The Holidays are over and tons of engagements have popped out of everywhere!! Yes, Engagement season is here!!! And one of the first questions a newly engaged couple hears is, "Soooo, when is the big day?!" That's right, everyone wants to know the date! And most couples are thinking, "Whoa! hold your horses, we just got engaged and we have no clue on even where to begin!!! - LOL Well, I'm here to help! I'm going to blog about a few areas where couples can begin the planning process :-).
There are many different timelines you could follow, however below is just my little opinion based off my personal and professional experiences on how you should get started!
1. Enjoy your engagement!
Don't feel so rushed to immediately get started on those super stressful tasks of a bride/groom! Enjoy this time of sharing such wonderful news to family and friends! If you are into social media, post it! Announce it to the world, because of course you are SUPER EXCITED! LOL But be sure to give a personal call to close family and friends before posting on social media sites :-).
2. Date & Location (I could also add budget in here)
The reason I listed these together is because each of these highly impact each other in decision making. Would you like a destination wedding or a wedding in the town you both reside? If both of you are living in a different state or country from your home town, which location would you choose? Both the date and location go hand and hand here.
3. Budget & Guests list
Determine if you want to have a intimate wedding, or a big traditional wedding and reception. Just remember, the amount of guests that you plan to invite, entirely affects your budget! The higher the amount of guests, the higher the budget goes! If your parents are contributing, please be sure to take them out to a nice cozy brunch, lunch or dinner. Get their tummys full and I'm almost positive the amount that they had originally planned to give will increase because a full tummy always makes people happier! LOL Ok, that was just a joke, but try it and let me know!LOL
4.HIRE A PLANNER!!
You'll really be winning if you hire B Posh Events (You like how I threw in that plug there?)
I put this high up on the list because you can truly eliminate alot of stress by hiring a professional to help you collect your thoughts, wishes and plans! Based off most of your decisions, a planner can help guide you in the perfect direction and down a smooth road of wedding planning while saving you time, stress and possibly ALOT of $$$. A planner can make sure that vendors are not taking advantage of you. We know what you should expect from each vendor physically (services) and financially (pricing). For example: One of my brides that I was hired to do "day of" wedding coordinating service for provided me with her floral contract. I read it over and noticed she was getting charged almost double what she should have. If I were her full planner, I would have been able to be right there in the vendor meeting when reviewing pricing to ensure she was charged the appropriate amounts. Also, a planner can match you up with the perfect locations and vendors based off your vision. If your planner has amazing relationships with wedding pro's, like myself ;-), you'll have access to the best wedding professionals in business!
5. Select a Bridal Party
Would you like a small bridal party, or a big bridal party? By already knowing the date and location, this can affect the decision of your bridal party. So go ahead and start asking!
6. Schedule Engagement Pictures and a Engagement Party
Schedule a shoot with a great photographer!Debut your engagement pictures and announce your bridal party at your engagement party!
7. Theme/Colors
Work with your planner on your wedding day vision! Research special themes or if no theme, just select your choice of colors.
8. The DRESS! The SUIT!!
By now you have most likely tried on tons of dresses! Now is the time to go ahead and narrow it down to "THE ONE"! And for our groom, go ahead and start researching your style! There are so many styles out there for the groom now that are so cool and far from the traditional suit.
9. Start selecting very important vendors
You want to start researching and booking the following:
Officiant,Photography, DJ or band, Videography, Floral, Linens
10. Enjoy the Process
Listen, planning a wedding can be stressful whether you have a planner or not. Soooo many people will have lots of input, suggestions, comments, etc.However, you have to try and focus of YOUR needs and wants vs. trying to appease others. Try and enjoy the process because once the wedding day comes, you want to be able to sit back and say "it was all worth it".
Welp, thats all I have for now. I truly hope this helps! And again, feel free to give us a call. We are here to help all types of brides. Maybe you are lost and just have no clue on where to begin or who to reach out to, or you could be the type of bride that has it all together and you just need a day of coordinator to help manage your wedding day. Either way, B Posh Events is here to accommodate your needs! Give us a call or email us!
