Just Engaged? Here’s What You Need to Do First!

If you are recently engaged (or know the question is going to popped any day now!), CONGRATULATIONS!! I have to admit, I absolutely love the holidays. Everyone seems to be in a better mood, time seems to slow down just a bit as you catch up with family and friends, and more and more loved ones get engaged every year!! This post today is for you 🙂

I’m going to share what to do after you get engaged, but first, I want to wish you a huge Congratulations! As a New Jersey wedding calligrapher, I often start to work with couples when they have been in the throes of wedding planning for a while, so before you dive deep into the wedding planning, can I give you a little advice? Take a moment to soak it all in and enjoy the engagement period. Seriously. You don’t need to book all of your vendors and order your wedding dress within a week of your partner popping the question. The wedding boom IS real (I know I’m booking fast for 2022!), but that doesn’t mean you need to rush and stress. Being engaged is such a unique and exciting chapter of your love story and trust me, it goes by QUICKLY. Take some time to show off that shiny new ring on your finger, daydream with your family and friends, and plan date nights with your spouse-to-be!

1. Book your Wedding Venue

Okay – we are going to dive into your wedding day vision a little more in step two – but as soon as you have your guest count and budget locked down, you should look at booking your wedding venue. There are so many incredible wedding venues (click here for the 11 Best Wedding Venues in New Jersey & New York) and they are often one of the first things to get booked up. Although you may want to consider whether you want a rustic or modern wedding venue, often times the right space will just speak to you! Remember, you can define it more in the next step.

You can also consider that a more expensive (but naturally beautiful) venue will require a smaller décor budget (in general). Dressing up a venue you don’t already love will get expensive. You might also want to consider whether or not you want an “all inclusive” venue that handles the rentals, catering, and possibly more, or if you would prefer more flexibility in the process and choose a venue that offers just a location, and lets you choose the rest. There are always advantages and disadvantages of both, but these are just a few things to consider as you start the venue hunt!

2. Define your Wedding Day Vision

Now that you have a wedding venue, you can start to really define and enhance your wedding day vision!! This is something I am SO passionate about, and as I reflect on the last 6 years in business (and the last two years I’ve been blogging!), I realize I have a lot to say on the topic! First of all, if you are not a natural designer, don’t worry! Working with professional wedding vendors like your wedding planner/designer, florist, or calligrapher, we are experts at taking your vision and providing feedback and extra suggestions that will help bring it to life. It takes a village to put a wedding day together, and you don’t have to do it alone!! For those of you who want extra credit (and love to dive into all the details), here are just a few posts you can check out in the meantime:

1. 4 Wedding Décor Styles to Consider (+ how you can mix and match!)

2. Planning your wedding décor: what to rent and what to buy

3. How to Throw a Low Waste Wedding

4. Creating a cohesive look on your wedding day

5. Wedding Color Trends in 2022

3. Book your Favorite Vendors

Once you have a wedding day venue and a vision, you are ready to take on the rest of your wedding planning tasks! Although some of the big wedding planning websites might say to book your caterer first, photographer next, etc., but given what a crazy couple of years it has been, I’m going to throw those rules out the window and offer you a different approach. Book your wedding vendors based on your priorities. Is your wedding cake going to be the highlight? Don’t wait until the recommended time frame and book them early instead!

Is wedding calligraphy important to you? Listen, it’s crazy (even to me!) but I am booking well into 2022 already! Gone are the days where you can book your wedding calligrapher a few months in advance (I mean, you might be able to, but it’s not a guarantee!). I know I’m biased but especially with something like handwritten touches, you want to find someone who has a style you love, as we definitely all have uniqueness in our writing!

Enjoy The First Steps of Wedding Planning!

I know I said this before but seriously, take a minute to enjoy these first steps! You’ll feel so much better throughout the wedding planning journey if you don’t make these first decisions out of panic or feeling like you “should”. Have fun playing with your wedding design ideas, enjoy conversations getting to know potential vendors, and try to find ways to connect and enjoy with your new spouse to be. The wedding industry wants wedding planning to be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! Staying flexible will help you enjoy the process, too! Don’t automatically discount off-season wedding dates, or even Friday/Sunday weddings. As someone who has watched a packed wedding season come to life this past year – the best wedding days are the ones with couples who are truly in love and keep that as the focus throughout the process. You got this!!

If you know you are going to want hand-written touches and are looking for a wedding calligrapher, I would love to hear from you and celebrate this exciting time. Reach out via the button below, or click here for more inspiration to fill your Pinterest board.