Engagement season is here, and we couldn’t be more excited! First – CONGRATULATIONS! Being engaged is an incredibly exciting time, and we want you and your partner to soak it up! While you may be eager to jump right into the planning process – we have a few tips to keep in mind to keep you stress-free and on track as you kick off this exciting new chapter!
Photo Credit: Nate Shepard Photography
Enjoy the Moment
Getting engaged is such an exciting moment – some most people dream of. It’s a distinct moment in time that marks a new chapter in your life. While we’re all tempted to post the news directly to IG and begin the celebrations – it’s important to bask in this joy with your future spouse just as much as celebrating with those near and dear to you. Take a day or two to relax, unwind and spend quality time with each other. This is about the lifetime commitment you’ve made to each other – savor those moments! Then – post the long await IG post and pop some bubbly!
Insure Your Bling
Chances are that your ring was a big investment. It will give you both peace of mind knowing that your ring is insured. Before taking big trips or showing it off to the world, call your homeowners insurance company and add it to your policy! This is also a good opportunity to resize your band, if needed, to ensure the perfect fit!
Hire a Wedding Planner
While we may be slightly biased, wedding planning should be easy and fun, not a stressful process. Sure, parts of the planning are overwhelming but that’s what we’re here for! Before you book a venue or find the perfect florist, you need someone who is an expert to guide you through the process. Planning is time-consuming (it is our full-time job, after all!). We spend 500+ hours on any given event and chances are – you don’t have that kind of time in your already busy schedule.
We’re assuming the last thing you want to do is wake up 3-months before your wedding and realize you forgot to budget for additional lighting or power requirements for the band, some practical things are often overlooked and we’re here to take care of all of those details so you can focus on your engagement and this next chapter of your life with your partner.
Practical Before Pretty
We know — the practical things are boring but before we start talking flowers and table linens there are a few things to iron out first! We recommend tackling the guest list and the budget – in our opinion – the two most important things. It won’t matter if you have the most beautiful venue in the world, if it can’t accommodate all the people you want there to celebrate with you or you end up spending more on the venue and can’t afford to invite all the people you want. Next up – the budget. Everyone has a number that will make them gasp – trust us! Understanding who is contributing from the beginning and the full scope of work will make the rest of the planning process much less stressful.
The Perfect Match
Now that you’ve gotten the budget sorted – it’s time to start building that dream that will bring your vision to life. We always recommend starting with what we call the “Big 3” – photography, videography, and entertainment. These vendors can only work one event per day and they also have a little impact on the overall design of your wedding so it’s good to lock them in first. Then we recommend moving on to the vendors that are directly tied to the guest experience – the room blocks and wedding day transportation (if applicable).
Once you’ve done that – then comes the creative part – our favorite!
Create the Vision
It’s finally time for the best (and most fun!) part – the design! Chances are you’ve been pinning and saving images on Instagram and dreaming of what you want your wedding to look and feel like. This is truly where having a full-service planning and design team will be valuable. We’re able to help take dream and make them into a reality! We’ll focus on flowers, linens, food, and beverage and mostly importantly – your guests experience. From guest correspondence, one-of-a-kind experiences, and everything in between, we want you to enjoy this day but also this planning experience. It only comes around once!
Take this time to celebrate, be in the moment with the people you love most and when it comes times to take the first step – we’d be honored to plan alongside you!
