Congratulations, you’re engaged!

Now what?

Your handsome man might have caught you completely by surprise with the perfect proposal,  or maybe you’ve been chatting about getting engaged for some time. But while the shock and excitement settles in, you might be wondering which steps you are expected to take next right? And trust me, along with lots of happy squeals will come LOTS of questions and much advice. So lovely, here are some things you can do in the weeks after you say your big YES! [Tweet “You’re engaged! Here are some things you can do in the weeks after you say your big YES!”]

Week 1: the engagement & celebration

 Soak up this moment, shaking hands and all.

Try not to jump straight onto the phone or share the news with social media. Soak up this special moment just the two of you for a bit. Then call your immediate family and friends and only then, share your happy news with the rest of the world. This first week will be a whirl wind of telling your story over and over again, celebrating with your nearest and dearest and staring at your gorgeous new sparkly addition to the jewellery collection. Soak it up lovely!

Week 2: Things sink in & planning begins!

 Ideally, you would have spoken a bit about your wedding expectations before getting engaged, so this is a good time to start firming up on on some plans. And by plans, I mean money. I know, I know, it sounds very business so early on, but it’s really important to be on the same page here. Try to spend some time early on discussing what you are both willing to spend on your day and how things will best work out. You don’t want to be planning an elaborate 600 guest event while your beloved is hoping for a house down-payment.

Getting this talk out the way early on will help the planning smooth out in the process, I promise!

Week 3: The day you’ll say you do

Again, it may feel early but try to firm up a date in this week. You will want to avoid disappointment in booked venues, suppliers etc, oh, and everyone will be asking anyway! Sit down with your honey and hash out some potential dates this week before broaching the subject with your families. It’s important to try to remain on the same page about things from the very beginning and stand strong as a team to any oppositions or complications.

Stay true to what you both want and remember that things generally have a way of working themselves out!

Week 4: Get {Venue} dating

Keep dating! Yup, you heard right. It’s really easy to get whipped into a wedding planning frenzy really quickly. It’s crazy exciting after all. It’s important to try to keep some quality time together that’s wedding planning free. Your Mr might get a little sick of looking at Pinterest posts or tossing up tulle colours.

But the good news is that for a little bit of the best of both words, you can turn venue visits into dates.

Make a day of it. Road trip hand in hand. Casually view venue options as visitors and test the food, taste the wine, soak up their vibe. Dream of your day together and keep your options open.  Most venues book well in advance so hunt around early, it can be so much fun!

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Week 5: Start working on that guest list

Trust me lovely, the earlier you hash this headache out with the Mr the better!

Out of town guests will appreciate your early date announcement as this gives them time to save or let you know they won’t be able to make it. The earlier you handle family expectations and limitations the better too. Begin by drawing up a long list of everyone you could possibly ever invite. Then have a look back at week 2 and where your budget stands at a cost per head. This way you will be able to eliminate work friends or long lost cousins who you haven’t seen in years. Try to keep focused on the fact that this day is for the two of you, no one else. It’s a tough one so trust me and tackle it early to save you stress.

BONUS TIP: Relax & enjoy it all.

Being a fiancé is a really special time and goes by really fast. So try to soak up this time and enjoy the little things that come along with it. Remember that a healthy happy marriage is far more important than the stress that planning, let’s be honest, a glorified party can bring. Try to keep things in perspective and breathe. You want to look back on this time with happiness not wishing you enjoyed it more.

xx