After the initial excitement of getting engaged back in March earlier this year, my next thought like most brides-to-be was now what? So I thought I would share with you some things that I have learnt so far since getting engaged and give you all some tips that have helped me so far on my journey from Miss to Mrs.
- Before you go updating that Facebook status of yours, make sure you phone your family and loved ones to share your happy news. I actually really enjoyed doing this as I can remember walking around St Mark’s square in Venice calling my parents and loved ones after Al had proposed to me on a gondola under the Rialto. It really was perfect!
- Get your ring insured/Sized – Dont forget to check out any home insurance that you have, as you may be able to add this on to an exisiting policy.
- Get a wedding planner book – I was actually very lucky as I received a fantastic planner from BusyB as an engagement gift from my parents.
- Sign up to Bridebook This website is great as it gives you a personalised check list based on your wedding date. I have been using this a lot as I am having a longer engagement (2years and 5months) and I struggled to find a checklist for anything over a year. It is very satisfying ticking off the tasks as you complete them and defiently helps to keep me motivated when it comes to the planning.
- Sign up to Pininterest and start pinning ideas. Warning this can become very addictive!
- Indulge yourself in bride magazines. I really love this one here. I also really enjoy cutting out ideas and sticking it into my planner for inspiration. This will be great to look back on and see how your ideas have evolved throughout the planning process.
- Budget – What can you both realistically afford? You can either use Excel for this or Bridebook has a great tool that also calculates everything for you.
- Create a draft guest list – this helps when selecting a suitable venue. Again you can either use Bridebook or if you prefer something tangible then BusyB also have a great planner for this. I personally like to use both.
- Discuss potential dates – remember to be flexible, especially if you have a tighter budget. Me and Al always knew we wanted a Summer wedding and because we have a lot of teachers in our family as well as children, we decided to do it in the school holidays. We originally wanted to get married on the 4th August 2018 as we wanted a longer engagement to give us plenty of time to save. Despite viewing our venue less than a month after getting engaged, we were surprised to discover this date was booked! So we have gone for a date in August that is later on in the month.
- Decide on what type of wedding you both want as this will dictate your final venue selection.
- Research and shortlist potential venues. Again remember venues can vary a lot in price. We actually researched over 20 venues and found prices varied from £8,000 to £3,000.
- Take out wedding insurance.We actually discovered after putting the deposit down, that most companies won’t let you take out insurance more than 2 years in advance. If you are booking a venue then either pay on your credit card or wait until you have the insurance sorted.
- Book your venue. Now despite looking at several venues online and reading many posts stating we should look at least three venues before booking anything, we did actually book the very first venue we looked at. Don’t be afraid to break the rules and follow your hearts.
- Have a date night – no wedding talk. It’s natural to feel excited but don’t forget what it is ultimately all about – sharing the rest of your lives together.
- Enjoy being engaged/Have a party to celebrate. It really does go by in a flash. I am now at the 2 year mark! Time sure does fly when you are having fun.
- Pick your wedding party and propose to them. Click here for my post on ‘how to propose to your bride tribe’.
Remember every couple and engagement is different. Do what is right for you both. I hope this post has given you a few pointers and I hope you enjoy your own journey from Miss to Mrs. Until next time have a great week.
Love Emma
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