Congratulations! You’re ENGAGED! O-M-G! How absolutely exciting and simply wonderful! Don’t even begin to think about the wedding. Enjoy this special and romantic time between you and your now FIANCE! If you’re not engaged, then hover over any of the images below and pin this post to your Pinterest board for future reference!
I thought I would give an update on the wedding planning. I am one that certainly has taken time to really figure out what it is that Pat and I want for this special day. I thought I wanted one thing and then I thought I wanted something else but now I am happy to say over the course of these past six months, we have discovered what it is we want for our wedding! You’ll have to stay tuned for more on that another time!
I have recently have had a few more friends get engaged and immediately they seem stressed because they feel the pressure of finding a venue ASAP, finding a dress, knowing the color schemes, trying to determine the budget, etc. I have been telling them this is one of the most amazing moments you’ll ever have in your life and you are rushing through it. This moment comes once, the man of your dreams asked you to stand by your side- that is incredible, and you said yes to being his number one supporter, said yes to being his partner in crime. That calls for a celebration and calls for a time in your life to hit pause and simply soak it all up-together.
I have a “The Story Begins” Pinterest board {here} that I have pinned anything and everything wedding to over the years, but I have never been one to know where I wanted to get married, what color dresses my girls would wear, time of year, etc. My best friend Brianna thinks its hysterical that I am so detail oriented and I never took the time to think about any aspect of the wedding. The only thing I ever thought over the years was that I wanted Pat at the end of the aisle!
Today I am sharing the first 5 things to do once engaged. 5 things to do before you even think about researching venues and looking at them! I swear this helped me begin the process and I hope it helps yours!
#1) Buy a wedding planner binder & keep absolutely everything in it. I bought this cute striped one from HomeGoods for less than $15. I told myself any notes I write down, any ideas I think of, any papers received from touring venues, etc. it all would end up hole punched and filed in my wedding planner. This one that I bought has different tabs such as “Budget”, “Guest List”, “Venue” etc. to keep the binder organized. In each of these categories there are a few sheets that provide you with some tips and statistics and it prompts you with different questions to make you think about that point of the process. It has really been insightful and helpful. Most of the planners come with these tabs and charts! My friends have this one & this one and they seem to love them so you could always try one of those. They’re from Amazon, you know you could get it in a few days and be organized!
#2) Make Lists and of course, put them in your planner! Pat and I each made a list of our top priorities. Mine was obviously longer than his, but hey, now I have his thoughts in front of me to look to! Is it super important for you or your fiancé you have the wedding in your hometown? A favorite family vacation spot? Could you live if your Aunt Beth wasn’t there? Could you be okay if your best friend Allie wasn’t able to make because of a destination location? Have you always dreamt it would be at a rustic barn? Is there a specific date that holds importance to the both of you and it has to be that day?
We made a list of the characteristics and overall feel we wanted for our wedding. I think of something intimate, something romantic, something out of this world beautiful. I have totally discovered I am not a traditional bride by any means. I don’t like most wedding dresses, I don’t picture all the girls and guys matching each other, I don’t picture the typical dances, I don’t see a reason to even have a cake, I am just going with whatever Pat and I love!
We made a list of the top people we wouldn’t be able to marry without. We sent them texts and said this what we are thinking for our wedding. You are absolutely so important to us and we can’t imagine this day without you. Do you think you would be able to travel to X if we had it there? Do you already know of a date that you have previous plans on?
We thought about other weddings we have been to and we made a list of what we liked and didn’t like about them for our wedding. What works for one couple is totally different for the next! We went to a wedding where the Bride & Groom were gone for a long time for more photographs after dinner. I felt they didn’t have a lot of time on the dance floor which they didn’t mind, but for me, that is one of the most exciting parts to a wedding so I would have been upset! It’s just good to think about all of these things and get them written down so you can refer to them as you begin to plan!
#3) Reorganize the Pinterest board. Okay, this one may seem silly but chances are you may be like me and have been pinning anything beautiful and wedding related for years now. You’re taste has changed, trends have changed and you need to refocus. I kept my “The Story Begins” board but made a new, separate “Mannella Wedding” Board. I went through my original and re-pinned my favorite things that I could actually see coming to my life at my wedding. I pinned ideas for favors, bridesmaids gift ideas etc. If you aren’t sure if you’re going to have a rustic wedding or a city chic wedding because there isn’t a venue at this point, no worries. I would just keep editing the board as you advance through the process. That way, you always have a clear idea of what it is you are creating with your wedding! You’ll be able to show your mom, sisters, mother in law, wedding planner, venue coordinator, etc. what you are trying for and will be able to share your ideas easily!
#4) Ask everyone around you what they loved about their wedding, what they like in others they have gone to and what they would do differently. Ask them for tips, advice, ask them to tell you everything. I previously worked in an office of almost all women and some of them gave me the best tips and advice. Most were around my age or a few years older and had been in that cycle of attending 5-8 weddings a years while planning theirs or have been recently married. I think by nature, most people want to be helpful, and what girl doesn’t want to talk about her amazing wedding all over again? It’s one of the most special day of their lives, ask them to tell you everything! I wrote down some tips and advice they provided and now I have it in my binder!
#5) Register with WeddingWire or some online wedding planning tool that can help you get started. I quickly discovered that WeddingWire was an amazingly easy place to research potential venues, vendors, find inspiration, contact venues, etc. Once you know the date you can add it to your profile and they create a checklist for you to keep you on track for planning. They have everything you need I swear! I noticed they recently came out with SNAPCHAT filters (here) that you can use for all wedding events! You choose the design, customize the verbiage on them, and then set the time, date and location radius. You can create them 24 hours before the event up to three months out from the event. I am super excited about this because you can have all of your friends use the filters and then add to one big story and save it. It’s going to be such a great candid way to remember all of these events: Bachelorette party, bridal shower, dress rehearsal, wedding night. I can not wait!
I hope you found this post to be helpful. These are the first 5 thing I recommend doing before you begin the hunt of your venue. But don’t forget to take the time to relax and enjoy the moment with your significant other. This is the beginning of an amazing adventure you two are about to take on.
Cheers to that!
xx, Brittany Ann
In case you have missed it, I posted about mine and Pat’s relationship here and shared a little bit about the proposal and my advice on a long distance relationship. We grew up in the same town and started dating in high school. While it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies trying to navigate a relationship being long distance for six years, we like to think it was a breeze as now we are in the same place together! 🙂
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