After getting engaged, it can feel like there are so many different areas to start when you start the planning process. Where to start when first planning a wedding? Do you go find the venue first? Do you announce on social media? Do you hire a wedding planner? When do you need to reserve the delicious cake tasting appointments? (Can that be the first thing?)
Phew. So many details, so little time!
Well, like always, the team here at Blush has got your back. Here are the five first steps to take after getting engaged!
1. Announce your engagement
.png)
First things first — announce your engagement! Depending on your style and how you go about things, that could mean posting an announcement on your social media channels, simply sending photos to your friends and family, or a combination of both! Some people opt to also have an engagement party with the people they care about the celebrate the beginning of this exciting milestone.
No matter how you decide to announce your engagement, this is definitely where to start first when planning a wedding because it’s like the kick-off to this new season of your life!
2. Set your budget
Now that the champagne bottle has been popped and the ring cookies have been consumed, it’s time to get to roll up those sleeves and talk about the more logistical aspects of your wedding. First up? The budget.
We always work with our clients on their budgets first because we want to make sure we’re setting up realistic expectations for the wedding and not missing any must-have elements. Some questions to ask yourself when setting up your wedding budget are:
- Who is contributing and how much?
- What are our must-haves for our wedding?
- How many people do we want to host?
- Where do we want to have our wedding? (More on that soon!)
- Which vendors do we need?
These are just a few questions we like to ask our clients if they need help setting up a budget. From there, we can make recommendations on the best vendors, venues, and design elements that work well for our couples’ personalities, preferences, and budgets.
3. Pick your date (or season) to get married in
Venues can fill up pretty quickly, especially if you’re having a wedding in Orlando where it’s immaculate weather for weddings pretty much all year long! That’s why we recommend picking the date or season you’ll want to get married in as soon as possible, so you can start touring venues that can meet your needs.
Keep in mind that some seasons are busier than others, so if you’re planning on having a wedding during one of the busiest seasons (like fall), definitely go book as soon as possible!
Pro-tip: If you’ve picked a date for your wedding, we always recommend having a couple of backup dates just in case that particular date isn’t open but you love a venue. It’s a great idea to go into this process with an open mind and some flexibility!
4. Start designing your wedding!
Next is the part that most people love: the design stage! This is where you can choose your color palette, the overall style and theme of your wedding, what kinds of flowers you may want to incorporate, any architecture and lighting elements, and the list goes on.
Pro-tip: It’s really helpful to start a Pinterest board for inspiration! Plus, by having a Pinterest board, you can see the kinds of styles you gravitate towards. It’s funny how many times couples come to us with a wedding Pinterest board for us to help them choose a design, only to realize that they’ve pinned the same ones over and over because they naturally love a certain style!
If you’re having some difficulty choosing one style, though, no problem. We understand — there are just way too many great ideas out in the world. To help you narrow down your choices, you can take our What’s Your Wedding Style? quiz by clicking here. In this two-minute quiz, we’ll provide you with the direction you need to make those big, bold wedding decisions that will help you create a celebration as unique as your love story.
5. Book a wedding planner
We saved the best for last: booking a wedding planner. We admit it — wedding planning can seriously feel like a full-time job, but we believe that your engagement is one to celebrate, not a time to feel overwhelmed with the number of tasks you have to do.
The good news is that when you entrust an experienced wedding planner, like our team here at Blush, you’ll be in the capable hands of a support team that values and cares about you, your partner, and your special day.
Our couples love us because we can put them at ease and allow them to enjoy this season of their engagement. It’s also why we’ve become the preferred planning team for many of Central Florida’s premier venues! If you want to learn more about what it’s like to work with us, you can visit our experience page by clicking here.
Now you know where to start first when planning a wedding!
We hope that this blog post gave you clarity on your wedding planning process. Of course, it’s always easier when you have some professionals by your side, so please contact us if you’d like to learn more about how we can make your dream Florida wedding come true!
