You're Engaged! Now what?
We saw so many beautiful engagements over the holiday season, our hearts are full! If you are as excited as we are to get started on all the wedding planning, here are a few things we recommend you start with.
1 | Enjoy being engaged!
It's tempting to rush into wedding planning but it can overlook the joy of being newly engaged. Take time to enjoy this exciting time with one another and discuss, big picture, what you both want for the wedding day before rushing into the details.
2 | Set a budget range
Crunch some numbers and be true to yourselves what you can afford. Family may mention interest in helping pay for some (or all) of the wedding. Discuss with them how much they wish to contribute now so you may plan your own savings accordingly. Before you make any down payments, know how your budget breaks down against all the details important to you. That way you'll avoid splurging in one area and finding yourself short on the budget required for a detail you really want down the road.
3 | Narrow down a season and choose a date (or two!)
Try envisioning the backdrop to your wedding day. Perhaps it is a lakeside summer wedding weekend at the family cabin, a unique brunch or sunset ceremony, photos in fresh snowfall, or a tropical getaway. Also consider how long you want your engagement to be. An engagement period longer than a year allows you time to really savour the moment and relax while planning, especially if you are looking to have a summer wedding, as venues, photographers, and florists often book up a year in advance. By choosing to wait you can book vendors based on what or who you want, not on limited availability. A longer engagement also allows you more time to save. If you have a small budget, you may want to have your wedding on a Friday or Sunday, or in the off-season months such as October through November and January through April.
4 | Start a guest list
Estimate the number of people you want to have at your wedding. Create a "must-have" and "maybe" list (also known as an A/B List), so you can add or remove guests from the maybe list to reach your desired guest count.
Wondering when to hire a wedding planner or designer?
The sooner the better. Full service wedding planning and design can begin right from the moment you are engaged. The next steps and many more to follow are what a wedding planner specializes in: breaking down the budget to determine how money is best spent, defining colour theme and style, narrowing down a venue/location style, and selecting vendors for each aspect of the day.
At Feast & Festivities, we start by helping identify your wedding style, outlining realistic budget expectations, making suggestions on where to celebrate based on your personality, and recommending vendors that can best meet your budget and style needs. We'll then schedule and attend venue and vendor visits with you, leaving you with no surprises down the road, and start curating all the elements to make your day completely personalized.
Want to plan together? Give us a shout!