If you’re reading this, I believe congratulations are in order! You are now a newly engaged couple, and with that title comes many exciting, yet sometimes overwhelming, responsibilities. The time between your engagement and your wedding is essential, and you want to make sure you don’t miss a single detail. Read on to learn what every newly engaged couple should do right away to get their engagement and wedding planning started on the right foot.
What is the First Thing You Do When You Get Engaged?
When you get engaged, it’s easy to get caught up in the planning and excitement of your big day. But before you start picking out flowers or deciding on the menu, here are a few things you should do first.
1. Celebrate!
Planning your wedding will come soon enough. First and foremost, make sure you spend time celebrating your engagement with your new fiancé!
2. Announce Your Engagement
When it comes time to share the big news, start with your closest friends and family. Remember that word will spread as soon as you tell a few people about your engagement. Your loved ones won’t be able to keep the fact that you’re a newly engaged couple to themselves. And once you post about it on socials, the whole world gets to know. So if there’s anyone you want to tell personally, rather than seeing it on Facebook, call them first.
3. Insure Your Engagement Ring
If you didn’t insure your engagement ring before the engagement, don’t wait long to do it. It’s easy to get caught up in the celebrations of being a newly engaged couple, but insuring your engagement ring is one of the logistical tasks you should handle promptly. Insurance can cover up to 80% of the total value if something unfortunate happens, like theft or damage due to fire or natural disaster. So keep your beautiful ring safe and protected by getting it insured.
4. Start Dreaming Up Wedding Ideas
If you’ve been pinning inspiration to a Pinterest wedding board, now is the time to look through all of your favorite ideas and start dreaming about your wedding before the in-depth planning begins. As a newly engaged couple, this is a great time to share your thoughts and hopes for your big day with each other.
5. Take Engagement Photos
If you decide to take engagement photos, you’ll want to do so soon after you get engaged. That way, the excitement of the engagement is still fresh, and you can use the photos in wedding-related communications, like your engagement party invitations. You can either find an engagement photographer or wedding photographer who offers engagement sessions too.
Make a date out of the day, so your engagement photo session is extra special. Start by having breakfast at your favorite coffee shop, and ask your photographer to meet you there to capture a few pictures. Then, head off to a meaningful spot, like the place where you met or had your first date. Taking pictures as a newly engaged couple in places where your relationship sparked adds something unique to the experience.
6. Plan Your Engagement Party
Not every newly engaged couple wants an engagement party, but if you do, now is the time to have it. One of the first decisions to make is what type of engagement party you want. There are many different ways that couples can celebrate their love and commitment. Some people choose to hold an intimate gathering with friends and family, while others prefer a large party with lots of people, especially if the actual wedding will have a limited guest list. Depending on your style, something as simple as wine night with your closest friends or a cookout with your family is a great way to celebrate the engagement.
However, if your motto is “go big or go home” and you want a curated social event to celebrate your engagement, you can hire an event planner to ensure it is a party to remember. At Park Avenue Events, we not only plan weddings but events surrounding your celebration, too. You can learn more about all of our event planning services here.
7. Choose Your Wedding Party
Choosing your wedding party is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your wedding planning process. It is also one of the first big decisions you’ll make as a newly engaged couple. You want to choose people who will be committed to helping out and ensuring things go smoothly on your wedding day. It’s not just about picking friends, relatives, or coworkers–it’s about finding someone willing to give up their time for you when they could be doing anything else that day.
You’ll want to ask them sooner than later so they can plan ahead. Plus, as soon as the wedding planning begins, you’ll want them by your side to help you pick out your wedding attire, plan your bachelor or bachelorette party, and calm your wedding day nerves.
8. Pick Your Wedding Date
The next big decision for newly engaged couples is picking your wedding date. That way, you can send out Save the Date cards and secure your dream venue. Ever since the chaos of COVID in 2020, wedding vendors and venues require couples to book services well in advance. And to book your venue, you need a wedding date.
Are you looking for something traditional or quirky? A weekday event with an intimate gathering of family and friends or a larger weekend affair that includes all the bells and whistles? Should it be close to home or a destination wedding far away from the stresses of everyday life? There are so many choices to make. You can learn more about the different types of weddings and how to choose the best option for you here.
9. Decide on a Wedding Budget
Having a budget is an essential part of planning your wedding. The first step to establishing this number is setting expectations with your partner about how much you can afford. Comparing finances and discussing what’s most important to each person leads to better decisions for both parties regarding vendors, food options, and other logistics. Sometimes parents or family members offer to pay for part or all of the wedding. Have a conversation with all relevant parties about how much each is contributing to your wedding before you start in-depth planning.
10. Hire a Wedding Planner
Last but not least, it’s time to hire a wedding planner to make all of your wedding dreams come true. There is still so much to do at this point in the planning process, and a wedding planner can help you with essentially everything. For example, now that you have a wedding budget, your planner can help you allocate funds and ensure you get the best deals on vendors, rentals, and more. Everything from negotiating vendor contracts to managing your budget to helping you find the perfect venue and caterer, the right wedding planner can do it all.
At Park Avenue Events, we offer multiple wedding planning services to meet you exactly where you are in the wedding planning process. If you’re newly engaged and want to start right away, our full-service wedding planning package is ideal for you. If you’re already a few months into the details and realize you need someone with industry knowledge and expertise to bring all of your ideas together, our partial planning and day-of coordination packages provide the right amount of support before and during your wedding. Check out all of our wedding planning packages to find the perfect option for you! Then, contact us so we can learn more about your wedding and start planning your most special day!