10 Things to do After You Get Engaged

First things first… CONGRATULATIONS! You are engaged! You’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time and are now asking yourself, “What do I do now?” Here’s a little help to get you started.

Celebrate Your Engagement

It might seem like the first step here would be to jump into wedding planning, but this is something that you shouldn’t skip over. Savor this exciting time in your life! Take the time to call your family and close friends and share the news personally. Post a ring photo to your social media accounts and enjoy the love that is sent your way. Finally, spend some quality time with your soon-to-be SPOUSE!

Resize your Ring and Consider Getting it Insured

Now that you’ve got that rock on your finger, be sure to take care of it. Check the fit of your ring and take it in to have it perfectly sized for your finger. While you’re there, be sure to have it cleaned!

When it comes to ring insurance, one of the best ways to think about it is “can you afford to replace your ring?” If not, you should talk to your insurance company about getting it insured.

Set Your Priorities

Once you’ve taken time to savor this new part of your relationship, then you can dive into wedding planning. Set up a meeting with your partner and family, or whoever will be most involved with planning your big day. Decide on three things that you want to focus the most on in your wedding (you should splurge on these things and work to save money elsewhere). 

Next, determine what vibe you want your wedding to have. This will set the tone for everything going forward. Last, set your expectations with family and friends. Find ways for them to contribute and help if they’d like to be involved. Hold your ground (kindly and respectfully) on what you want your wedding day to be - even if it’s not how they pictured it for you.

Budget

Who will be contributing to your budget? You can’t start wedding planning until you know where your funds are coming from and have set a budget for your celebration. Even if it is flexible, set a goal for each category and write EVERYTHING down. Create a spreadsheet that both of you can add to throughout the planning process.

Look at Wedding Date/Season Options

Pro tip: Don’t set your sights on an exact date yet, or you may end up disappointed. Choose a range of dates or a season that you love and take those ideal dates with you when you start looking at venues.

Start Gathering Inspo

This part is what you’ve been waiting for- make a Pinterest board and share it with your partner. This is where you can save all of your wedding inspo, as you work to define your aesthetic. Don’t forget to check TikTok, Instagram, and find ways to save the inspiration you find as you begin planning.

Don’t Rush

Always try to look at the big picture before rushing into decisions. Make sure to look at your budget as a whole before diving into booking vendors - you don’t want to rush into putting down a deposit and then realize that you should have gone with someone else. If you want help looking at the big picture, be sure to sign up for my email list for a free planning checklist!

Create a Wedding Email

Before you start reaching out to vendors and making decisions, create a wedding email that you can share with your partner. This way, both of you will be kept in the loop with vendors and all of your information will be organized in one place. When the wedding celebrations are complete, you can either delete the email or use it going forward for other items/bills/subscriptions that you both want access to.

Hire a Planner or Coordinator

Here’s where I come in. Do you want someone to walk you through the whole planning process? Consider hiring a planner; they can help you get started with finding a venue and defining your overall design.

Are you looking to do most of the planning yourself? Look into hiring a wedding coordinator to bring your ideas to life on the wedding day.

Or if you’re worried that this kind of help is out of your budget, check out my DIY Wedding Planning Package, which gives you all of the resources to start wedding planning as well as two meetings with a wedding planner to talk through details. 

Most Importantly - HAVE FUN

While you may be feeling a little bit overwhelmed, remind yourself that this is supposed to be FUN. (Want to know a little secret? No one really knows what they’re doing when they start planning their wedding.)

Surround yourself with people who will help you enjoy the wedding planning process. Hire vendors that can guide you as you make decisions. And remember throughout your engagement to take time to be present, show love to your partner, and even take some wedding planning breaks as needed. 

Your engagement is such a quick and eventful time in your life. So often, people get overwhelmed with wedding planning and lose sight of what an exciting time they are in! These 10 steps will get you started and organized so that your engagement can be fun, memorable, and full of love, not stress.

♥ The Everson Events Team