What to Expect Now That You’ve Said Yes!

Yay!!! CONGRATULATIONS to all the newly engaged couples out there! I’m sure you’re still floating sky-high from celebrating with family and friends, while the seemingly never-ending list of things is starting to build in your brain. Planning a wedding can feel extremely overwhelming, especially when you feel you have absolutely NO idea where to start! Here are some of my favorite tips as you settle into engaged life and help relieve some of the wedding planning stress.

1. Bask in the Moment

YOU. ARE. ENGAAAAAGED! Pop a cork, pour some bubbly, and celebrate with your family and friends!! What an amazing gift – you’ve accepted the promise to join into marriage with your favorite person in the whole world! Take it all in – from the moment you tell your parents to gazing at your ring for the thousandth time…..it’s all part of the fun! This is such a joyous season of life to be in!

2. Create a Realistic Budget

Realistic is really the keyword here! Finances have an enormous influence on a relationship. Sitting down and having an open and honest conversation will make things so much easier in the long run. Take the time to meet with your fiancé and anyone else who may play a role in paying for the wedding and talk about the budget. It can be difficult, but going into planning with a realistic figure helps to keep you from overdoing it, then being devastated when the venue or photographer you love can’t possibly work within your budget. Remember, the less stress the better!

PRO TIP: If you’re stuck on how to break things down from an overall budget, take some time to brainstorm the top 3 most important things you envision about your day. Is it timeless wedding photos? Gorgeous, lush florals?? Is it making sure each and every guest has a rocking time? Picking your top 3 gives you a starting point, so that when breaking things down you know where you can flex (spending a little more on your top 3) and tighten things (like what Jon and I did – cutting back on florals to pay for our photographer!).

3. Create a Tentative Guest List

Before you start the process of hunting for venue space, it’s helpful to have an idea about how many guests you’ll want to be invited to the wedding. Not all venues are created equal and you’ll be limited by the number of people they can accommodate. Coming to an agreement with your fiancé, parents, and in-laws early on about the guest list can help curb surprise costs in the budget later on!

4. Dream About Your Style and Research Locations

Close your eyes and picture your dream wedding. What do you see? An intimate candlelit church ceremony with only close family and friends? Or an outdoor sunset ceremony in the lush fields of the local vineyard? Or maybe you’ve always dreamed of walking barefoot along the beach in the tropics. This is the biggest day of your life, it’s best to develop a big-picture perspective of what you want your day to look and feel like. Hold onto that wedding dream as you gather inspiration. Seek out elements from magazines, bridal guides, and of COURSE Pinterest that you want to incorporate into your day. Use them as inspiration though, don’t lose your style among all the designs you see everywhere else. You want your day to be uniquely you!!

5. Take Time for the Two of You

Wedding planning is a job all on its own, don’t let an enormous amount of details cloud what the day is all about! Make sure to plan time for the two of you to unplug from planning and have fun together. Set up surprise dates for each other or plan a weekend getaway for just the two of you. 🙂

Newly engaged brides, what are you most excited about when it comes to planning your big day?? And what do you feel most overwhelmed by?? And for you happily married ladies, what is one thing you would do differently when it comes to your wedding planning? Leave a comment below, I’d love to know what you think!