DRUM ROLL PLEASE… Today is the launch of the wedding series on A DASH OF BRUCK!
You may be single, you may be ‘having the chat’, you may be engaged, or even married! I think no matter where you are in life, if you’re anything like me, its fun to talk about weddings! My husband and I got married in July of 2016 and are enjoying the first (almost) six months of marriage. I know that as the first of my friends to get married, even though I thought I knew a lot about weddings, there was SO much I learned during the process and hopefully if you’re going through the process too I can help!
Today’s post is all about the first 8 things to do once you get engaged. I know it may seem overwhelming once you get engaged but remember… you set the pace! Together you and your fiance will start sitting down and deciding the first steps of your wedding together (how fun!) & you want to enjoy the process as a couple! Everyone is different and your wedding and planning process will not be the same as anyones (thats what makes you YOU!) but if you’re in need of some direction, I’m here and I’m happy to help.
Here are the first 8 things to do once you get engaged!
- Shout it from the mountain tops! This may seem a little self-explanatory but there are a few things I’d like to add to this. Take the time to share with your close family & friends. Although Tony & I did this, I wish I would have called more people instead of texting. There were so many people I wanted to tell personally but there was so many people to call and little time! Now I wish that I would have called those people and been honest (that I could only chat for a few minutes) and then head off the phone. Once you’ve told everyone, then take your photo together & post it online if you’d like! As weird as it may sound, there are people you may not talk to anymore but would love to learn of the happy life update. Just to keep in mind 🙂
- Engagement party? If you’re not familiar with this — I’ll teach you! An engagement party is a small party typically thrown by the bride or groom’s family or a close friend to celebrate your recent engagement. Its is absolutely NOT necessary but keep in mind that someone may want to do that for you! It’s so exciting when you first get engaged that I suggest you even just throw a little friend get together to celebrate if you’re not having a formal engagement party!
- Go buy a magazine! I will never forget this part. I remember the day my mom and best friend Chelsea bought me my first stack of wedding magazines! They were gorgeous and got me so excited to start planning (even if I was in a cast and on crutches 2 weeks after I got engaged! ;))
- Start an inspiration board (online & physical copy) So let’s be real. I’ve been creating my inspiration board for my wedding for years on pinterest before I was even engaged. BUT pinterest can also be tricky because it shows you so many different beautiful weddings, you have to really sort through it to find what you’re looking for. If you’ve already started pinning things, go through your previous pins and delete the ones you think you won’t use in the planning process. In addition to pinterest, I’d run to Walgreens and get a white poster board to make a small inspiration board or box! It would be so helpful to have something you could bring and physically show your vendors so they have a better idea of your vision.
- Look for wedding photographers & venues Depending on where you live and when you want to get married, some venues book out super early! When Tony and I found the venue of our dreams, they were booked out more than a year and a half in advance and were only available on Sundays (which sometimes can be discounted – but not ours :() Once you’ve picked the venue, it will set the tone for the rest of the wedding and will make it much easier to plan when you can picture where it will be and secure the big day!
- Get a wedding planner Okay so a wedding planner can mean many things! It all depends on your personality, wants, where you’re planning, and cost! At the most basic level, you need to purchase a paper book planner where you can write ideas, opinions on vendors, important information and more! I’d also sign up for an online website account like weddingwire or theknot which can be SO helpful in finding vendors and keeping you up to date with a detailed to do list. Now with a personal wedding planner, please know that they normally have several options for price and assistance in their packages. My wedding planner was amazing and helped me with so many details I didn’t find in books. You can expect more about this topic later in the month! 😉
- Start saving This goes without saying but saving for your wedding (even before you get engaged!) is so important. Tony and I were fortunate to have our parents support us through our entire wedding process but we still wanted to help and pay for the vendors such as photography, videography, and DJ as well as details that come up throughout the wedding process. There are so many little expenses and its nice to save earlier so you’re not stressed about every spending detail. You’ll be happy you started earlier than later! 🙂
- Enjoy your time – take your time! Breathe. You have just experienced one of the most wonderful moments of your life! Take it in and take a breath. Go on a little get away with your fiance to spend some alone time. It’ll be so romantic and it’ll be a little getaway you’ll never forget.
From today on, I’ll be posting a Wedding Wednesday article every Wednesday! If you’d like to get reminders when a new blog post goes live, please feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter on the right hand side of my blog. As always you can find reminders of my posts on instagram and facebook as well! I’m so happy you’re reading and please leave a comment below telling me a little about your engagement (new or old!) and what you’d like to see on the wedding series. Thanks friends! XO
PHOTOGRAPHY by the wonderful Chrystl Roberge Photography
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