the way, setting the date starts the journey for you to really get into the proper planning of your day. How long you give yourself between now and the big day is up to you - whilst the ‘traditional’ 18 month timeline will also give you a wider choice of vendors, longer to save and more time to plan, we’ve seen everything from a 6 week elopement to a 5 year engagement so go with what feels comfortable and realistic for you.
When it comes to the date itself, maybe you have a certain month in mind, or a memorable date you want to try and secure, or you might be aiming for a certain time of year and choose your exact date around the availability of the venue of your dreams. In most cases, setting your date usually comes with securing your venue and everything else will flow from there.
You don’t have to send out any official invite now - particularly if you are planning on sending ‘Save The Date’ notifications but don’t have your guest list finalised yet - but make sure your nearest and dearest get it in their diary
5. Start Picking Your Vendors
Our number one tip on booking your vendors? Go back to that Meaningful Moments list you made about how your day will look, and book your suppliers in order of that list! You’ll see lots of advice about how far in advance you should book certain people but do you really want to miss out on the vendor you really wanted because the internet told you only needed to contact them 3 months in advance, but you’ve booked four other suppliers six months ago that you weren’t that fussed about? You definitely don’t have to book everyone all at once - unless you are on a short timeline or just like to have everything nailed down ASAP! - but if you’ve written your vendor list both in order of important *and* what proportion of the budget you what to spend on them - if you do get further down the line and your first choice isn’t available, or you don’t have the (budget) for them you thought you did, you are less likely to be disappointed.
Is that it for planning your whole wedding? No of course not, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and unless you happen to own Bernard’s Magic Watch (and that’s us showing our age now), that’s definitely enough to keep you going for now.
Want more in depth advice on everything from choosing your flowers to how to prep for your bridal makeup trial or what to choose as your wedding drinks? We’ve got you, so bookmark the blog and see you soon!
Photos by Lizzy Morris Photography
