I'm Engaged....now what?!?

Photo Credit: Stacey Hedman

You said yes!  You have a beautiful, sparkling new ring, you can’t get the smile off of your face, so now what? Here is a list of the first 5 things to do once you get engaged. (After jumping for joy and changing your facebook status of course)

Make your guest list
One of the most important things to do once you get engaged is to put together your guest list.  Without the list you cannot discuss your budget or start thinking about where it will happen.  The guest list may change depending on your budget though and could even change if you find the perfect location that can accommodate more or less.  But starting with this list will give you a good idea of where you can start looking.

Discuss your budget
Sit down with your fiance and discuss finances.  Who will be paying for the wedding?  Will it be the both of you?  Your parents?  His parents?  Think about what you can save and how long you will need in order to be able to save it.  Keep in mind that the average cost of a wedding is around $25-$35k.  This may also help you to determine if you need to cut back on your list at all. And depending on how long you will need to save, will help you to pick a date.

Discuss where you would like it to take place
Start a list of locations you would love.  Not necessarily venues per se, but more of cities, states, etc.  If you are looking at a destination wedding, think about what things that location can offer different times of years.  Consider travel, hotel rates, etc.  Lots of things to consider when having this discussion, so be sure to take notes and even consider a pros and cons list to help you make the best decision.

What time of year?
Your answer above will really guide you to the time of year that will work best for you.  For example, if you want to have a Cape Cod wedding, and want to have a beach ceremony, you would not choose to get married on the Cape in December.  

Announce it!
Contact your local newspaper,  hometown newspaper, or both, and announce your engagement!  You can do most of this online nowadays, but be sure to have a super cute pic of you and your fiance that you want to submit along with it.  You can always just update your status on facebook too, sociall media does wonders for getting the word out!

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