This holiday season not only brings emotions of good tidings and cheer, it also brings the emotion of love and reflection. Statistics show that many dating couples will get engaged over the Holiday season. This is super exciting! Not only do you get to celebrate a great time of year with friends and family, you now get to celebrate your happy engagement!
But once the holidays are over and life gets back to normal you realize that you have a wedding to plan! Planning a wedding can be overwhelming as far as figuring out what to do when. I thought I’d quickly give a few tips of things you should be starting to look at within six week of getting engaged.
1. Share the Good News!
This seems like an obvious point but I think it should warrant a little comment. Make sure you either visit in person or pick up the phone and tell your loved ones your happy news. Loved ones don’t like to find out important news via a third party or through a Facebook post. I know in your excitement you will want to tell the whole world right away but I just want to encourage you to spend a bit of time to keep this happy moment between you and your closest loved ones until the all find out.
2. Pick a Date
The next most important item will be to pick a date. If you are thinking of a shorter engagement then a date needs to be picked quite quickly. Consult with your closest loved ones first to make sure that the date does work for them. It’s advised that save the date cards should be sent out 8-12 months in advance if booking a destination wedding and at least 4 months in advance for local weddings.
3. Research + Book Your Venue
Next to picking your wedding date, this is the most important item on your to do list. Popular venues tend to book two years or more in advance. If you are willing to pick a weekday for your wedding you may have more flexibility. Think about what type of wedding you want- are you more outdoorsy and adventurous– then an outdoor more rustic venue may be perfect for you! If you are classy and enjoy all the glamour then a high profile wedding venue may be best suited for you. There is really so much out there for every type of couple!
4. Book a Photographer + Videographer
Like the above point, photographers and videographers tend to book a year or two out. Popular dates tend to book up quickly. Do your best to research the right fit of photographer for you. I highly recommend an in-person meeting to see if you click. Come prepared with a list of questions that you may have for your photographer. Most photographers will also come prepared with examples of their work in printed form.
5. Think about Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
While this is not much of a time pressure, its good to discuss with one another who you’d like to be sharing and standing up for you on your wedding day. Having some pretty awesome people surround you is so important and you want to make sure you make the right choices in asking people who you know will support you!
I hope these quick tips will help you in your wedding planning! I’m currently booking weddings for 2018 and 2019 and have openings still, if you were interested in learning more about my wedding packages I’d love to hear from you! We can chat over email, over the phone or meet up in person over a hot beverage or my favourite, a glass of wine!
