What To Do After Getting Engaged

Congratulations on your engagement! This is an exciting time in your life filled with love, joy, and anticipation for the future. Now that you’ve said “yes” and celebrated with your loved ones, it’s time to embark on the next chapter: planning your wedding. In this “What to do After Getting Engaged” blog post, I will walk you through the essential steps to take after getting engaged, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey towards your big day. After all, the journey to MRS. is a worthwhile one!

What to do after getting engaged:

1. Celebrate Like There’s No Tomorrow

You’re engaged! Pop the champagne, dance like nobody’s watching, and embrace your inner party animal. After all, you’ve found the one, and that’s a reason to celebrate until your feet hurt and your cheeks ache from smiling. Let the engagement festivities commence!

2. Announce Your Engagement in Style

3. Create a Wedding Budget

Sit down with your partner, a bottle of wine, and a calculator. Pretend to discuss the budget seriously while secretly wondering if you can get away with serving pizza at the reception. Spoiler alert: you probably can!

Things to include in your wedding budget:

Creating a wedding budget is crucial to ensure that you don’t overspend and that you allocate your resources wisely. Here are some key items that should be included in your wedding budget:

• Venue: This includes the cost of renting the venue for both the ceremony and reception. It may also include additional fees for amenities and services provided by the venue.
• Catering: Budget for the food and beverages to be served during the reception, including appetizers, main courses, desserts, and drinks.
• Attire: This includes the wedding dress, undergarments, accessories, and attire for the groom. Don’t forget alterations, shoes, and any special outfits for the bridal party.
• Photography and Videography: Allocate funds for professional photographers and videographers to capture your special day. This may also include engagement photoshoots and pre-wedding videos. Don’t forget to budget for a boudoir shoot!
• Flowers and Decor: Budget for floral arrangements, bouquets, centerpieces, and any other decorations for the ceremony and reception venues.
• Entertainment: This includes the cost of hiring a band, DJ, or other forms of entertainment for the reception. Don’t forget to budget for sound equipment and any additional musicians or performers.
• Stationery: Include expenses for save-the-date cards, invitations, programs, menu cards, place cards, and thank-you notes. This category also covers postage and calligraphy if needed.
• Wedding Planner/Coordinator: If you’re hiring a wedding planner or coordinator, budget for their services. They can help you manage your budget and plan the details of your wedding.
• Transportation: If you need transportation for the wedding party or guests, budget for limousines, shuttles, or other forms of transportation.
• Wedding Rings: Allocate funds for both the engagement ring and wedding bands for both partners.
• Miscellaneous Expenses: Include a buffer for unexpected expenses, tips for vendors, marriage license fees, and any permits or insurance required for the event.
• Honeymoon: While technically not a part of the wedding day, budget for your honeymoon separately if you plan to leave for your honeymoon immediately after the wedding.
• Gifts: Budget for gifts for your bridal party, parents, and each other.
• Venue Styling and Rentals: This includes additional decor elements such as lighting, draping, furniture rentals, and any other items needed to style the venue.
• Beauty and Hair: Include hair and makeup trials and services for both the bride and bridal party.

Remember, it’s essential to prioritize your expenses based on what matters most to you as a couple. Having a clear budget breakdown will help you make informed decisions and ensure that you allocate your funds to create the wedding of your dreams without breaking the bank.

4. Create the Ultimate Guest List

Start with the essentials: family, friends, and that cousin you haven’t seen in a decade but feel obligated to invite. Then add the random characters like your mom’s hairdresser’s cat because, well, why not? The more, the merrier, right? Remember the more guests, the higher the budget.

5. Choose a Wedding Date and Venue (Cross Your Fingers)

Pick a date that holds sentimental value, like the anniversary of your first date or the day you both realized you hated olives equally. Then pray that your dream venue is available. If not, well, there’s always the local park, right?

6. Hire Vendors (Prepare for Some Awkward Interviews)

Interview photographers, caterers, and florists while trying not to envision them as part of a sitcom cast. Awkward encounters are part of the process – just think of them as auditions for your very own wedding.

7. Find the Perfect Attire (Prepare for Some Fashion Faux Pas)

Try on dresses that make you look like a cupcake and suits that make you resemble a penguin. Take photos, laugh at yourselves, and remember that fashion disasters are just a part of the bridal charm. Pick your wedding attire that matches your very own style.

8. Plan the Ceremony and Reception (With a Dash of Quirkiness)

Decide between a traditional ceremony or a flash mob in the park. Choose between a formal sit-down dinner or a buffet where guests fight over the last spring roll. Whatever you choose, make sure it reflects your personalities – quirks and all.

9. Send Invitations (Cue the Drama)

Prepare for a series of unfortunate events, such as lost invitations, confused guests, and that one friend who RSVPs for their entire extended family. Embrace the chaos – it’s all part of the journey to I do!

10. Navigate the Legalities (Because You Have To)

Complete the necessary paperwork, and try not to get bogged down by the seriousness of it all. Remember, even the most bureaucratic tasks are a little bit fun when you’re doing them together. Go to the courthouse, get your marriage license, and have a date night after!

So there you have it – an incredible list on what to do after you get engaged! Remember, amidst all the chaos and craziness, what truly matters is the love you share. Embrace the laughter, navigate the madness, and get ready for a wedding day filled with hilarity and heartwarming moments. Here’s to love, laughter, and a lifetime of wedded bliss – and to surviving the wedding planning madness with your sense of humor intact! And if you are looking for a Florida wedding photographer, reach out to me and let’s get the wedding planning started! Cheers to the happy couple! 🥂😄

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Hey there, lovebirds! Thank you so much for reading this blog post and I hope it helps you figure out what’s next after getting engaged.

Now picture this: a whimsical, laughter-filled photoshoot where your quirks are celebrated, your inside jokes become legendary, and your love story shines brighter than the sun. That’s what happens when you hire me to capture your engagement photos! I don’t just take pictures; I capture the essence of your relationship in a way that’s as fun and vibrant as the two of you. Whether you’re up for a romantic sunset stroll, a playful pillow fight, or an impromptu dance-off, I’ll freeze those delightful moments in time, ensuring that your engagement photos are not just images but memories bursting with joy. Let’s turn your love story into a colorful, candid, and utterly fabulous photo album – one that you’ll treasure forever and maybe even frame in glitter because, well, why not? Get ready for a photoshoot that’s as fun as your love is! Let’s make magic together!