Kailey and Jake Howard were married in front of their friends and family on the…
I’m engaged! What’s next?
Let us start by saying CONGRATULATIONS! I’m sure you’ve already been asked about a million times when the wedding is, and maybe you’ve already been planning this day in your head for years, or maybe you’re totally lost and have no idea where to start. Either way, that’s what we are here for!
But, before you go any further, take a moment to slow down and breathe… Why you may ask? Because my first tip for you is to enjoy this process. Enjoy this “just engaged” feeling that you have right now. It’s a once in a lifetime feeling, and you deserve to live it up!
After you’ve spent some time enjoying being engaged and are ready to start wedding planning, you may be wondering, “where do we even begin?” The two most important things you’ll want to decide on right away are date and venue.
Choosing a date
First lets think time of year. Is there a specific month or season you want to get married in? Is there a special date you want your wedding to fall around? You don’t have to commit to a date just yet, but have a few in mind for when you start looking at venues and other vendors as your wedding date will be the deciding factor on their availability.
Choosing a venue
Congrats! You’ve decided on a date (or maybe a few). Now you can start reaching out to venues and seeing if they’re available for your date(s)! When looking at venues you’ll want to keep a few things in mind; your approximate guest count (no need to start making your list yet, just come up with an approximate number to give to the venue) and the theme of your wedding. Once you have an idea on the theme, you’ll be able to hone in on types of venues you’re interested in touring!
Set a budgetÂ
This is INCREDIBLY important to do early on in the wedding planning process as weddings are expensive, and you can lose sight of your budget very quickly if you’re not careful. Discuss with your fiancé how much you think you’ll be able to save over the length of your engagement, discuss if any family members will helping fund the wedding, and set your budget! It will be a greater help if you can breakdown your budget so it seems less intimidating, ex: spend “x” amount on the venue, “x” amount on the dress, “x” amount on décor, etc. Going about it this way will feel less intimidating and will also help you prioritize your budget!
Start your guest list
This is not something you’ll be able to accomplish in one night (unless you’re choosing to have a smaller wedding, than maybe!) The easiest way to go about your guest list is to start with immediate family and friends! Then, discuss with your parents and in-laws and ask them to create a guest list of who they would like to invite too. As wedding planning continues, you can make changes and adjustments to your guest list as needed. You may add to your guest list, or take away from it, regardless, it’s not something that you will need an exact number for until closer to the wedding, so try not to stress about it too much!
Wedding dress shopping
I’m sure this has been on your mind since you said “YES!” to your fiancé’s proposal! Where do you even begin when it comes to finding your dream dress? Maybe you’ve had it envisioned in your head for a while now, or maybe you have no clue! Our biggest recommendation is doing some research beforehand. Looking on Pinterest is a great way to start, however we also recommend researching bridal shops you’d like to visit, and looking at the designers they carry, which are often listed on their website. Stores may not carry every dress you see on the designer’s website, but it will at least give you an idea of the styles of dresses the designers make, and if you see something you like online, call the bridal shop and see if that happen to have it in store or if it could be ordered in for you to try on!
Side note: Ordering a wedding dress *typically* takes 4-6 months, and depending on what you may need done for alterations, those can take up to 3 months, so plan ahead! Now, if you don’t have that time-frame, don’t worry! There’s options for you. 🙂
Now that you’ve done some research and made some appointments, it’s time to start wedding dress shopping! What to wear? What to say? What to expect? We’ve got you covered there too, babe!
Wedding dress shopping – what to wear
There’s not really a rule of thumb for this one… You can wear whatever you’re most comfortable in, or if you’ve had the opportunity to think about how you might want your hair and makeup to look that day, you can try that out (now, by no means do you need to schedule your hair and makeup trial before you try on dresses, but if you know you want an up-do, try that, or if you want it curly, try that, whatever will help you envision your day of wedding look)!
Now let’s talk about undergarments. Nude underwear is always a safe bet as some dresses are more sheer than others, or have low cutouts.
A nude or white strapless bra is also a good idea, and sometimes dresses will even have built-in bras so wearing a bra while trying on dresses won’t be necessary, though if you feel more comfortable wearing one, we suggest strapless as bra straps can sometimes distract from the dress.
Remember – there is no rule when it comes to wedding dress shopping, and these are just tips to help you best prepare!
Continue doing what feels right when it comes to the remainder of your wedding planning!
We don’t want to overwhelm you with all the little details that comes with wedding planning, after all, if you’re reading this you’re probably recently engaged! So check back in often for more wedding planning tips!
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