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You’re engaged! Congratulations! This is such an amazing time in your life! Being recently engaged myself, I totally get how fun, exciting & stressful this can be right from the start! And if you’re anything like me, all you’ll to do will be to announce your engagement to the world and start the wedding planning! But with wedding planning, you may become pretty overwhelmed with figuring out what your day would look like and how you can create that perfect dream wedding. To help you avoid that uncertainty, I’ve put together a list of 10 things to help you decide what to do once you’re over the initial shock of getting engaged! I hope this post helps you prioritize your wedding-related tasks! Trust me, it has helped me!

1. CELEBRATE!!

It’s an amazing time in your lives so before even thinking of diving into wedding planning, take some time to celebrate with friends and family.

2. OPEN A JOINT BANK ACCOUNT

Start saving! Keep a joint bank account for wedding-related expenses to help you easily keep track of contributions and expenses.

3. START PINNING & FINDING INSPIRATION

You’ve likely been waiting years for this! Start looking for inspiration on Pinterest so you can begin to figure out the style of wedding you’d like to have. Are you Pinterest-obsessed? Click here to follow my pinterest Wedding board for lots of inspo!

Now, there are so many styles, colors, and options for every single aspect of your wedding. Once you’ve spent some time pinning, take some time to narrow down everything you’ve pinned and make an inspiration board to zero in on your wedding vision. Having an inspiration board will help you make decisions regarding every aspect of your wedding day.

4. FIGURE OUT YOUR BUDGET & MAKE A GUEST LIST

This is probably the hardest part, especially if you and your fiancé’s parents haven’t already approached you about it. Money conversations aren’t easy but they’ll answer a lot of questions for you regarding wedding plans. The sooner you have a budget to work with, the sooner you can finalize a guest list and the sooner you can check this HUGE item off the to-do list!

5. RESEARCH VENUES

It’s time to research venues. Narrow down your list according to the location, style of venue, your guest list and per person budget. This part can be challenging because it sets the vibe for your wedding day, but once you find it, it will help the flow of everything else!

6. TAKE A LADIES DAY & GO FIND YOUR PERFECT DRESS!!

There’s nothing like visiting a bridal shop and trying on wedding dresses for the first time! Even if you’re not ready to order your dress just yet, trying on a bunch of gorgeous dresses will be a fun way to relieve some of the stress you might be feeling after venue-hunting.

7. MAKE TIME FOR A DATE NIGHT!

Don’t forget to spend quality time together. Have a date night and talk about anything EXCEPT the wedding. Focus on each other!

8. BOOK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER & SCHEDULE YOUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION

Next, you’ll want to research and book your photographers. A lot of wedding photographers typically get booked 12-18 months out so they should be at the top of the list of vendors to book after securing your venue. If you have your heart set on a specific photographer, make sure you reach out to them before even booking your venue to inquire about available dates.

Finding the right photographer for you might take a while because you’ll want to review their online portfolios, read their blog, and chat with them on the phone. Take your time with booking your photographer because once the wedding is over, your photos are the only things that will remain. Make sure you don’t jump the gun by scheduling an engagement session with a random photographer. It’s really important that you have your engagement photos done by your wedding photographer, specifically. After all, you’ll want to get to know him or her and get comfortable with his or her approach to posing. Plus a lot of photographers include a complimentary engagement session, anyway! Click here to inquire with me, I’d love to chat with you over coffee or facetime about your special day!

9. BOOK YOUR OTHER VENDORS

Once your venue and photographers are booked focus on your videographer, caterer (if your venue doesn’t supply one), your entertainment, your florals, your photo booth & any other vendors. Once these big items are done you can relax a little before focusing on the rest of the to-do list.

10. RELAX!!

You’re at a great place now! The next round of items on the to-do list should seem easy once all the big ticket items are crossed off the list! Spend some quality time together and try not to do wedding-related tasks for at least a couple of days. You deserve it!

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