Holy moly! You’re engaged!! You’re probably thinking, “eek!! Now what!?” Look, I get it. As a wedding and elopement photographer (and past bride), I know how quickly this time in your life flies by. So I want to encourage you to take your time, it at all possible. From the excitement to the nerves, I’m sure you have a whole slew of emotions rushing around. Before we even dive into the actionable steps for after you’re engaged, take a breath and pop some champagne. Spend as much time celebrating as you can before you start wedding planning. But once you’ve had your fill of the bubbly, I’ve gotcha covered. Here are tips from a wedding photographer for what to do once you get engaged!
What to Do Once You’re Engaged | Minnesota Wedding Photographer
Take Some Time to Brainstorm
One of the first things you need to do once you’re engaged is determine what type of wedding you want. This is really what will determine the rest of your planning process throughout your engagement. There are typically 3 different types of weddings: big (traditional) weddings, small (intimate) weddings, and elopements.
From there, decide on the location. In the beginning of your wedding planning process, a general idea of the state or general area is a great starting place. If you’re planning to have a more traditional wedding, you’ll probably be getting married somewhat locally. Elopements, on the other hand, can take place at a courthouse, a National Park, another country, etc. Whichever vibe best suites you and your fiancé will help you move forward with wedding planning.
Once you have the size of your wedding and general location lined up, it’s time to create a mood-board. If you’re anything like me, I’m a very visual person. If you’re also like me, you probably have a wedding board on Pinterest that you started in 2011 which means it’s very outdated. Take some time to create a new board and start pinning flowers, color palettes, wedding dresses, decor, etc. There’s a ton that you can do with your Pinterest board that can actually come in handy throughout the entire planning process. Pro tip: Once you pick a wedding photographer (or wedding planner), add them as a collaborator to your board so they can see your vision!
Nail Down the Month (or date)
Nailing down the month or date of your wedding usually has a lot of pressure surrounding it if there are multiple parties involved. Of course, you don’t want to have your wedding when your brother’s family is on vacation. But, don’t let the pressure of others impact what date you choose too much. Once again, if you’re still in the beginning stages of wedding planning, you don’t need to know the exact date at this point.
Try to pick at least a season to help you choose your wedding venue and overall vision for your day. Thinking about the weather, tourist season (if you’re eloping), and travel costs all can play a part in selecting the month of your wedding.
Hire Your Dream Vendors
Now that you’ve established the location and month, it’s time to reach out to vendors! I’m not just saying this because I’m a wedding and elopement photographer, but dates book up quickly. Do you have a “oh-my-gosh-they-have-to-be-at-my-wedding” kinda vendor? Start with them + their availability. Depending on what you have your budget allocated to, the rest of your vendors will fall into place.
If you’re not even sure where to begin with wedding vendors, here’s a quick list of some vendors you may want at your wedding:
- Photographer
- Venue
- Florist
- Videographer
- Wedding Planner
- Hairstylist
- Makeup Artist
- Officiant
- Calligrapher
- Catering
- Cake Baker
- Bar Service
- Rentals (chairs, couches, decor)
- Photo Booth
- DJ
- Transportation
Wedding Planning Tips | Payton Rademacher Photography
Once you have the above items checked off on your wedding planning list, the rest truly will fall into place. You’ll be able to schedule your engagement photos with your photographer, send out save the dates once you receive the photos, etc. Take it one item at a time, because it really can be overwhelming to look at everything that has to be done. I hope these tips from a wedding photographer were helpful! Happy wedding planning, friend!!
Looking for more tips? I’d love to connect. Be sure to stay tuned to the blog in the meantime. And you can keep up with the latest from me on Instagram (@paytonrademacherphoto).
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