He asked, you said yes…now what?!  There are so many things to think about when planning your wedding!  With the holiday season being one of the highest times for engagements I wanted to write a post to help get you off to a good start in planning your wedding!!  Here are the first 10 things you should be doing after you get engaged.

First things first, enjoy the moment.  Get all blissed out and stare at that rock on your finger for hours.  Gush about how he asked to all of your girlfriends, celebrate with your families and enjoy the attention.  And of course don’t forget to update your social media, after all it’s not true until it’s Facebook official right??

1.  Bask in the congratulations, but be prepared.  It’s going to be 20 questions with everyone you talk to.  How did he propose, when is the wedding, where is the wedding, how big is the wedding, what are your colors…the list goes on and on.  After the questions you’ll probably hear some unsolicited, well meaning but nonetheless mind numbing, advice.  Even friends/family that have never planned a wedding or gotten married will have their own piece of advice.  Just smile, nod and say thank you.
2. INSURE YOUR RING. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 until you have insured your ring.  Call your insurance agent right away, the next business day, as soon as you can and get that jewelry on your insurance.  Personally I have mine itemized with our insurance agent, huge piece of mind knowing that it is protected.  (Trust me, this should be the first thing you do)
3. Lists, lists, lists.  Go online and find a wedding planning list.  Heck, print off a few different ones.  Brides.com, TheKnot.com, Pinterest, they all have wedding planning lists.  These lists will help guide you through the process.  But do NOT follow them to the letter, every wedding is different and you might not need some of the things on the list.  Some of the items may cause more stress or maybe won’t be feasible with your budget.  Use these lists as a jumping off point for your own wedding and dream/plan from there.
4. Budget. Sit down with your fiance, your parents, his parents, whoever is involved in making big decisions financially and go over your lists.  Write down what each party is willing/able to contribute to the budget.  These numbers are going to affect everything from here on out.  Your dream venue may simply be out of reach budget wise.  But I’ll get back to some tips on ways around that a little further on in this post.
5. Prioritize.  This is the part that everyone has their opinion on.  Some think the food is the most important, or maybe an open bar.  Maybe the venue is your top priority or having the top designer/decorator in your area.  I will tell you what I advise my brides when I consult with them.  #1 in my book is your dress/hair/makeup.  All eyes are on you that day, you want to look stunning.  When else do we get the chance to get all dolled up, be pampered and treated like a princess.  **Yes this might not be appealing to every bride, but it is just my opinion.** #2 of course is going to be photography.  These are the things that you keep forever and you want amazing photos to document how amazing you looked on your wedding day. #3 is either the venue or a decorator in my book.  Personally, food is low on my list but I want amazing details and everything to be stunning and like a dream.  But other people will tell you that the food is #1 so this is really where you need to prioritize with your fiance and allocate your budget appropriately.
6. Guest List.  Draft a guest list early on in the process, why?  Think about your dream venue, what’s the capacity?  Also keep in mind that each person can cost you anywhere from $13-35 each to attend your wedding.  I like to use $20 as a good estimate for the cost per guest at a wedding.  That first list will get longer and longer and you might start to feel some anxiety when you think about it.  Is that dream venue slipping away yet?  There are some ways around the cost of the guest list.  I have had brides in the past send invites that are strictly for the dance and have a smaller dinner reception earlier in the evening.  Other brides have done an appetizer/dessert reception instead of a sit down dinner to help cut costs and keep all those friends/cousins/random guests that mom insists we invite on the list.  Take a good look at your budget and your guest list.  Maybe your dream photographer is $500 over budget.  Remember that guesstimate of $20 I threw out earlier?  500 divided by 20 is 25, are there 25 people on that guest list that could end up on the cut list?  Just a thought.
7. What’s your style? Sit down, close your eyes and envision your wedding day.  Think about the location, your dress, what surrounds you and who stands with you.  Are you envisioning an outdoor ceremony with your first dance under the stars?  Do you want a classic and elegant ballroom reception?  Maybe you want to add a touch of whimsy and have an Alice in Wonderland theme?  The options are endless and this is your day, so this is your chance to dream and make it your own.
8. Pick a wedding date.  This will dictate a lot about your wedding moving forward so its important to make this decision early on.  Certain ideas you have might not be feasible with a winter wedding, some ideas might work best with a fall wedding.
9. Book those big vendors.  Most vendors (venue/florist/photographer/caterer) book 6-12 months in advance.  Those popular wedding dates will actually book 12-18 months in advance.  Take inventory of the options in your area and do your research.  Meet with different vendors and talk about your options with each.  Then get those contracts signed.
10. Pinterest.  Pinterest is such a huge part of our lives now so of course I had to include it on the list.  But I put it towards the bottom of the list for a reason.  I’m going to be the bearer of bad news, Pinterest is a sadistic dark being that fills you with all of these dreams and ideas and then crushes them with the reality of a budget.  I am not against using it as a tool to find ideas and inspiration, but understand that those amazing flowing bouquets filled with 45 different varieties of plants that is larger than my bichon frise has a hefty price tag.  That secret garden inspired ceremony photo you’re seeing, probably designed by a professional decorator that charges $500 an hour.  I mean, is that an exaggeration, probably but that crash down to reality from a Pinterest high is a rough trip.  Oh, and those DIY ideas…have you very googled Pinterest Fails?  Go ahead, I’ll wait.  Basically, use Pinterest as a tool to find some ideas, develop some inspiration for your day but keep your feet on the ground.  Know your limits both creatively and financially before dreaming of those insane garlands of flowers and greens draping throughout the reception site.

From here on out there aren’t many BIG decisions that need to be made.  Deciding on your wedding party, registering for gifts, and of course shopping for that dream dress!  Once those big decisions are made it’s a downhill slide to the big day.  There are a lot of tools out there to make this process go smoothly.  One option is to hire a coordinator, although some smaller areas don’t have that option.  Check online for wedding planning binders, calendars specific for wedding planning.  I personally had a huge binder that I kept everything in one spot.

Don’t forget that if you got engaged over the 2016 holiday season (November 24-Jan 2nd) then I’m running a contest just for you!  Head on over here for info and the link!

Want to set up a consult and chat about having Schrage Photography capture your big day??  Contact me and let’s go grab coffee!!

Cheers!