Meadow Brook Wedding Blog: You’re Engaged! Now What?

Photo by Russell Photography

The holiday season is upon us! That means lots of family gatherings and formal events, making this the most popular time of year to get engaged! That also means your family and friends will immediately start asking the next big question: when’s the wedding?

It can be a little overwhelming to get started with wedding planning, so we are here with some tips to help you get started.

Step One: Prioritize

Once the flashing lights fade, talk to your fiancé. You may have already had these conversations, but it’s so helpful to get on the same page and set expectations. Do you want a long engagement or short one? Destination or local? Religious ceremony or non-traditional?

Once you have a basic idea of when and where you want to get married, it’s helpful to prioritize what’s most important to each of you. Have you always wanted a certain band to play at your reception? Maybe one of you is insistent on a certain menu or style of food. Maybe your fiancé wants to make sure you can relive your day over and over with the perfect wedding video. This will help you decide what to focus on booking first, and what you can compromise on.

Photo by Silver Thumb Photography

Step Two: Budget

This is not an easy step!

Each of you will need to assess your personal finances and how much you can set aside for a wedding versus other financial goals.

You will also want to sit down with your parents, grandparents, or other family members about what, if any, financial contributions they will be able to help with. Some parents want to pay for everything, while others can only contribute their moral support. Once you know where everyone stands, you can get an idea of your total wedding spending budget.

Step Three: Invite List

When you first get engaged, you will need a loose draft of the people you want to invite to your wedding. Include your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who you want to have at your big day. It’s okay to have two lists – the “must include” and the “want to include.” The first thing you need to know about a venue is if your guests will all fit, so it’s important to have an idea of the size.

It’s also a good idea to start working on getting mailing addresses for all your loved ones. That way, you’ll be ready to send out save the dates and invitations when the time comes.

I recommend having your list on a shared location, like Google Drive, so you can access it anywhere and share with your fiancé and parents. That way, everyone can double check it and add any address information they have!

Photo by JLB Photography

Step Four: Have Fun!

This is a time in your life you will only experience once! It’s never too soon to take engagement photos, go dress shopping, and start your registry.

It’s most important not to get overwhelmed. Pick out a fun wedding planning binder to stay organized, ask trusted friends and family for advice, make your Pinterest board! Remember, this is all about you and your fiancé spending the rest of your lives together. Enjoy the ride!

 

P.S. Now that you know your budget and guest size, it’s never too soon to start looking at venues and other key vendors (like your photographer and DJ or band), especially if you have a specific wedding date in mind. Contact Meadow Brook Hall today to see if your wedding date is available!

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  1. I’d like to possibly take engagement photos at your location. I have a photographer already but he said I’d have to set something up with you.