You were asked the big question, you said yes. WOO HOO! You're engaged! Now what?....
Congratulations! This list will help you figure out what to do next - and how to enjoy it!
Tell your favourite people (The VIP's!)
As much as you are excited, hold off on mass broadcasting until you have at least announced the news to your nearest and dearest. Tell them to hold off too, in order to give you both a chance to tell the news yourselves. If you can do this face to face then fantastic, but if not, pick up the phone. They will appreciate the fact you have taken the time to let them know before telling the entire world. Plus it's always best to keep in their good books, you may never know when you might need them later on.
Get your shiny new sparkler measured
Unless your new fiancé is really lucky, or be it just plain clever, then the chances are, the ring may not fit perfectly. There may be a slight wiggle or maybe it's starting to stop any circulation passing through. Either way, pop down to your local jewellers and get them to check and resize if needed. The process only takes a few hours, at most a few days. After all, you'll want to show it off and keep it forever so it needs to be perfect.
Get a manicure
Treat those hands of yours to a lovely manicure and have a ring pose at the ready. Go with a bright colour if you are a diamond kind of girl or natural for those coloured stones. Just keep it simple so those eyes are focused on the ring.
Get your ring insured
Nothing can replace the sentimental value of your ring, but if something happens to it, at least you can get your (or his) money back. If you have home insurance, call them to add the ring to your policy. You may need an official appraisal before you can officially add the ring, so call the insurance company to see what paperwork is required first.
Set a date
If this means changing the date later down the line then so be it, but coming up with a rough date for people to put in their mental diaries will sound a whole lot better than saying "erm and um" whilst screwing up your faces each time. Even if you just say "we're aiming for summer 2018", people will appreciate feeling like they're being kept in the loop and it will give you and your fiancé (and your wedding planner!) a bit of direction in which to start planning.
Be inspired
Or daydream, which ever you like to call it. Buy wedding magazines, watch wedding related films and programmes like 'Don't Tell The Bride' and 'Four Weddings'. Follow blogs such as this one. Browse for perfect honeymoon destinations on the travel sites. If you haven't been planning your wedding since you first married Barbie and Ken then fear not! Now's the time to gather ideas and inspiration. Find out what you want and don't want in your wedding.
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Plan some special time for just the two of you
There's not going to be many "couple" moments until after all the celebrations are over. Find time with each other now and make a point of not talking weddings. There's plenty to do, but for the time being, just take some time out to celebrate, just the two of you.
Work out your wedding budget
The average wedding currently stands at £20,000 in the UK alone but only you know what you can afford. Decide on a budget and stick to it. If you over spend in one area, work out how you can economise elsewhere. It's so easy to get carried away when planning your dream wedding day, and before you know it, you've spent a small fortune. Before you commit to anything, sit down with your fiancé and discuss what you can afford to spend, what your priorities are and where you can cut costs if necessary. If either set of parents is contributing, it makes sense to involve them in the discussions too. Just gently remind them that it is still your day and you as a couple ultimately have the last say (as long as you don't go overboard!), despite how much they sometimes like to take control. I have lost count of how many times I tell people this one.
As part of a full planning service we can offer assistance with setting your budget. See our full wedding planning service here.
Decide whether you would like a wedding planner or not
Think about all the elements of your wedding that will take time to plan - finding the perfect venue, sourcing suppliers and negotiating the best prices, amongst a whole load of other very important things - and work out if those tasks are ones you want to tackle alone or if you'd rather hire a wedding planner to reduce all that stress and save time.
For more reasons on why you should hire a wedding planner, please go to our blog.
Get organised
THE most important thing about planning a wedding is - you must get organised. If you don't hire a wedding planner and decide on doing the whole thing yourself, then purchase the other kind of wedding planner. These come in all sorts of dividing folders and notebooks. You can make up your own and personalise it how you like if you are the creative type. Treat yourself to some wedmin stationery too. There's also plenty of apps out there that will assist you in deciding what needs sorting and when. Any kind of calendar or diary will help you with your timeline and major wedding related tasks.
Start a wedding savings account
Open a basic savings account at a bank of your choice or search for higher interest accounts, then deposit a set amount of money every pay day that will go towards your wedding budget. Even a small, simple wedding can sometimes end up costing a lot more than you would ever imagine. A wedding savings account can help keep cash adding up, so you don't have to rely on credit cards later on. You don't want to start off married life in debt!
Ask both sets of parents for their ideal guest lists
Before you can get the number of guests you want, ask both sets of parents to write a list of whom they would most want to invite. Ensure you inform them the list is just a draft list and things may change as it won't be confirmed for a while. After you have their ideal lists, you can choose who to invite and not to invite. Once this is completed, it will give you a much clearer number. Do keep in mind your budget as the more guests you invite, the higher the budget then becomes.
TIP - Ask them to write the lists in priority order such as 'must have', 'would love to have' and 'would like to have'. This will help when cutting down the list later on.
Relax and have fun
Take time to chill out - Do a bit of retail therapy, get a massage or facial and sleep in when you can. It will keep your skin looking picture perfect. Your big day is about you and your fiancé so go ahead and enjoy it.
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