I’m Engaged! So now what?

You just got engaged to the love of your life. You’re happy, excited, thrilled! Until you realize that now you have to plan a wedding. Suddenly fear takes hold, your face pales and your stomach twists into a giant knot. Let’s face it; planning a wedding is not easy. And all too often a time that should be filled with love and merriment turns into a stressful, chaotic planning frenzy that leaves you wondering why you didn’t just go and elope.

So what’s a girl (or guy) to do? First of all, take a deep breath. You can do this. You just need to take it one step at a time. To begin there are a couple of key questions that you need to answer. Take your time, discuss them in depth with your fiancé and anyone else who will be involved in the planning, and make sure you are completely happy with your decisions. Once you do that, the rest of the planning becomes a lot easier.

The first thing you should decide is the type of wedding you want to have. Do you want it to be large or small? Traditional or contemporary? Formal or informal? Religious or civil? Do you want to have it in a church, hall, tent, or a totally unique location? You don’t have to write out the guest list or decide on a specific place just yet, but you should have some general parameters in mind.

Next you need to come up with a budget. You are probably thinking to yourself, “A budget won’t help me because thing are going to cost what they cost.” This is not true! There can be a huge price range for services you will need. Without a budget you won’t know if you should go with the basic $1,000 photography package or spring for the super $3,500 one. Also, things tend to add up really fast. You don’t want to open your credit card bill one day and realize you need to take out a second mortgage. A budget will help keep you on track.

Finally you should give some thought to the date. The time of year, day of the week, and time of day are all important factors. You may decide that the day is the most important thing and make that the basis of your planning. Or you may think that the location is more important and once you pick one you will then chose from their available days. Either way is fine; it’s just a matter of what is most important to you.

Once you make these decisions you should start to feel better about the entire process. If not you may want to consider hiring a Professional Bridal Consultant™ to help you. He or she can help guide you and give you some piece of mind. At the very least you should invest in a good planning book. Two of my favorites are “Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette” and “Wedding Planning for Dummies.” And of course I will be here along the way to answer your questions. Because from “I will” to “I do” I’m here for you.