ENGAGEMENTS -you’ve said yes! BUT now what?

What to do after you get engaged.

Photo courtesy of Larsen Jewellers

Photo courtesy of Larsen Jewellers

 

Hello! And welcome to our blog. You’re probably here because someone asked ‘the big question’ and someone else said ‘YES!’ Woohoo! Exciting times.

Firstly - CONGRATULATIONS! Getting engaged is a really special time for you and your partner and if you’re reading this we hope you’re on cloud nine. However, after the engagement it is TOTALLY normally to feel a bit lost and not really know what to do next. So in this article we aim to help you with the question of ‘what to do after getting engaged’.

Step One: Announce your engagement

Telling everyone is all part of the fun, so think about how you want to announce it to family and friends as you’ll only get one chance to do it. Face to face is best for immediate family and close friends but if you’re further away then Facetime or Skype is a great way to tell them. You get the benefit of seeing their faces light up. So our advice is to take your time to tell everyone properly, even if you’re bursting to tell the world! After you’ve told all the important people you can think about a nice photo of you guys to announce on social media - if that feels right for you.

As soon as you tell everyone the questions of where and when will start coming up as everyone jumps on the wagon of excitement and starts asking about your wedding planning. Easiest thing is just to be prepared for this and come up with something to say as a couple to deflect everyone’s attentions. Something simple like ‘We’re just enjoying the engagement for now, we’re going to start wedding planning soon though.’ can be enough to take the pressure off. Phew!

Step Two: Work out your where and when…

When you feel ready start discussing as a couple where and when you think would be the right time to get married. This may depend on many things such as allowing enough time to save, what season you want to get married or other events such as a sibling or close friend’s wedding to work around. Also this is a great time to discuss as a couple where you’d like to get married. Will it be local to where you live now, where you grew up or perhaps a destination wedding somewhere abroad?


Step Three: The size of your wedding and the size of your wallet

Let’s not beat around the bush. Weddings can be expensive and it may sound obvious but the size of the wedding will impact the price. So now’s a good time to work out how many people you want there on the day and how much you both feel comfortable spending.

Wedding budgets are tricky but they are a critical part of wedding planning. Now is a great time to think about how you’re going to save for the wedding and chat to anyone else who might be contributing (such as parents) about how much they’re happy to add to the pot.

We’ll be writing a more detailed blog around budgets soon - so check back for more wisdom and help on this very important part of your wedding planning.

Step Four: Hire Your Wedding Planner, or if you’re DIY’ing it start venue hunting and getting quotes from suppliers to bring together your vendor dream team.

Unless you’ve already planned a wedding or you have a friend / relative who has recently planned a wedding and is happy to help you understand pricing then chances are your ‘budget’ was a little bit finger in the air (aided with google searching ‘how much does a wedding xxxx’ cost.)

Hiring a wedding planner at this stage is a great way to sense check what you’re looking for and find the person who will bring it all together for you. As wedding planners we all run our businesses a little differently and rates do vary. So speak with planners, get quotes and meet face to face to ensure you find someone who feels right for you.

If you’re going out on your own just remember before you start laying pen to paper and paying deposits take the time to research vendors that you like and understand the costs / market rates in your area. The costs may vary so even if your cousin paid $1000 for their wedding band it doesn’t mean it will be the same where you’re looking to get married. Also ensure you cross quote as pricing will vary for most services and some vendors will include things that others don’t.

It can be time consuming but we recommend getting quotes and speaking with at least 3 suppliers from each category. Ensure you’re also looking at the suppliers online reviews, social accounts and asking planned questions to get a feel for their experience and expertise. And go with your gut. If you don’t get a good feel from someone then keep looking for the perfect supplier for you.

Remember even if you decide to start your wedding planning journey by yourselves you can bring in a wedding planner at any point. We work with couples for partial planning, styling and on-the-day wedding coordination capacity from as long as 6-9 months to as close as the final month before the wedding day.

Congratulations again and good luck with your wedding planning!