Now That You’re Engaged: Essential Steps to Start Planning Your Dream Wedding

As October begins to wane and the days grow shorter, I find myself so excited for a slower, softer season and everything that comes with it. Autumn has always been my favorite, perhaps it’s seeing the world ablaze with color, the kitchen shift into warm, cozy, comforting cuisines or getting to celebrate my birthday and holidays with loved ones – I believe it’s a little bit of everything. Autumn is a time to reflect, ease our pace and marvel at the world around us. It’s the time to connect with the people that light our souls on fire and bring the encouragement and camaraderie we've so often searched for in our lives. It also happens to be a season filled with so much love and hopes of futures planned together. 

During the fall and into the winter I find myself connecting with so many sweet couples beginning to plan their weddings and lives together. Each conversation and expression of what they’re hoping for in their celebration is so different but with the hopes of savoring the fleeting, most lovely moments of life. I am always awe struck that helping people hold onto their memories and express themselves is such a large part of my work, it brings me so much joy to encourage my couples to pursue the things that feel right to them which is why today I thought we might dive into what to do after you get engaged.

First and foremost, enjoy it all. Being in your engaged era is so much fun and should be cherished and celebrated to the max. Soak it all in with loved ones, friends, and of course your partner because it comes and goes so fast. If you want to really dedicate a night to it, it might be the perfect time to plan a little get together and celebrate. This part goes beyond just the initial engagement period, I always encourage my couples to take time for just them as much as possible and soak it all in together throughout the entire engagement.

The next part is sometimes one of the most exciting pieces and daunting ones but you will want to begin discussing when you envision the wedding and start mapping out a timeline for planning. This should help you get an idea on some of the most major aspects of the day and then comes chatting about the budget. If you know some things are a higher priority to you as a couple, make sure to allocate more in those directions. Typically the first things you are going to want to book after setting a budget are a planner, the venue (which helps solidify your date), a caterer and your photographer. As your guest count increases your budget for catering will also need to increase so keep that in mind while creating your guest list.

If all of this seems a little overwhelming, finding a planner to work through the entire process might be the right fit for you. A planner can help you turn your thoughts and visions into a reality while protecting your peace and preserving your sanity through the planning process.

For a lot of couples once they book their photographer you are going to want to look at an engagement session. I often encourage my couples to lean into using a season different from the one they’re getting married in to do their engagement photos. If you were torn between a spring wedding and a fall wedding you can still have beautiful photos from both times of year this way. 

There are so many pieces to a wedding but the key is ultimately staying true to you and yours throughout the whole process and having the right people on your side. I would encourage you to find vendors that align with you as a couple, honor your vision for the day and who will help you navigate the ups and downs that come with planning a wedding. 

I would be beyond honored to help you through this process while soaking in all of the love and nostalgia a wedding brings. My books are currently open for 2025 and 2026 for all the down-to-earth, old souls seeking that tangible proof of one of life’s sweetest days.