’tis the season! Top tips for the newly engaged.
Photo by Katie Harmsworth
While engagements happen all year round, a large percentage of proposals happen to take place over the festive season – after all, it is arguably the most wonderful time of the year.
With champagne-a-flowing, family and friends gathering and weekends fast becoming filled with social engagements, December and January often have a buzz in the air, making for some added atmosphere after the big question has been popped.
If you’re planning on popping the question (or know someone who could do with a few tips), here’s some helpful advice to keep up your sleeve for when the time comes.
Put off immediate planning to enjoy the celebrations.
Once that wedding planning train leaves the station, it’s often go-go-go until the big day itself. After becoming engaged, don’t feel the need to jump right into the logistics of planning, soak up the news, spend time with your loved one and just ride that newly-engaged high.
Photo by Katie Harmsworth
Announcing the news.
We’re sure you’ll be itching to share the news of your engagement with those you love, and rightly so! Consider whether you’ll tell family first, wait until you can do so in person, or whether jumping on the phone is high on your post-engagement priority list. There’s no hard and fast rule for getting the news out there – Instagram it, keep it to yourselves, whatever the decision just chat it out to ensure you’re both on the same page.
The ring!
If you have been proposed to with a fabulous new piece of jewellery, it’s surely fast become your most prized possession! Keep in mind that even with the best laid attempts, rings don’t always fit on the first go. You might need to have it re-sized, and also keep in mind that over these summer months, fingers can swell in the heat, so adjust accordingly. If part of the engagement process for the two of you is selecting a ring together, lap it up! What a beautiful time to make the first of many decisions ahead.
Celebrate!
Engagement party? Casual BBQ in the park? Just a romantic dinner for two, perhaps? Take a moment to decide how you want to mark the occasion and celebrate with those you love. The time between becoming and engaged and the wedding day itself will vary depending on your plans, so if you’re looking for a particularly long engagement period, kicking off the moment with celebrations can be a nice start to the journey.
Photo by In The Wilds
Get planning.
Planning a wedding takes a lot of love, patience, organisation and open communication. Start with the framework of your day, considering firstly the time of year you’d like to be married – is there a particular season you’re drawn to, or a location that is heavily weather dependant?
From here, selecting a shortlist of venues and enquiring about availability will help set you on the path.
The discussions that take place when determining your venue will be around your personal style and vision for your celebration – are you seeking to create an intimate soiree with a small number of loved ones, is an outdoor extravaganza your cup of tea, or do you have a particular theme that will dictate which venues suit your style?
Venue selection often takes place first and foremost and keep in mind that this chosen place will often set the theme and tone for your plans that will follow.
The capacity of your venue will somewhat determine this next step, but you can then begin to give thought to your guest list. The number of people invited will impact your budget, location and many things that follow.
Wedding planning tools.
Prep yourself as best you can with some handy wedding tools to take you from wedding planning zero to wedding planning hero. Be it specific wedding planning books, spreadsheets or researching bridal blogs and magazines that come with a wealth of information, being armed with wedding planning tools can certainly ease the burden.
Last of all, just try and enjoy the post-proposal loved up feeling! It’s such a special time in your relationship and it’s important to feel the happiness this great occasion brings.
Photo by Justine Missen Photography
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