Just Got Engaged? Many CONGRATULATIONS!

But, hold your horses for a sec.

Once you’ve really started to think things through and decide on a time or date, then it starts to become a whole lot more real.

But actually, that’s not the start, so read on…

How To Start Planning A Wedding When You Just Got Engaged

So many couples will think of a date, and then leave things for weeks or even months.

The truth is, to get the best wedding possible, you should be thinking of certain aspects right from the off. And certainly before you book anything into the diary.

It helps with everything! It makes it so much more manageable than having to make decisions right off the bat. so close together.

The wedding scene has changed this past year, primarily because of coronavirus.

This means that all advice you take has to be with a caveat.

Be careful what you buy, and be careful what you sign up for because the horizon isn’t guaranteed.

Also, all weddings are different in some way or another. Just like all people are different too.

This means you’ll need to apply any advice you receive to your own personal situation.

Perhaps you’ve already thought of a few of these? That’s great! They can help shift your perspective and help you think of the unconsidered.

Just Got Engaged? Picture Your Look

A lot of people don’t decide on their look until a week or so before.

But if you decide it earlier, you can be sure you get it right and have time to get yourself sorted.

If you want your hair really long, you’ve got time to grow it out.

If you want to shift a few pounds you’ve got the time to get rid.

You might want to go here and consider your glasses look.

Or maybe you need time to save up for the best make up, or a new set of earrings.

Trends change, and so do wants and likes.

But if you really know how you’re going to want to look as well as your partner, then it’s time to plan ahead and get things right early.

Make it easier on yourself because in a lot of ways this can be one of the cheaper things which cost late money, but leave it late and you might end up paying a bit more.

Get The Dress

There’s nothing worse than finding the perfect dress, putting the purchase off and then coming back to find that it’s gone.

This is especially the case if you end up seeing something bespoke or designer.

Buy it when you can. Buying early can also help you budget right.

The only issue is that if you are thinking about losing weight, you need to buy it for a size you aren’t at the moment.

Even so, buying when you see the right dress is a no brainer.

If you haven’t got the money yet for buying the dress then you shouldn’t really be shopping for one because it could eventually lead to disappointment down the line.

Also, you need to think of the environment.

If you’re going to get married in the winter, you might need a dress which is more suitable than a summer dress.

Same if you were planning on getting a dress for a wedding abroad.

Make sure you know the temperature and you get a suitable dress.

Nothing worse than being freezing or really warm on your wedding day.

Research Your Planner

If you’re getting a wedding planner you really need to put in the right effort to ensure you get a good one.

There are lots of planners out there and some are just so much better than the others.

Some can in fact be quite bad and lead to enhanced stress.

If you’re planning to get married somewhere different to where you live, ensure you use a local planner.

If you’re going to get married abroad, try to find a planner who specialises in that location.

That way you’ll be getting the best out of their experience.

Going to another planner who doesn’t have experience of that destination might not work too well. For a start, have a look at their reviews.

A lot of planners will have reviews online for you to have a look at and make an informed decision around which one you’re going to go with.

Word of mouth helps too, especially if you’ve been to a wedding you loved. As the couple in question who their planner was.

It really makes a difference to have a good one so put the work in to ensure you get one who will make your day special.

Just Engaged? Think About Planning Your Wedding At Home or Away?

Getting married abroad can be wonderful. You can get guaranteed weather, and do it so the wedding runs right into the honeymoon.

You can also focus on somewhere sentimental to you, like where you met your partner in the first place.

Getting married abroad can even work out as cheaper than getting married at home, depending on where you live.

The issue though is that there might be one or two legal loopholes to jump through so that it’s all above board.

Also, with coronavirus at the moment getting married abroad might not be the easiest thing to do.

Countries are popping on and off the banned travel list all the time due to coronavirus, so unless you’re sure about where you’re going, or unless you’re planning for the far future try to bear that in mind and be extremely careful regarding where you want to go.

Remember too that when you’re abroad, all of your guests will have to pay for flights and accommodation.

An expensive proposition, so think about the money they may or may not have at hand in the first instance, even if the wedding is down the line.

Basically, weddings which are abroad usually have less people in attendance.

Get The Entertainment Booked In

It might seem a bit full on to book entertainment after you just got engaged! But, the good ones book out fast. Sometimes months and years in advance, so if you like them, book them.

This can be something silly like a photo booth, cartoonist, or even a full on band or DJ.

Just make sure you get everything sorted as quickly as possible, when you know your date. It rolls around quite quickly.

As the time moves on more and more of these entertainers will be booked up. You don’t want to be left with the worst of the bunch.

In most cases you’ll just be asked for a deposit to secure the date too, and not the full amount so be smart and get stuff booked in fast.

If money is an issue you may be able to ask for a reduced deposit, but be careful doing this as you want to strive for a professional relationship.

Research The Venue

Not necessarily the church, but researching the venue is super important primarily because there can be some bad ones out there.

You need to ensure you find a good one with great reviews.

There are some real horror stories out there of venues refusing to give couples back money paid where they can no longer get married, or dreadful stories of things going wrong on the day.

Do your research and try not to pay in full until the last possible moment, especially with all the restrictions there are at the moment.

Being sure and happy you’ve got a good deal will allow you to really enjoy the day too.

Research the venue and draw up a shortlist, once you have a shortlist, you can visit the venues and see what they offer.

It’s So Important To Start Budgeting When You Just Got Engaged

You can pretty much pay whatever you want for a wedding. But when you know what you want, you need to start budgeting.

This means setting aside specific amounts of money for the wedding, or for certain segments of the wedding like for the dress or the band or the venue etc.

When you just got engaged, it also means that it’s time to start saving money.

Saving can be quite tough and a lot of people will need to come up with certain sacrifices to ensure they save enough money.

Be wary of deciding to simply throw everything onto the credit card too.

Having more debt all for one day’s celebration isn’t always smart. Even if you have a great time. Start by setting out all of your income and expenditure.

With this, you can see how much extra you get over what you spend.

If it’s the other way, then you need to cut to ensure you can save up some money. Saving in an ISA account is smart because it is tax-free.

And Finally, Let People Know Your Wedding Date ASAP

If you just planned a wedding date after you got engaged, let people know the date as soon as you can.

If they don’t know when the date is until the last minute, then some of your favourite people won’t be able to come to your special day.

People may have other weddings to go to, or they may have holidays booked, trips to see relatives, operations in place, all of these things to think about and some of them will come before your wedding.

If you ask early, and people say no, you might have time to change the date so more people can come.

Wishing you the best of luck with your wedding planning!

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