The first 6 things you must do when you get engaged!
Firstly, congratulations on your engagement!
What a gorgeous time; you and your partner have decided to spend the rest of your lives together.
You’ve told your family, posted your engagement ring on Instagram and retold your engagement story a hundred times because who doesn’t love a good engagement story?
So once the euphoria calms down the realisation sets in that you now have a wedding to plan. Dependant on who you are that could be a very exciting prospect or it could be very daunting.
With that in mind, we decided to start a blog to help you through each stage of your wedding planning so hurrah no need to worry!
Now, let’s get on to the first 6 things to start wedding planning perfectly!
Are you ready?!
Number 1. The Wedding Date
The date is crucial to start the planning journey.
It could be a special date, so the anniversary of the day you met, got engaged or even when your parents got married. I think this one is super cute!
Or, you could make the more strategic decision over when is best for work or school holidays.
It is great to get a date in mind but I would advise to maybe have 3 options so if your dream venue doesn’t have that date you have other options.
Even if you can’t think of a date, try and narrow it down to a season and a day of the week.
I don’t have to tell you that Summer is the most popular time to get married, the weather and having the long Summer holidays is a massive draw.
However the less popular months have such beauty as well. Spring with it’s daffodils, tulips and cherry blossom with the first glimpses of sun and the excitement of what the rest of the year holds.
Autumn, with it’s golden hues and the start of cosy nights with fires. Winter with the run up to Christmas has a glamour feel with golds colours cutting through the chilly but bright days.
HOLD UP, if you are wanting to get married within 9-12 months you will have to start going through the below steps quite quickly as venues can book up 1 to 2 years in advance.
Number 2. Start building your budget
I know, I know budgets and saving money sounds really boring, even I am slightly bored whilst typing but (stay with me!) a budget or even an idea of how much you want to spend on your wedding day is crucial. However saying that, it’s so difficult to know how much florists or venues costs because I gather you haven’t got engaged in the past year!
Do not worry though, we have created an average wedding costs article so you can start to figure out how much you are looking at or maybe highlighting some costs you didn’t even think about.
So yes, it might be boring but it there is no point looking at suppliers you can’t afford, it will just make the planning process really sad and stressful.
Number 3. Now for your guest list, start writing!
List everyone you would like to join you in the day and evening including children if you are going to invite them. Your guest list can snowball and become very expensive!
One of my gorgeous past Brides, stated if she hadn’t made the effort to physically see the person within the past 12 months then they would not be invited. Cut throat but when each day guest could cost you around £100 per person then it puts your guest list into perspective.
When you start looking for venues, they will ask for your guest numbers to create your quote. The numbers do not need to be exact but it helps to have a ballpark figure.
Number 4. wedding style
Any venue worth it’s salt should try and find out what you both want from your wedding day.
In your initial meeting they should ask you “How do you envisage your special day?!” “What vibe do you want?” “Have you thought through styling ideas?”.
So it’s time to start trying to answer those questions. If you haven’t already start dreaming about your wedding day.
There are so many amazing different ways to go with your wedding. Will it be a large grand affair? Will it be more intimate with personal touches? Will it be in a tipi or a manor house, with full of colour or more subtle neutral tones?
You should start building this picture, the worldwide favourite digital moodboard is Pinterest. It’s a wedding planning must have, here’s a link to ours.
Create an account and a wedding board and you can also share it with your bridal tribe to start sharing ideas.
Number 5. Venue time!
So now you know who you are inviting, when the wedding is going to take place and an idea about what type of wedding you would like, let’s move on to the venue.
Hitched & Bridebook are great way to narrow down your search within the area you are wanting to get married.
The crucial aspects of choosing a venue are as follows:
- Budget
- Location (and if you need accommodation)
- Style
On average wedding couples shortlist 12 venues to view 6 and then go back to their final 3.
Finding your perfect venue is so important with lot’s of diffract aspects that we have written in depth about it here.
Number 6. Enjoy!
Enjoy the excitement of the beginning of the planning, together noting down what is and isn’t important to you both. When I speak to wedding couples they sometimes struggle to say what they want from their wedding, sometimes it is easier to list what they don’t. This is just as important, get all your ideas, likes and dislikes written down so you are both on the same page before you carry on the planning journey.
Check out the rest of our wedding advice pages for tonnes of help!
Olivia Gray
Director
Olivia is part of the Sparth House owning family. Over the past 6 years, she reimagined and redesigned how the House hosts weddings. With nearly 300 Sparth House weddings under her belt, her goal has always been to achieve the most personalised day for each couple
Her favourite moment of a wedding? “The moment I share with each bride before they walk down the aisle, I get chills every time!”
Where will you find Olivia? “Working with a cup of tea or glass of wine (or both!) in hand.”
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