You have a ring on your finger, a fiancé on your arm, and a brain dizzying with wedding ideas. Getting engaged is exciting and worth celebrating, but knowing where to start may feel overwhelming.
First, call your parents, siblings, and friends, take lots of engagement photos and enjoy the moment.
Remember during the stressful budget, invite list and venue talks why you're getting married and try to find humour in the challenging moments. Here are some tips from The GrandWay on what to do after getting engaged.
Call those closest to you
You've got the ring — now it's time to spread the joy and share the news. Let your family and friends know you're engaged; they shouldn't find out via a social media post but a personal call from you.
Raise your glass
This milestone moment is undoubtedly worth a ‘cheers’ with your friends and family. Pop the champagne and toast to your future.
Get Your Ring Sized
If your ring is loose or a bit too tight, take it to a jeweller and get it sized. Remember that your finger size changes throughout the day depending on the temperature, weather, and activity.
Consider taking a photo of the ring for everyone to celebrate with you
Treat yourself to a manicure or if that's not your style, make sure your nails are clean and shaped — you want the ring to be the centre of attention and not chipped nail polish. If you haven't done so, it's now a great time to take a photo of your ring and some sweet photos with your fiancé.
Get Your Ring Insured
When added as an extension to your homeowner or renter's insurance policy, insuring your ring is inexpensive and well worth it if anything happens.
Savour the moment
Take a breath before you jump into the wedding planning, and let the fact that you're engaged sink in. Planning a wedding can be stressful, so make sure you and your fiancé take the time to savour the moment.
Discuss a Budget
Your wedding size, venue, decorations, dress and more will be influenced by how much money you and your fiancé are comfortable spending. Make sure you're on the same page regarding how much you want to put toward your wedding by having an open, honest discussion.
Determine Your Wedding Size
Venue options are often dependent on how many guests you intend to have. Do you and your fiancé want an intimate small wedding or something larger? There's no right or wrong decision, but make sure the two of you are on the same page — it may also be worth getting family input and seeing who your parents want invited (especially if they're helping to pay for the wedding).
Research Wedding Venues
With your guest count and budget in mind, it's time to find a venue. Do some online research and start reaching out to potential places to book a tour and get an idea of their pricing and availability. Wedding venues are often booked up far in advance, so don't wait too long to do this step. Check out the virtual tour at The GrandWay Events Centre.
Think About a Date
You’ll want to have a date or time of year in mind when you visit venues. But once you have a venue in mind, see if they have dates that work for you and your families.
Plan an Engagement Party
Engagement parties are optional, but if you have one, consider the following: do you want to plan it or let your parents or friends put it together? Do you want something casual, hosted at someone's house or backyard, or does a restaurant suit you better? Find what works for you and your partner and enjoy celebrating with those you’re closest with.
Choose Who Will Be in the Bridal Party
Talk with your fiancé about how many bridesmaids or groomsmen you each want. Do you have three close friends in mind, but your partner has seven? Make sure you're both on the same page before asking friends to be part of the bridal party.
Gather Inspiration
Pinterest provides excellent inspiration for wedding planning, and you can create a wedding-specific board to save your ideas. Google docs or creating a wedding folder to keep track of all your favourite ideas will help keep you organized.
Build a Wedding Website
You can build a wedding website from scratch or use one of the many online templates.
Interview Planners and/or Vendors
Research available vendors and set up interviews to see if they're a good match. Hiring a wedding planner can save you the hassle of finding vendors, as they'll have a list they typically use.
Check Out Trunk Show Schedules
Is there a particular wedding dress designer you're keen to check out? Take a look at their trunk show schedules (various bridal shops/designers offer these types of sales) to see when they'll be in your city and how much of a discount you can get.
Take time to relax
Wedding planning is often stressful so make sure you carve out some time for yourself and your partner to decompress from the chaos of vendors, venues, and budgets. Plan a fun outing or chill at home — try to find the humour in the stressful parts and remember why you're getting married.
It's an exciting time and the team of wedding experts at The GrandWay is here to help and guide you through the wedding planning process.
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