It was one of the biggest moments of your life: The moment when you and your significant other decided to spend the rest of your lives together. Whether it was a surprise proposal, a quiet conversation or a big event with all the fanfare—when your person popped the question, everything changed—for the better.
Congratulations on your engagement! It’s such an exciting and often overwhelming time. And the next big question becomes, now what?
At Meadow Brook Hall, our experienced event specialists have pulled together their top six things to do now that you’re engaged.
Enjoy the Moment!
The early days of an engagement are some of the most exhilarating and special times in your life. Try not to stress or get too locked into wedding planning just yet. These moments when you and your new fiancé can enjoy each other and dream of your future together are wonderful. Try not to rush through them!
Share your News!
Announcing your engagement to your close family and friends is one of the first things you will do together as a newly engaged couple. While it may be tempting to post everything to social media immediately, remember to take time to share with the important people in your life—and be considerate of those such as grandparents who may not have access to your Facebook or Instagram.
Start Thinking about your Wedding Timeline
Some couples are ready to tie the knot right away, while others prefer a long engagement. One of the first questions that friends, family and even acquaintances will ask is always “when?” Having an idea and coming to an agreement with your fiancé about when you’d like to plan the wedding for is important. Determining a general date and season helps you to back up every other decision and create a timeline for when you will want or need to make other choices by—including if you want to have an engagement party or plan an engagement photo shoot.
Talk about the Big Picture
No matter if you are planning to elope, host a grand reception or imagine something in between, there are major decisions and price tags that go along with each. While you don’t need to get down to every detail right away, the early days of an engagement are a good time to take each other’s temperature on important issues, such as who you’d like in the bridal party, religious considerations for the ceremony, size of the guest list, general budget and more. Having a plan for some of these major details will help you narrow the search for venues and dates.
Get Inspired!
Once you’ve started to narrow down your season, size and budget, the wedding planning fun really begins! There are so many places to help newly engaged couples get inspired and excited, from wedding magazines to wedding planning websites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire, to the perennial favorite Pinterest and searching hashtags such as #weddinginspo on Instagram. This is the fun part, when you can explore the overall styles, trends and ideas that may be part of your big day!
Let the Wedding Planning Begin!
With some of the broad decisions under your belt, it is time to actually start planning your wedding! This is the time to attend wedding open houses, visit venues and research great vendors such as photographers and florists. Ask for recommendations from friends and family who have recently been married and consider working with a wedding planner or event specialist who can help.
While planning a wedding can certainly be an exciting and even overwhelming experience at times, be sure to spend time enjoying your new fiancé and practice the art of compromise! Happy wedding planning!
Meadow Brook Hall hosts monthly free wedding open houses that give couples a chance to explore the estate, sample our wines and meet with our event specialists who can help you navigate the path to your dream wedding.
For more information about weddings at Meadow Brook Hall, contact mbhevent@oakland.edu or call (248) 364-6220.
