What To Do Now You’re Engaged

What to do and Where to Start with Wedding Planning Now That You’re Engaged! 

It happened! You are engaged! What a moment! This may be quite surreal or be something that you have been waiting for, for quite some time. However the question has been popped; it finally happened and the moments, days and weeks following your proposal are guaranteed to be a bit of a whirlwind!

There’s lots to do, so many people to contact, and so much to get organised for. This sounds manic! Am I right? Let’s take a deep breath. Everything is going to be amazing. Myself and my partner were in the same boat a few months ago. Trust me – there’s plenty of time to plan your wedding and the rest of your lives but if you’re like many newly engaged couples, you’ll be wondering what the next stages are after your engagement and in what order you should do them. For myself an my partner we’ve decided to take the relaxed approach and let us absorb every second of being engaged.

But before you start to overthink and the cogs in your head start to go into overdrive, I’m here to help and let you know you are in the right place. We’ve got this!

From countless Pinterest boards (who doesn’t like a Pinterest board), wedding magazines, dress shopping and venue searching…. planning a wedding is a timely process and one that’s usually hugely underestimated but you don’t need to start planning every decision the second you say “yes” to your best friend other. 

Every couple’s timeline is different, you don’t need to race up the aisle or rush any part of the planning process. If you fancy it come take a seat back with me and take note of lots of fantastic wedding plans – you might find something you love and want to include it in your wedding. When it comes to the timings of everything  it can be confusing. Who do you tell? How soon should you have an engagement party? What planning tasks do you need to tackle first? These are really common questions that many engaged couples wonder; luckily I have the answers for you.

Read on for what to do now that all-important proposal has happened.

Break the news

Seems silly to say this. But not everyone likes to shout from the rooftops that they’re engaged. If you’ve watched friends I’m picturing the episode where Monica shouts it for all the world to hear. For me we kept it to just family – but obviously people start to realise when your partner is walking lopsided. So you’ve guessed it, step one is to share the happy news. Take a much, or as little time as you like! Some couples want to tell everyone as soon as possible and have the Instagram announcement posted pronto while others may like to keep it a secret to be enjoyed only by a few close friends or family for a little longer (you’ve already heard what I did). When you are ready to tell the world do make sure you’ve told immediate family and friends before posting to social media. Once your immediate family and closest friends are in on the news – you can go public and get your relationship status changed on Facebook (mine still isn’t changed … oooops). If you are planning on posting a ring selfie be sure to get a manicure or at least make sure your nails are cleaned and shaped – you don’t want anything to distract from that gorgeous ring. Or better yet get in quick with an engagement photoshoot so you can have an epic memory cemented in time. You won’t regret it. I love the engagement photos I have

Enjoy being engaged

Here’s the best tip yet. Just do nothing but enjoy your moment together. Your loved up to the max moment. Round up some of your best friends and family and go out for a celebratory drink or meal, or have a special date night with your partner if that’s more your style. Maybe take it one step further and throw a massive celebration – like a holiday or a massive party. You’re engaged, and it’s most definitely worth celebrating.

Once you’ve shared the news of your engagement you can now take as long as you’d like to just enjoy the experience with your partner. There’s a brilliant little book called Surprise Adventure Dates – it’s epic if you’re up for an adventure date. Relax, don’t jump straight into the planning and just enjoy this new relationship status for a little while.

Of course, if you are planning on having a shorter engagement or you just want to get straight into the planning then you won’t want to delay the planning for too long – do whatever feels right for the two of you.

It’s also worth mentioning that you may want to get your ring insured early on. It’s a pretty sentimental piece of jewellery after all. You can find a lot of reputable insures at a decent price or you can add it to your home insurance policy and it’s usually pretty inexpensive. 

Get organised – but only when you’re ready to

When you are ready to get down to the wedding planning – I’d suggest getting an organiser or a planner to keep everything in one place. There will be a lot to coordinate over the next few months. Get into the habit of keeping important information in a specific place – there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hunt out a contract or RSVP’s when you really need them.

Start to have those discussions about what kind of wedding you both want to have. A formal gathering?  A relaxed outdoor wedding? Do you want a church? Would you like something more intimate? An Elopement?

 If you have no ideas where to start think about what suits your individual personalities, do you enjoy a good party or are you happier at smaller, more intimate gatherings? Once you have an idea of your overall wedding vibe other things will fall into place.

The Internet is a super helpful tool when it comes to all things weddings. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to start for ideas, don’t go having someone else’s wedding though. Create your own mood board and pin things that appeal to you, it’ll be handy when showing your suppliers exact colours, the atmosphere and mood you want to recreate for your day and ensure an overall cohesive look between every element. 

Next, it’s time to think about what’s important to you as a couple. You may have always wanted to get married on Cornwalls coastal cliff tops or to arrive by horse and carriage, or to have your dog included in every aspect. If you have something that you have always had your heart on then you should have it, and if you have a budget, make savings elsewhere.

Set aside some time to plan

If only you could click your fingers and your wedding was planned. There, done and it’s everything you’ve dreamed of. It’s nearly that simple. If you do fancy having more of the wedding planning side taken care of set up a meeting with a wedding planner. If you want to ride the amazing wedding planning rollercoaster there are a few things to consider.

Popular wedding dates and venues get booked far in advance so if you are hoping to get married in the next year or two, it’s sensible to start thinking about dates early on. Find out what works for both of your families and whether there’s any dates to steer clear of. It’s so much easier if you’re thinking of eloping, a lot less time is needed to plan as you’re not reliant on as many obstacles (if you’re trying to work out whether you’d prefer a wedding or an elopement click the link here).

Once you have chosen a wedding date, start a list of tasks that need planning. You can’t book a wedding without a venue so you’ll want to research venues and call or visit for information about available dates and pricing (click here to view some of the most epic venues in Cornwall and Devon). You’ll want to have discussions about your wedding size and budget early on into your wedding planning. You can’t move forward with any area of your wedding plans until you’ve determined an overall budget and know who may also be contributing to parts of your wedding. Once you’ve had discussions about your budget and guest size you’ll be able to make decisions and book your wedding date and venue.

I would recommend setting aside some specific days or allotted time with your significant other to go through plans regularly between now and the wedding day. Planning is best done in stages so as not to get too overwhelming. But don’t let wedding planning take over date night, as it’s still important to set time away from planning as a couple. By allotting time specifically to tackle your wedding to-dos you’ll accomplish so much more than just getting round to bits ‘here and there’ at the end of a long day.

Make a list of what each of you is going to do and split the tasks so that you can both be involved. This will keep both of you involved, every step of the way. Keep communicating too so that you don’t end up contacting the caterer twice or booking two florists! Your partner may not want to be so involved in choosing the decorations for the tables and so that can go on your list and you may decide that you are happy for them to choose the evening entertainment and so that’ll go on theirs. Have some tasks that you’ll do together too and you’ll soon get into the swing of wedding planning.

When the planning gets tough, take a break from it all. It will wait. Spend the time to reconnect as a couple and get excited about the day ahead.

And there you have my top tips of what to do now you are engaged!

Welcome to wedding planning, we know you are going to love it and remember I’m here to answer any questions you may have.