Elated joy followed by intense panic. It happens to many couples following a proposal, for a number of reasons, but I’m here to tell you that there’s a better way and it’s really quite simple. All you need to do is take a deep breath and follow the advice below!

Before Jumping into Wedding Planning

Take time to announce your engagement, whether formally or informally, and celebrate with your friends and family. Tell your parents or most immediate family members first, in order to avoid hurt feelings. Then announce publicly. Bask in the “congratulations” and well-wishes that come your way! You’re entering into a truly life-changing and exciting season of life.

Consider hosting an engagement party. If your parents or another loved one offers to host one for you, even better! This; however, might not be an option for you if your thinking about getting married in less than 5 months.

Unless you got engaged while on vacation, consider going on an “engagement-moon” to celebrate just the two of you!

You’re Ready to Plan. Let’s Do This!

I bet you know what I’m going to say, so let’s say it together…pick a date or season. Yep. It’s always the first step recommended and I agree that in order to get properly organized and mentally prepared, you’ll need to have a general idea of when the wedding is going to take place. This allows you to start contacting a wedding planner (hopefully you do this first, more on this below) or venues and other wedding pros to gauge their availability. It also allows you to narrow your selections in terms of design, overall vibe, and seasonality with your food and drinks. Not to mention, you’ll be able to start telling family and friends so that they can mark their calendars and make a mental note not to get married or do something important (if they can help it) during that time also!

In 2019, I received an unusual amount of inquiries for the date October 10th, 2020 because it was 10/10/20. Unfortunately, those weddings didn’t happen, for obvious reasons; however, every year there seem to be one or two stand-out dates that everyone wants. While you’re thinking about general seasons make sure you also look at holidays around that time or other unique dates, like the one I mentioned above, and make note of them.

You might pick a date this has significance for your relationship or family, such as a grandparent’s anniversary, but if you don’t have such a date in mind the next best way to figure out when to say “I do” is to talk to your partner about what you each envision. Have you always dreamed about having photos kissing in the snow? Are pink blossoming trees in a park or garden a must-have for you? Once you know your season or specific date, you’ll be able to create a “plan of attack”. Most template timelines online are set for 12-month to 18-month long engagements, but if you’re working with a wedding planner you’ll receive a custom timeline for any time frame.

Next up…explore the general concept, look, and overall vibe of your wedding. Get inspired by the season of your wedding and allow it to influence your colors, food and drink selections, flower and plant preferences, location, venue style, and flow of wedding day events. Look for ways to infuse personal touches that leave your guests saying “that’s so them!” Start following wedding-related accounts on social media and take screenshots of things that speak to you. Consider creating a Pinterest account to easily organize your ideas by type.

Establish your wedding budget and determine who will be contributing to it. All of our clients at Sustainable Soirées receive a budget tracking document filled with automated formulas that make it effortless to stay on top of the numbers for your wedding, but you could also make a simple spreadsheet that lists out your expenses as well.

At this point, I recommend contacting a wedding planner to book your date and establish a relationship. Once you have a good understanding of what you and your partner’s goals are, a planner can give you custom recommendations and help you find the right venue. Even if you don’t know what you want yet, talking to a planner can help spark some ideas for you and get the ball rolling.

Create a shared email address with your partner to use solely for wedding-related tasks and communications. This not only helps you stay organized, but it reduces the risk of frustration or missed deadlines if you forget to provide updates to each other.

From here, it’s important to follow the guidance of your wedding professionals, especially your wedding planner. When working with our planners, you’ll be following a set of tried-and-true phases that give you peace of mind and confidence while planning. Before you know it you’ll be walking down the aisle and dancing the night away!