5 Things To Do After Saying "Yes"!
You just got engaged to the love of your life and people are already putting the stress on you about your wedding details! Don’t worry and breathe deep, everything will work out and your day will be perfect!
But for now, here are my five most important things to-do to save you from the stress!
1) Celebrate!
We can all be real for a second, wedding planning can be awful at times, yep I said AWFUL! Another nugget of honesty, you are going to be stressed, no getting around it unfortunately! But before that, give yourself some time to break out the bubbly and enjoy this momentous time in your life. Throw an engagement party or ask friends and family to throw one on your behalf. Whatever you do, just be sure to soak it all up and realize this is such a joyous time and deserves to be celebrated accordingly. I personally loved being a fiancée so much I dragged it out for 3 years!
2) Budget
That unavoidable stress I was just talking about, well an enormous chunk of that is going to come from finances. Putting your budget in check right away will make the entire planning process go so much more smoothly, I promise! Sit down and have the discussion with whomever will be pitching in. Or if you are going to be paying for your own wedding go over your financial limits. You want everyone to be on the same page.
3) Guest list
This step may require drinks, so get your cocktails and wine out when making your guest list. First things first, the must-haves need to be accounted for. Family, closest friends, wedding party (if you are having one)- anyone who is a must to celebrate the most important day in your life! Move along to the indirect family members. When you are faced with a tough choice of an invite, think to yourself, have I seen or talked to this person in over 3 years? Another thing to think about, are you giving all your guests plus ones? A common trend is to only allow a plus one if the guest is engaged, married or in a long-term relationship. This is another conversation you want everyone to be on the same page with. Ask both of your parents their input. You will quickly realize how fast your list grows. Figure out how much each person is costing to attend the wedding. Maybe you don’t invite your estranged cousins and get more money towards your photographer, or accessories for your dress! And you can’t fully look at venues until you have a general guest count. So, take another sip of wine and get it done!
4) Create your vision, but lower your expectations
While I love me some Pinterest, it can be your enemy when it comes to wedding planning. I understand that the images you are saving were created somewhere, hence why it is on Pinterest, but unless you have an unlimited budget don’t plan on it look identical to your big day. Take everything you see, and pin, with a grain of salt. Use it to inspire, but not replicate. Nothing is going to be exactly how you dreamt it would be since you were young, and that is that ok! It’s so much easier to lower your expectations now than feel like you came up short. This is where great vendors will shine. Show them your boards and share your likes, and your dislikes. They will give you suggestions and get creative for you!
5) Venue search
Alright, you have celebrated, made it through the dreaded budget talk, assembled the most fabulous guest list, and pinned your wedding dreams- now is time to look for where you are going to be having the wedding. Are you wanting to stay local? Indoors, outdoors or both? Do you want the ceremony and reception at same location? Do you want a venue that allows outside vendors, or everything in house? Your venue is the literal stage for your wedding, and you want to be thorough and choose carefully!