9 Things To Do After You Get Engaged

Did you know the period of time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day is known as Engagement Season?

About 37% of engagements in the United States happen between the months of November through mid February. So, if you’re one of the lucky couples who has taken the leap into the world of marriage there are a few things that you need to add to your to-do list before jumping to wedding planning mode.

1: Take It All In

This is a big step for the two of you. Take some time to live in the moment, with just the two of you, before telling the world the happy news. Enjoy a bottle of champaign, take a romantic walk through the park, or even enjoy a nice dinner. Whatever you decide, just make sure the two of you celebrate together before sharing the news.

2: Tell Your Family & Closet Friends First

As tempting as it is to post the “just engaged” photo as soon as you’re engaged, consider holding off and share the news with your family and closest friends first. There is nothing worse than finding out about something as big as an engagement through social media. Take the time to celebrate with the people closest to you, because these are the people who are truly the happiest for you all.

3. Get Your Investment Insured

This is a step that many people DO NOT think about after they get engaged. Obviously, there is nothing fun about thinking something bad is going to happen, but just like everything else we insure, it at least gives you piece of mind that your investment is protected. Usually the person who purchases the ring will purchase insurance at the time of purchase. However, if you decided not to go this route you can add it to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. The better options is to work with a company who specializes in insuring jewelry such as; Jewelers Mutual, BriteCo, or GemShield.

4. Get Your Wedding Bands Sized

You want to make sure that beautiful ring fits correctly on your finger right away. If the sizing wasn’t quite right take the ring back to the jeweler it was purchased from to get it resized. No worries, most jewelers won’t charge to have the ring(s) resized. Since you’re already here you mine as well get your wedding bands sized as well. One less thing on your list of “to dos” to check off.

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5. Set A Wedding Date

It’s a good chance that at least one of you has thought about a particular wedding date long before the proposal actually happened. Now that you’re engaged you need to sit down and pick a date that makes sense for you both. One of the first things people will ask when you tell them you’re engaged is, “when is the wedding date”? When choosing a date here are a few things to consider:

Do you have a certain venue that you must have your wedding at? If so, give them a call to see what dates they have available for the year you want to get married in. If you are set on a particular venue then your wedding date will be based on availability.
Do you want an outdoor wedding? If so, you should be thinking about the months where it’s the most comfortable to be outside in the region you’re getting married in? Think early fall or late Spring.
The time of year. Getting married during the winter holidays can be very chaotic with all the seasonal festivities going on during this time.

6. Set A Wedding Budget

Now that you have told all the important people and have selected a wedding date, it’s time to create a detailed budget and allocate dollar amounts to each part of the wedding. When creating your budget be realistic with yourself about how much things actually cost, you’ll be surprised. Weddings are an investment and should be looked at as such. The average wedding in the United States, in 2023, cost around $35,000. Think about what’s most important to you. Typically, the venue is the largest wedding expense, so make sure you do your research when selecting your wedding venue. Once the wedding date is set most couples secure their venue before booking any other vendor. This is mainly because highly sought after venues can book up to 2-3 years in advance. Additionally, when you begin to reach out to other wedding vendors they will all ask when is the wedding date. It goes without saying we need a date to know if we have availability for your wedding.

The best way to build a realistic budget is to do some research. The Knot is a great resource to gain insight on what you should expect to pay for vendors in your region. Some vendors you don’t want to cheap out on:

The wedding photographer
The videographer (if you decide video is important to you)
Catering (if not included with the venue)
Wedding Design

I would highly suggest hiring a wedding planner to help you allocate your budget effectively and to find the best vendors in your area.

7. Get Engagement Pictures Taken

Obviously, I’m in favor of engagement pictures, but when you choose to get them done is completely up to you. I’ve had some couples schedule their engagement pictures as soon as they book their wedding and others who don’t get their engagement pictures done until three months before their wedding.

However, you may want to consider getting your engagement pictures done sooner rather than later. Engagement pictures are a good way to take your wedding photographer for a test run. Most photographers (including myself) offer complimentary engagement sessions. You’ll get to know your photographer and their shooting style and what to expect on your wedding day. Engagement pictures are perfect for save-the-date cards.

8. Create A Wedding Inspiration Board

This board doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Creating one on Pinterest is the best way to keep everything organized in categories. A Pinterest board also is a nice way to bring others, who are assisting with the wedding planning, into the loop. As a photographer I always love to see couple’s inspiration boards. It gives me a good idea of the direction the couple is taking their wedding. If you’re hiring a wedding planner it is the perfect way to collaborate with them as well.

9. Start Hiring Your Wedding Vendors

It is important you begin hiring wedding vendors as soon as possible. Working with the right vendors is crucial to the success of your wedding day. If you have a particular photographer, baker, florist, or caterer you’d love to work with, it’s better to secure them as soon as you have your wedding date set in place. Just like wedding venues, other wedding vendors book out a year or two into the future.

If you aren’t too sure what wedding vendors to trust or where to even find good wedding vendors, doing some research and asking around is a good way to get references. However, the best way to guarantee you’ll have nothing but the best, is to hire a wedding planner. An experienced wedding planner has key connections with the wedding vendors in your area. They can often get you a better rate than going at it alone.

Closing Statements

Getting engaged is exciting and the beginning of a forever growing to-do list. Once the initial excitement tapers down there is so much to think about and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. I say the best way to keep yourself organized and mental health in check is to create a timeline of events that need to happen and give yourself hard deadlines. Put them on your calendar as a constant reminder to keep the process moving forward.

Again, an experienced wedding planner is the best way to ensure the planning process and wedding day goes as smoothly as possible. They help alleviate a lot of stress and anxiety from you and your partner. Let the professionals worry about the details and you sit back and enjoy all the fun parts of wedding planning.

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