You're Engaged Now WHAT!?

Welcome to 2012!! So many people got engaged over the holidays including one of my best friends! He proposed to her on top of the Empire State Building in NYC - how romantic!! Congratulations on your engagement, take a moment and enjoy it, then get ready and prepare yourself for sooooo many questions and things to figure out!

You're Engaged Now WHAT!? I've been compiling a lot of resources on my blog since it saves on me printing it out or emailing it or for you to buy books, etc. If you go to the tag cloud on the right hand side of this blog and click on "etiquette" or just click on this link you'll be brought to ALL my posts about wedding planning and TONS AND TONS of information. 

This post is about the FIRST STEPS on what you need to do asap! I've borrowed some great resources from a few fabulous blogs to help you get started. 

THE QUESTIONS:

What kind of wedding do you want?

Church Ceremony or Civil Ceremony?

Small and Intimate Party or Bigger is Better Reception?

What is your budget for the wedding?

Who do you want to invite?

What’s your ideal venue?

When would you like to get married?

Is there a key theme, colour or inspiration in your head?

read more...http://onefabday.com

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO FIRST:
1. Set a budget

2. Choose 2-3 possible dates

3. Start your guest list

4. Decide on your wedding’s style

5. Decide on your venue

read more...http://everylastdetailblog.com

OTHER THINGS TO DO:

1. Announce Your Engagement

2. Take Engagement Photos

3. Design a Wedding Website

read more...http://www.perfectweddingguide.com
4. Start organizing a wedding binder! 
read more:http://apaperproposal.com/2012-5-16/Picks_on_Paper-How_to_Make_Your_Wedding_Binder

WHAT IS YOUR STYLE?

- Traditional (at a country club, traditional gown and colors)

- Modern (in a loft, sleek centerpieces, and a tall modern cake)

- Intimate (at home, at a winery, or a restaurant)

- Glamorous (totally over-the-top, from the centerpieces to a five-course menu)

- Theme (use a favorite city or hobby to inspire all the wedding day details)

- Cultural (a black-and-red banquet-style affair for a Chinese wedding)

- Beach (a seaside affair with nautical elements and blues and greens)

- Destination (in Italy or the Bahamas; a vacation for guests)

HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER:

Do you want someone who can help you through the whole process of planning your wedding, step-by-step along the way, to suggest vendors, do site checks, create a time line for you, and be there for 10 hours on your wedding day? If yes, then you want a full service package wedding planner.

Do you want to do everything on your own with the help of your friends, family, and fiance, but want someone on the day of the wedding to make sure everything runs smoothly? If yes, then you want a "month-of-coordinator" yes it is also called "day-of-coordinator" but think about it, do you want a total stranger who you've never met or talked to show up on the "day-of" your wedding and expect them to know exactly how you want everything done??? NO!!! So make sure you hire a month-of-coordinator since you'll want to meet in person, go over all the details and have them create a time line way before the day of your wedding. You can also book a month-of-coordinator way before your wedding just to make sure you have someone and have the comfort of knowing they will be there for you. Don't wait until the last second to hire a wedding planner! 

Something that makes me sad is when brides don't hire a wedding planner and then their friends or family members don't get to enjoy the wedding since they are setting up everything or running around making sure it's perfect. Unless they want to help out, in that case I love working along side of them helping them out and taking some of the burden off of them. 

WEDDING COORDINATOR VS. VENUE COORDINATOR

I’ve heard it several times- “Oh the venue coordinator will handle everything, I don’t need a wedding planner/coordinator.” What most brides don’t know is that the venue coordinator is just there for the VENUE, not you.….read more
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Some words of advice: Weddings today can be filled with pressure to overspend, over impress and be over-the-top. Brides are overwhelmed with images of super expensive weddings and with messages insisting that they host the “event of the decade”. It’s easy to get caught up in all the extravagant wedding pictures and ideas. Remember, it’s not a competition. The most important thing to keep in mind when planning your wedding is to be true to yourself. You may not have the most expensive flowers or a 20-tier cake, but if everything suits your personality it will truly be the perfect wedding. Plus at the end of the aisle and wedding day, it's ultimately about the love you share for one another. Weddings should be about you as a couple, don’t have the wedding your sister or your best friend had, have the wedding YOU want - do things your way!! ‘Create the wedding you want, not the wedding you’re told to have’ (love that quote from Kelly of boho wedding blog)
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So with alllllllllll that said, take a deep breathe, and remember you don't have to plan it all in one day or one week! I've been helping clients out for months before their wedding date. Work, holidays, bad days, whatever gets in the way, but just keep plugging away at your to do list, and remember to keep the LOVE strong between you and your significant other, after all that is why you're doing all of this right!!??