It finally happened...He popped the question and you love birds are officially engaged! Pop the champagne and let’s get this party started!!

But wait, now that the first big question has been answered, the next bigger question pops into your head...what do I do next? Well, there’s a lot to do, but let’s start with the most important things first! Below are our top five things for newly engaged couples to do, that will help you with the framework of wedding planning.

Enjoy it with family and friends

*Photography by* *Amanda and Chad Photography*

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but this is important to do! This is such an exciting moment in your life, that is a major turning point for your future, so really take it in and relish it! Show off your ring, have a party with your closest loved ones, enjoy a couple of nights together alone as a newly engaged couple, do it all. Because the craziness of wedding planning will quickly begin and the next thing you know you’re married. So make sure to take some time to enjoy the engagement, even if it’s just for a couple of days!

Talk Logistics with Fiancé & Supporting Parties

*Photography by* *Ali Valdez Photography*

First, you need to decide what type of wedding you want to have. Lay it all out, including the definite must-haves and even the style you are wanting for the big day. You don’t have to have the exact vendor or detail for each, just the basic items you know you want, for example:

Intimate and close or a massive party with a big guest list
A modern minimalist style or a french chateau on a vineyard
Definitely want a band or having all the florals are more your thing

Next, you need to pick a location & date based on item number one

Are you ready to get married asap and not worried about booking specific vendors, just ready to be married?
Do you have specific vendors you want, so are willing to wait a little longer than a year to ensure you book who you want
Is a small intimate wedding in the back yard all you care about or possibly a destination wedding giving your guests a full weekend of a good time.

Last, you’ll need to nail down the overall budget for spending in each area that you can think of. This is probably the most important item, and usually the first thing I ask when first meeting a client. But you can’t figure this out, without going through items one and two, so knowing what you want for your big day, will help you come to a more realistic number.

Hire a Wedding Planner

*Photography by Lacey Harvey Photography*

Duhh! But in reality, this is the ideal route to go if you want a flawless and stress-free planning process and wedding day. First, all of the items listed above, are all things that planners can help you with from the beginning. If you really don’t know what you want, where to start, and how much money, a planner is the first person you should reach out to and hire. They can sit down with you and whoever else is involved and help you to structure out the groundwork for the day of the wedding. But if you do figure out everything from step two, it’s super helpful to bring to your planner to give them an understanding of where you stand and where they can get started.

Not only do planners help you plan everything from start to finish as well as coordinate and manage everything on the day of, but they can provide you with a huge list of other helpful services - assisting with the overall design details, providing helpful tips for picking out attire, track RSVPs, take handle of the back and forth communication with vendors, I mean the list goes on. But most importantly, they take the stress away from you when you feel overwhelmed so that you can continue doing your day-to-day items leading up to the wedding, and even more so when you are getting closer to the wedding day. It’s stressful to do it all on your own,

TRUST US, that’s why we have additional team members to take it all on so that you don’t have to because having just one person do it all is a lot! And to ensure nothing is missed and the day runs smoothly, you need a planner who has worked with you from the start and knows everything about the day even without looking at their timeline. They know you, they know what you want, they know what you like, they know the kind of decisions you would make if there is a last-minute decision needed on the day of. They want this important day to be just as perfect as you do, so just trust us when we say, hiring a planner will be the best decision you make after you first get engaged.

Finally, we ALWAYS suggest to everyone, to look into more than just day-of coordination services. With so much that goes into planning your special day, don’t you want to know and trust the person who will be managing and handling everything on the day of? Day-of coordination is just not enough in our eyes, and there are so many ways that you can still stay within your budget while still hiring a planner who provides helpful services (including day-of coordination) and that is perfect for you and your needs.

Start Booking Those Vendors

*Photography by* *The Malicotes* *| Crazing Station by* *Darae & Friends Catering*

Upon booking with us, this is the first thing we start as, and right away, we send our new clients a welcome guide, a plan, and a guide of vendors listed in order based on the priority of booking. And I’d like to even give you the top five vendors to book right away, but now with how quickly EVERYONE is booking, every vendor is a priority booking. So I would say within the first two months of getting engaged, it is ideal to book almost all of your vendors. The only vendors I would not worry about too much is your decor/equipment which will come once you begin discussing the design and overall decor for the day, which will come around 4-5 months prior to the wedding day.

And to see who we suggest booking right away, make sure to check out our Top 10 Vendors to Book blog post here.

Choose Your Bridal Party

*Photography by* *Kirsten Butler Photography*

Ask your amazing friends who you want standing by your side. Being a part of a wedding can be expensive, so giving them your expectations (and yes expectations, this is you moment, so get what you want honey) upfront, will eliminate any confusion when the time comes for attire orders and bachelorette/bachelor parties. So letting them know within a year of the final wedding date, gives them plenty of time to prepare for what’s to come and the expenses that will come with it.