He Proposed, Now What's Next?

Before you realized what was happening, it turned out to be the most exciting and romantic day of your life. In the middle of dinner, the love of your life got down on one knee and asked you marry him. OMG! Congratulations! Your dream has finally come true. You are about to become his wife. You are on cloud nine. You have called all your close friends and family to tell them the good news. You probably called a few friends you haven’t talked to in years. You have posted it on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fast forward to today, reality is setting in and it is time to plan. Yes, it is never too early to plan for your dream wedding.

Your whole world is about to change. Now what do you do next? You go get a manicure. That’s right! A manicure. Everybody will want to see your new engagement ring and your hands will be in the spotlight. Your nails will have to be on point. Okay, now it is time to get down to business. Time to plan a wedding. Where do you want to have your wedding? Start your search as soon as possible. Keep in mind, the most popular venues in your area are book months, sometimes years ahead of time. Keeping that in mind, start with selecting your wedding date. Once both families agree on a date, your search should begin. Please, do not book your venue without doing your own research. Do not rely solely on word of mouth. Search online first, check out their reviews, then set up an appointment to discuss pricing, availability, and the venue’s capacity. Find out how many guests can fit in the space with and without a dance floor. Are there any décor restrictions. Does the venue have in-house catering?

Next, you will want to think about the size of your wedding. How many guests you want to invite. The size of your wedding will also determine which venue will better accommodate your guests. This is a perfect time to discuss your wedding budget with your fiancé and family. Before you move forward with your plans, you will have to have a discussion about money.

Wedding planning is also fun and exciting. You are actually planning your own wedding. It is a good idea to get inspiration. Create a Pinterest board, save photos that you like on Instagram. Buy all the bridal magazines you can.

Now it is time to think about your wedding party. How many bridesmaids and groomsmen do you want and who do you want to be in your wedding party. Decide who will be your maid of honor and best man.

You will need to hire some professionals. Start researching and interviewing your vendors. Consider hiring a wedding planner. A wedding planner will help with logistics and décor. The right planner will relief your stress level by 90%. Your planner should be the liaison between you and all your vendors.

You will also have to hire a professional wedding photographer. You will want to personally sit down with the photographer. This will give you a chance to interact. Since you will be working very close with your wedding photographer for more than 8 hours, you want to feel comfortable with the person capturing your wedding day. Communication is the key to great wedding day photos. Think about booking an engagement session. This will give you a chance to work with your photographer and see how you all click. It also gives you a chance to preview the photographer’s work before your wedding. Most importantly you will get some great photos that you can also use to decorate your reception hall.

As your list of things to do grow, this is the perfect time to add finding a baker for your wedding cake to your list. You will need to find the perfect baker to make a wedding cake that will not only taste good but is design to compliment everything about your wedding. Your wedding cake will be the center of attention at your reception. See my article Shopping for a Wedding Cake. You will definitely need to hire a professional makeup artist. Professional makeup artists are taught proper makeup application techniques to give you a flawless look. They are trained to bring out your natural beauty, highlight your best features and hide your slight imperfections. See my article Hiring a Makeup Artist is Essential to Any Photoshoot. Think of your wedding day as one long photoshoot.

Next you will have to go shopping for the most important dress of your life. Your wedding dress. All eyes will be on you and your wedding dress. You want something that is timeless and fits your style, and personality but you also you want a dress that fits the venue. If you are getting married on a bench you may want something light and airy. A beach wedding tends to be more casual. If you are getting married in a church you may want to look for something more formal.

Finally, you will need to plan an engagement party. Do you want to keep it small and low key at your home or would you like to rent a space for a catered dinner. Whether you decide to go big or have a very small intimate wedding, or maybe you decide to go to the courthouse, this is the most exciting time of your life. Enjoy every minute of it, good or bad. Remember each day brings you closer to marrying the man of your dream. Remember your happy ever after is just around the corner. Best of luck.