I’m engaged!! What do I do now?!

Share the news!

First off, congratulations!!! Hearing or saying yes to the proposal of sharing a lifetime of love, support, adventures and even raising a family is incredible! What a rushing feeling of happiness to know that you are loved and chosen. Share some time with each other then call your closest friends and family to share the exciting news.

Get pictures while you’re engaged!

After sharing the exciting news, it is time to go on the hunt for an engagement photographer – woohoo! Aim to have those engagement portraits done within 2-3 months of your engagement and no more than two seasons out. This will allow you to to catch the excitement of this part of life. Of course I hope you will consider me but I recommend finding an experienced local engagement photographer whose images you best connect with. Why an experienced engagement photographer? Because the engagement photo shoot is a great way to test out a potential wedding photographer. If you have not had professional photos, this is a great way to get some experience in front of a camera in a low stress and casual setting.

While waiting to get your engagement pictures done begin to discuss your wedding plans. There are only two things that should be top priorities.

First two steps of planning your wedding

The first thing to do is discuss how far off you would like the wedding to be. Are you going to try to get married in a quick couple months or have a long engagement? Knowing your approximate wedding date will help determine how quickly you will be planning. The time you have before wedding date will determine how much detail you can realistically put into the wedding.
Once you have decided on some ideal dates, your key items to pin down are your wedding venue and photographer. These two items go hand in hand. If the pictures are most important than try to see what dates your favorite photographers have available near your ideal dates. If the venue is the most important, start there to pin down your date. Your venue will also be the backdrop for your wedding pictures so it is important to choose someplace beautiful. As soon as you have a venue and photographer pinned down it is time to get into the details.
(Optional) A wedding designer (not just a planner) is a luxury person to add to your wedding. If you want a high end extravagantly beautiful and personalized celebration without the stress, hire a wedding designer early.

Wedding venue and photographer are selected, what do I do now?!

Once the venue and photographer are chosen you can breathe easy. The two most important items are done – phew.

The last people who are wedding date specific are the caterer, officiant, DJ and wedding planner. Aside from the officiant these people are all optional. Other things you will be deciding on are a florist, outfits, and wedding invitations. I highly recommend using your favorite picture from the engagement session with your wedding invitations. Ask your photographer what they have available for cards or gift prints. As an engagement photographer, save the dates and invitations are my most popular add-on. Getting cards through your photographer saves you a tremendous amount of time. You will be able to quickly narrow done your card style, without having to go through the process of downloading and uploading to another source. Ordering cards from your photographer gives you the confidence of knowing your colors will be correct and the papers will hold up.

Again, I am so excited for you and your engagement! You are off on a wonderful life adventure! I hope this article has helped answer the question: ‘I’m engaged!! What do I do now?!’

On the hunt for an engagement photographer or wedding photographer? Check me out!