You may have been dreaming of proposals, engagement rings, and being engaged for as long as you can remember, but now that you're finally engaged what should you do?

We often get asked what the first steps are after engagement. First thing you should do is simply enjoy being engaged. Take some time to celebrate with friends and family! Soak in the moment and the excitement of finally finding that person who will you will experience life with. It's a huge moment and you should enjoy it and celebrate it before you dive fully into planning. So now you have the ring and probably a Pinterest board full of ideas and you're ready to start planning! Here are our suggestions for how to plan a wedding!

Step One: Start by discussing important wedding decisions with your partner!

This day is all about the two of you and celebrating your love! So it just makes sense that you start off the planning process by discussing things with your partner. There are so many decisions that you have to make through out the planning process. Discuss who will be involved in the planning and decision making process. Who will be contributing to the overall budget and who will be helping make decisions? Once you know who is on your planning team start to think about your budget. Talk with the people who will be contributing to your budget and decide what your maximum budget is. Knowing your budget will be a key factor in the planning process. Lastly, you and your partner should discuss what your top priorities are for the wedding. What are the must have things for each of you and what do you really care about. These priorities will help you work through your budget and plan your wedding.

Step Two: Hire a wedding planner!

You should be able to enjoy your wedding day! It is one of the most important days of your life and you deserve to be fully present and enjoy the day without stressing about who is taking care of what. Your wedding day will go by so quickly and we want you to be able to enjoy as many special moments as you can. Hiring a professional wedding planner will help you reduce stress, navigate the planning process, and actually be able to enjoy planning your wedding. A planner will help guide you through the decision making process based on your priorities and your budget. At Riley Lou Events we want our clients to feel like we are a trusted friend, someone that help them work through ideas and someone who they can trust to help them and advocate for them through out the planning process.

Step Three: Start thinking of a date and work on a guest list!

Other than venue, you can't book any vendors without knowing your wedding date. So discuss when you want to get married and talk with your most important loved ones to try and find a date that will work for everyone. Wedding venues can book out really far in advance so having a few dates in mind can be really helpful. Making a guest list can be challenging, but it is important to remember that guest count will have a huge effect on your budget.

The most important thing to remember is that this whole thing is about the two of you. It is about coming together with all of the people that you love to celebrate one of the biggest moments in life. Finding your person isn't easy and being married won't always be either, but you have found the person that you will get to experience life with and that is an amazing thing. Enjoy the process, enjoy making decisions, don't stress about details or traditions. Focus on creating a day that feels good to you and your partner, a day that you two can enjoy and remember forever! We would love to help you plan your special day. Contact us and let's discuss how we can help you!

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Photo Credit: Fallon Stovall, Light & Legacy