It’s that time of the year… engagement season! If you’ve just popped the question or said a big yes to your partner, then a huge congratulations to you both – there’s nothing quite like that just engaged feeling! But what now? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with an ultimate guide for what comes next. From engagement photos to wedding venue viewings, we’ve covered everything you need to know about engagement season and beyond.
First Things First
Take a Minute to Savour the Moment of your engagement
Take a few weeks to just let that just engaged feeling sink in, just the two of you. You could plan a trip somewhere or put aside some time to do a few of the things you two enjoy most. Immerse yourself in the romance of it all.
The Expectations
Set the Wedding Expectations Early
Expectations really are key. Try to sit down with your fiancé and talk about how you’d like to celebrate your marriage – here are some things to think about:
Do you want a wedding or just the legal marriage itself? For a wedding, are you after a large party or a small, intimate affair? How important is the venue/ food/ photographer to you?
The Budget
It’s all about the Money, Money, Money
It may not all be about the money, but whether you get the song reference or not, the budget does play a huge roll in wedding planning!
Try to set an approximate budget before you even start your wedding planning research. This way, your research will be a lot easier as you’ll just be looking at different venues, suppliers and outfits in your price range. When it comes to calculating your budget, there are some useful wedding budget planners online. Here’s one which we found helpful.
Prioritise Your Spending
Prioritising your budget is key to successful wedding planning. In a perfect world, you would dedicate endless time and money to every aspect of the wedding. However, sadly this isn’t very attainable in reality! So, try to establish what matters most to you – there’s nothing wrong with cutting back on evening entertainment in order to blow the budget on lush florals if that’s what you’re after.
Here are some examples of areas to think about: the venue, catering, bar tab, floristry, photography, videography, wedding art, live music/ DJ, hair and makeup, dress/suit and accessories, guest numbers, marquee
NOTE: Deciding on the guest count early on is SO important. Why? Because guest numbers will affect the venue you can choose (most venues have maximum capacity numbers) and the budget (the more guests you have, the more you’ll be paying for food and alcohol). If you’re on a tight budget, then cutting down on guest numbers could be a good way to save some money.
READ MORE: Pynes House FAQs on Wedding Capacity
READ MORE: Erin Morrison Photography on Post Wedding Financial Planning
Have You Thought about Engagement Photos?
Many wedding photographers offer engagement shoot packages. These can be a great way to get to know your photographer a bit more and to feel more comfortable around them. You’ll also get some beautiful engagement shots with your fiancé which is a great bonus. Just remember to factor the extra cost into your budget if this sounds like something you’re interested in.
The Inspiration
Get Pinning!
This is the fun part! Think about starting a mood board (on Pinterest/ Instagram or in physical form). This is a great way narrow down your style and colour scheme.
A TIP: Online mood boards can be great for adding to when you’re out and about.
What does the ultimate wedding planning mood board include? Think about featuring things like floristry arrangements, table layouts, ceremony/reception setups and colour schemes. Unique ways to get guests involved (like polaroid photo areas) can also be great to add.
READ MORE: 5 Steps for Making a Wedding Mood Board by June Bug Weddings
The Research
Time to Do Some Research
By now, you should have a fair idea of what your ideal wedding looks like and how this works out with your budget. Now, it’s time to start researching wedding venues and suppliers. We’ve got all you need to know about the different types of wedding suppliers on our journal here.
Where to research? Wedding directories, wedding venue blogs, real weddings, venue recommended supplier lists, wedding fairs and wedding magazines are great places to start.
Have a look at wedding directories (we love Coco Wedding Venues/ Hitched), wedding blogs (ours is the Pynes House Journal), and real weddings where couples give supplier details and advice. We’ve also got a recommended supplier list (and most venues will) with some of our favourite suppliers, which can be helpful. Wedding magazines like Wed can also be a useful way to find great wedding inspiration and supplier details. Wedding fairs are a great way to meet a range of suppliers and to ask any questions you might have too.
READ MORE: The Different Types of Wedding Suppliers
Make Some Decisions
We’ve got more on this in our Ultimate Guide to Choosing Wedding Suppliers on the Pynes House Journal. Once you’ve made your decisions, try to inform any suppliers you won’t be using, so they can release dates to other couples.
If you’d like to hear more about our Devon Wedding Venue, please get in touch. Otherwise, follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more real wedding inspiration and essential wedding planning guides.