The First 10 Steps After You Say "Yes!"
Congratulations! You just said yes to spending your life together with your person! The first step on that journey is a wedding and wedding planning can be extremely overwhelming. Don't worry, here is a list of the first things you should do once you're engaged.
Step 1- Celebrate
You've already completed step one, which is to say YES! Celebrate with your loved one and take in that special moment!
Let your close family and friends know. They will love hearing this from you first! After you've told the important people in your life, let the world know! Put it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, a billboard sign, or whatever works for you to express your happiness!
Step 2- Dream
Now that you've celebrated and gushed it's time to get started on planning your wedding! Step two is to sit down with your partner and discuss what your dream wedding looks like. This is not the time to worry about money, this is the time to fantasize and come up with what your ideal wedding would look like in a perfect world. Weddings are a powerful and personal event, as they should be, so I recommend spending some time figuring out what is significant to you as a couple and how you want that reflected on your wedding day. I suggest writing these things down and continuing to refer to this list throughout your wedding planning process.
Step 3- Prioritize
Once you've dreamed of your perfect wedding now is the time to figure out what is the most important to your wedding and what is non-essential. I suggest making a list of everything that will go into your wedding and ranking the priority in some way. You can do this by rating it in its importance to you or by sorting into categories of essential to not necessary.
Step 4- Budget
Now is finally when we get to the budget for your wedding. You should sit down and determine who is paying for the wedding and come up with a total budget from there. Be sure to leave a little wiggle room in your initial budget for things you may forget or unexpected expenses. After you've determined your total budget you can start budgeting for the other expenses in your wedding. Start with the items that are your top priorities and make sure they get the finances needed to achieve the wedding you want. After that, divide your budget among the lesser items of importance. By setting up your budget this way you will get the wedding of your dreams.
Step 5- Guest List
Next you have to determine how many people will be attending your wedding. Do you want a small wedding of less than 50 people, a large wedding of over 200 people, or something in between As a general rule, the larger the guest list, the more expensive the wedding. This is also when you should determine who will be in your wedding party and standing next to you when you say "I do". Find a special way to ask them to be a part of your special day.
Step 6- Date
Now that you have the big things out of the way all you have are the details starting with deciding when you're going to get married. Keep in mind factors such as time of year, general weather, any important dates to your relationship, and the availability of guests coming to the wedding.
Step 7- Venue
You've got the who, what, and when all figured out for your wedding so now you need to figure out the where. Locations can book up to a year or more in advance so it's important to find a place you love and book it while you can. Instagram can be a great tool for finding the right venue for you. You can search the location and not only see photos from that location, but you can usually find wedding photos for that location so it can help you envision what your wedding will look like in that venue.
Step 8- Coordinator
Something to consider while planning your wedding is hiring a wedding coordinator for your wedding. A good wedding coordinator will help you save money and they will also take all the stress out of your wedding day so you can just enjoy your wedding. There are different types of wedding coordinators. There's full blown wedding planners who help you plan your wedding, choose vendors, and help with the day of the wedding. There's also wedding designers who help you make your wedding look amazing and there's day of coordinators who help on the day of your wedding. All of these coordinators will make your wedding less stressful.
Step 9- High Priority Vendors
Go back to that priority list you made. The vendors at the top of that list should be the first ones you research, reach out to, and book. If you just can't imagine getting married without a certain beautiful flower in your bouquet, or a photographer whose work you love, act fast. Many top wedding photographers and other in-demand wedding vendors are hired more than a year in advance, and once they're booked, they're gone.
Step 10- Insure the Ring
No matter how careful you are, the peace of mind you'll get from knowing your ring is insured is worth it. There are two ways to go about this. You can get insured through your renters or homeowners insurance. Call up your agent and get it added to your coverage. Another option is to go through a company that specializes in insuring jewelry. Going this route may ensure there is more coverage for your ring than your homeowners insurance may be able to offer.