WinterEngagement

Top 5 tips for the newly engaged

It’s Engagement Season!  The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is when more engagements happen than any other time of year. If you are expecting a sparkler or got one recently here are some tips to ensure your engagement season creates a wonderful wedding season!

WinterEngagement
Photo by Bon Vivant Studios

1)     Breathe and enjoy, that’s right before you think about colors, seasons, dresses or flowers first take a moment and enjoy your engagement. Just like marriage is a rite of passage so is engagement and should be celebrated on its own. So before you dive headfirst into the wedding planning stop and enjoy this moment and the fact you found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with.

2)     Set a budget you are comfortable with. While it is not the most glamorous part of wedding planning it is one of the most important. In addition to setting a budget also figure out your top 3 priorities as a couple. These priorities will help you decide how your budget should be allocated. This is also a great time to talk to those family members that you think may contribute to the wedding.

3)     Pick a date and start planning. There isn’t any rule about what vendors you should book first. However, in my experience, it usually is the venue (catering if different than venue), photographer, floral, DJ/band, rentals, etc. Some of these vendors book up faster than others so once you settle the date and location you should book vendors you like as soon as possible, you don’t want to miss out on a vendor you really want. If you are planning an Inland Northwest wedding in the Summer, typically bookings are a year before the wedding, as summer is the most popular time to get married in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane areas.

4)     Get organized. You are going to have many details to keep track of. Contracts, deposits, guest lists, décor ideas, and even music choices. Whether you are a paper or a digital person choose what works best for you.

5)      Don’t go crazy on Pinterest.  Don’t replan someone else’s wedding you saw online. Instead what makes you special as a couple? Do you love doughnuts? Have a doughnut wall. Did your grandma grow lavender? Incorporate it into your flowers. Don’t get a Pinterest brain. What do you picture when you think about your wedding? Then pin those ideas.

Have you just gotten engaged and are feeling overwhelmed? Hire a wedding planner, they can put all these pieces together for you and help you enjoy the wedding planning process. A good wedding planner won’t take over your wedding but will be your advocate and expert throughout your planning and on the day of your wedding. Are you getting married in the Inland Northwest? Contact us we would love to plan your upcoming wedding to this beautiful area we call home.