ENGAGED - NOW WHAT?

You’re engaged - congratulations!

First and foremost - enjoy this time! Celebrate with family and friends or keep it low-key and intimate - but enjoy. The wedding planning process flies by, so we always encourage taking as much time to be present as possible.

Once you’ve gotten the time to take in the “newly engaged energy”, sit down with your partner and discuss your high-level vision. We’ve put together a list of key items to get aligned on to ensure an organized and stress-free planning journey:

• GUEST LIST SIZE: this is probably the decision that has the most impact on your overall planning process. It impacts everything from your budget to the venue options and overall event flow (e.g. 20 guests vs 200).

• GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: where would you like to host your wedding? Are there any travel restrictions/challenges for the key people attending?

• POTENTIAL DATES: are there parameters such as work schedules, school calendar, other family/friend weddings already on the calendar, seasonal weather, etc.

• PRIORITIES: what’s important to the both of you together as well as individually? Is it a wild dance party or an intimate ceremony? Are you thinking of elevated multi course meal or focusing on allocating time to socialize with everyone who’s attending. This will help you connect with the vendors that align with your values.

• BUDGET: having an idea of overall budget will help identify the right vendors and overall approach to planning the celebration.

*benefits of a planner - they can help you properly allocate your budget based on priorities and also

set realistic expectations.

• DECISION MAKERS: whether it’s the two of you, your immediate families, or a few close friends - understanding the decision process is crucial to keeping things moving forward. Thing includes clarifying who’s contributing to the budget, who has a say in the guest list, and who should be included on communication.

Once you get clarity on what sort of celebration you’re looking to create, reach out to a planner. A good planner will put together a planning framework, secure the right venue, build out a dream vendor team, assist with managing the budget, and support you throughout the journey. We'd love to chat with you about your needs - you can schedule your free consult via this link.

Next week on the blog - why your venue decision is the single most important decision you’ll make to ensure your vision comes to life.

Happy weekend!