Nothing feels quite like being one half of a newly engaged couple. You’re probably getting more attention than you could have ever imagined, so it’s easy to forget that there’s a big party to plan. Immediately after you get engaged, use your excitement to propel you to take the first steps toward wedding planning. These steps aren’t hard, and if you take them now, you’ll have a lot less to worry about as the big day draws near.
Talk About Your Wedding Attendants
As soon as you announce the word to your friends, you’ll probably be tempted to ask them to be bridesmaids. But you need to nail down the details with your honey, first. Talk about your expectations for the size of your wedding and wedding party, and begin devising a list of “approved” attendants. Then you can go crazy with clever invitations to be in your wedding.
Get Your Budget Together
It may not be fun, and it’s certainly not romantic. Your budget, however, is the key to all things wedding-related. You can’t book wedding vendors or buy your wedding gown until you know how much you can safely spend. After the dust settles on your engagement, sit down and get specific with your budget. If someone else – such as your parents – pays for your wedding, be sure to include them in the conversation.
Register for Gifts
When friends and family find out you’re engaged, they’ll want to do something special for you – and that may mean buying you presents. Register for gifts now and you may get some of them in time for your engagement party. You’ll also leave your guests plenty of time to shop before your wedding, which is always a recipe for a better gift haul.
Begin Making a Guest List
Your guest list determines everything from how many invitations you have to buy to the size of your venue. Before you make any major decisions, you need a general idea of how many guests you’re going to invite. Of course, you don’t have to get your guest list completely nailed down in these first few weeks, but you do need to know if you’re inviting 10 people or 500. If you’re concerned that you might disagree about some guests, now’s the time to discuss it – not when you’re sending out invites.
Enjoy Being Engaged
We live in a world that is driven by to-do lists. It’s no wonder, then, that we’re all always looking for the next step and the next item to cross off of the list. You’ll only be engaged once, though, and you deserve to enjoy this romantic, magical time. Schedule some time to spend with your fiance, and don’t feel pressured to make all of your wedding-day decisions at once. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time to relax, and as your wedding draws closer, such opportunities will become fewer and farther between. If you rest and relax now, both you and your fiance will feel more loved – and that adds up to a sweeter wedding day.
