Its an exciting time when you get engaged! You’re excited about what the future holds, your friends and family are wishing you congratulations and you’ve usually got a nice new shiny friend to take with you everywhere you go. Bright side? Lots! Dark sides? Maybe a little… There will be allot of questions coming your way and if they haven’t started already, you’re lucky. Its great to have a good handle on the basic ideas of your wedding so your more equipped with handling everything that may initially be asked of you. Here are 10 things you need to do right when you get engaged and you will be thankful that you did.
CHOOSE A LOCATION
We all know there may have been a small thought, or big dream of having your wedding on a remote island in a beach paradise or your local church or grandmas back yard. It’s important that both you and your partner are on the same page about the location to start with. Once you have determined if you will be having a destination wedding or a local wedding, you are set to make the next decision.
DETERMINE THE TIME OF YEAR
Each location will have its pros and cons for the time of year. Popular destination wedding spots like the Florida Keys is warm all year round, but in doing some research, you will find out that February can be windy, the summer months are hot and humid and of course there’s hurricane season. Choosing the right time of year will take some research if you go that route. Also, you may have allot of guests that are teachers who only get summers off. That may also be a determining factor of when you want to have your wedding. Decisions, decisions!
CHOOSE THE SIZE OF YOUR WEDDING
Ultimately you can look at this way. The less people you have the more you have to play with for your budget. The more people you have, you do tend to choose the less expensive options as a way to cut costs. Examples of this may be having to choose the buffet option instead of the action stations. Start by making two lists for you and having your partner do the same. The first list will be family and close friends. The second list are all the others you love and want to attend. To stay organized, start the list on an excel sheet.
REALIZE WHO WILL BE ULTIMATELY MAKING THE FINAL DECISIONS
This is important as some family members may be wanting to be in charge of more than you had anticipated them to be. Have a chat with your other half about who may be that someone in your lives and how you both will handle any uncomfortable situations that may arise.
WHO WILL BE INVOLVED IN HELPING YOU PLAN YOUR WEDDING?
Weddings are such joyous occasions and it’s not uncommon that allot of your family get involved. It’s important to communicate about who you both feel comfortable with.
WHAT WILL THE BUDGET BE?
Big question! Asking yourself this can be so daunting as you may not know what everything will cost. I suggest reaching out to a professional for help with this. Blue Water Weddings specializes in Florida Keys Weddings but we do help with budget planning during the consultation process. Questions we will ask is who will be contributing? Are weekend events included? Are you planning on doing welcome bags? Will the overall budget include your wedding dress and rings?
WHAT STYLE OF WEDDING DO YOU WANT?
You may be envisioning a contemporary, elegant wedding with clean lines and your partner may want something more rustic, laid back and fun. Both styles are fine and infant margin the two is completely possible. It’s important to communicate about your initial vision. How do you want it to feel?
START RESEARCHING A WEDDING PLANNER
This may be a plug on my company but I assure you it is not. Hiring a planner will help so much in the process from the beginning. If you wait to hire a planner you will waste so much time in googling things that will ultimately keep you spinning your wheels until you’re frustrated and overwhelmed. A professional wedding planner will be able to guide you towards your vision on a more clear and concise path, and save you money along the way.
After doing all of these things, you should have the basic framework to start your wedding planning journey. Have fun! Contact us for more details about planning your wedding. We travel world wide.