Congratulations on your engagement! But now what? How to start your wedding planning; the ultimate guide for engaged couples in love | Nottingham & Lincolnshire natural wedding photographer

First of all – huge congratulations!

You are engaged - What a moment! This may have been something that you have been waiting for, for quite some time, and now it’s finally here or perhaps it was more of a shock. 

Now, you may be left wondering what the next stages are after your engagement and in what order. But before you start to stress, don’t worry you are in the right place and we are here to help!  

Planning a wedding is a timely process –so you don’t need to start planning the moment you say “yes” to your significant other. Every couple’s timeline is different and you don’t need to compare how quickly or slowly you decide to get down to the planning process. When it comes to the timings of everything, it can be confusing – Who do you tell? When do you plan the engagement party for? What planning tasks do you need to tackle first? These are common questions that many engaged couples wonder; luckily I have the answers for you.  

Here we break down what to do now the proposal has happened… 

Break the news:

One of the first steps after you’ve got engaged is to share your happy news. Take as much or as little time as you like! Some couples want to tell everyone as soon as possible and have the Instagram announcement posted before their partners have time to get up from their knees, while others may like to keep it a secret for a little longer. When you are ready to tell people make sure you’ve told immediate family and friends before posting to social media. Once your immediate family and closest friends are in on the news – you can go public and get your relationship status changed on Facebook. 

Enjoy being engaged:

Once you have shared the news take as long as you can to just enjoy the experience with your fiancé. Relax, don’t jump straight into the planning, and just enjoy being engaged for a little while. You may decide to have a party or arrange an engagement shoot.  

Of course, if you are planning a shorter engagement or you just want to get straight into the planning then you may not want to delay the planning for too long – do whatever feels right for the two of you. 

It’s also worth mentioning in this section that you may want to get your ring insured. It’s a pretty sentimental piece of jewelry after all. 

Get organized:

When you are ready to get down to the wedding planning – I'd suggest getting an organizer or a planner to keep everything in one place. There will be a lot to coordinate over the next few months. Get into the habit of keeping important information in a specific place – there's nothing more frustrating than trying to hunt out a contract or RSVP when you need it.  

Start to think about what kind of wedding you want to have. A formal gathering? or a relaxed outdoor wedding? Do you want a church? If you have no idea where to start think about what kind of personalities you have as people, do you enjoy a good party or are you happier at smaller, more intimate gatherings? The Internet is a great help when it comes to planning a wedding. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to start. Create your mood board and pin things that appeal to you, it’ll be handy when showing your supplier’s colors, the atmosphere, and the mood you want to recreate for your day. 

Next, it’s time to think about what’s important to you as a couple. You may have always wanted a hog roast at your wedding or to arrive by horse and cart, if you have something that you have always had your heart on then you should have it – and if you have a budget, make savings elsewhere.  

Set aside some time to plan:

Once you have chosen a wedding date, start a list of tasks that need planning. I would recommend setting aside some time with your significant other to go through those plans between now and the wedding. Planning is best done in stages so as not to get overwhelming. Don’t let wedding planning take over date night, as it’s still important to set time away from planning as a couple. By allotting time specifically to tackle your wedding to-dos you’ll accomplish so much more than just getting around to it whenever.  

Make a list of what each of you is going to do and split the tasks so that you can both be involved. This will keep both of you involved, every step of the way. Keep communicating too so that you don’t end up contacting the caterer twice or booking two florists! Your partner may not want to be so involved in choosing the decorations for the tables so that can go on your list and you may decide that you are happy for them to choose the evening entertainment so that’ll go on theirs. Have some tasks that you’ll do together too and you’ll soon get into the swing of wedding planning.  

When the planning gets tough, take a break from it all. It will wait. Spend the time to reconnect as a couple and get excited about the day ahead. 

And there you have my top tips on what to do now you are engaged! Welcome to wedding planning, we know you are going to love it and remember I’m here to answer any questions you may have.

I hope that this blog post inspires you and supports you in your wedding planning.

Love and light, Victoria.

Victoria Louise.

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Natural documentary style and editorial contemporary wedding photographer based in Gainsborough, which is sandwiched between the historic town of Lincoln and Scunthorpe, not far distance from Retford, or Doncaster. Wedding photography for all within Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire for natural award-winning wedding photography in the east midlands.