
First 6 Steps to Take After Getting Engaged
First and foremost, congratulations on your engagement! Your partner has officially popped the question, and after the tears were dried and the laughter subdued, it is likely that your thoughts quickly turned to venues, caterers, cake, and decor. While this is an exciting time for you and your partner, there are so many moving pieces in wedding planning, and you may start to feel overwhelmed. To start your wedding planning off on the right foot, here are the first 6 steps to take after getting engaged.
1. Get the word out.
After you get engaged, chances are you will want to tell everyone about the engagement- when and where it happened, how your partner asked you, what kind of ring you received, and everything in between. As a rule of thumb, if you would be upset by hearing about someone’s engagement on social media, make sure you give those people a phone call before you start posting photos. Start with family, then move to basically-family friends, and then tell everyone else. If you want to throw an engagement party, the planning for the event can start now! At The Mackey House, we not only throw incredible weddings but also intimate and large engagement parties. Contact us for more information on an engagement party in Savannah, Georgia.
2. Pick a date- or three.
The most desirable wedding dates can often be booked far in advance, so once you get engaged, start thinking about when you would want to get married to ensure your date will be available in the next year or two. Start with deciding on what season you would like to be married in and start narrowing down from there. Do you need to work around other family events? Should your date be set between semesters to avoid classes? Once you narrow down the time frame, decide on two or three possible dates, so when you visit venues, if one of your dates are already booked, you have a couple other options to choose from.
3. Draft a guest list.
It would be nice to be able to invite everyone you know to celebrate your wedding, but in most cases, your budget would suffer if you do not narrow it down to the most important people in you and your fiancé’s life. Before deciding on your budget or heading out to venues, draft a guest list to get a good idea of how many people you can afford to invite, so you can have the number of guests in mind before committing to a venue. Talk with your fiancé, family, and friends, so you can get the best estimate of the size of your wedding and be sure that you aren’t missing anyone.
4. Work out a budget.
Although discussing financials may not be the most glamorous part of planning a wedding, it is definitely one of the most crucial. After you have celebrated your engagement, take the time to sit down with your fiancé to discuss how the wedding will be paid for. If your parents are willing to help pay, also discuss with them what exactly they want to chip in on and figure out an estimate for how much that will cost. While working out your budget, make sure to prioritize what is important to you for your wedding day. Do you want a large wedding? Are you most excited about intricate flower arrangements? Figuring out what you need in your wedding will help you allocate your money towards these items better during the planning process.
5. Find your perfect venue.
Now, this is where the fun begins! One of your biggest ticks off your wedding planning to-do list will be finding your venue. After setting a budget and figuring out your guest list, your options for venues will be narrowed down a bit. But to further push the selection process along, you and your fiancé should start figuring out where you want your venue to be located, whether that means in your hometown or in a favorite vacation destination. You can also filter your choices by deciding on some of the must-haves for your venue, including whether or not you want an indoor or outdoor wedding. Located just 10 minutes from downtown Savannah, The Mackey House offers both indoor and outdoor spaces, so you can have the best of both worlds.
6. Enjoy the engagement!
Although your wedding may seem like the most important thing in your life right now, it is still crucial to make sure you and your fiancé’s relationship does not become all about the wedding. Enjoy your engagement and start getting familiar with calling each other “fiancé” for a few months before the wedding planning begins. When you do start wedding planning, remember to set some time aside for yourselves where you continue to do the things you love, without much wedding talk to keep the process enjoyable.
At The Mackey House, we hosts all kinds of events that celebrate love, from weddings and engagement parties to elopement ceremonies and vow renewals. For those of you who just got engaged and are looking to start planning an engagement party or wedding, we invite you to contact our event venue in Savannah, Georgia to start planning your celebration.
Photography: Glowing Amber Photography & Hosanna Wilmot Photography
Planner and Designer: Taylor’d Southern Events
Flowers: Harvey Designs
Rentals: Amazing Event Rentals
Calligraphy and Invitation Suite: Birdie Lane & Co