After getting engaged, there are so many emotions to process. You are excited, your hand feels weird with that new bling on your finger, everyone starts asking when the wedding will be (I got engaged a few hours ago relax?!), and you are anxious to get the process started! After you have told all the important friends and family and then post that much anticipated Instagram, you need to tackle this first:
Your budget.
As society has changed, couples today now pay for their wedding in so many different ways. It is important for you and your fiance to start the process by identifying sources for how your wedding will be financed and then do a bit of research on how much you can realistically spend on each category. Since this is most likely your first time being engaged, it is completely normal to not know how much different categories will be costing you.
This guide is helpful to see how the typical wedding budget breaks down.
Once you have that goal total wedding spend, it becomes incredibly important to stick to your budget. This is where a wedding planner comes in. Bringing on a wedding planner from the very beginning can help alleviate some of the stresses of keeping to your budget. Your planner can help you make sense of allocating funds for each category, stick to a cohesive vision from the invitations to the flowers on the high top tables, and menu cards. While a planner cannot force you to spend your money in any way, they will be a great guide, especially if you include them in the beginning.
Once you identify what your budget is, sit down first with your fiance and figure out what aspects of the wedding are most important to each of you. You may be surprised by what your fiance says! This will help you both establish your vision for the wedding, what is most important to each of you, and what you are willing to compromise on if need be. Once you do get on the same page, it makes it easier to deal with outside opinions knowing you are rooted in what your priorities are- although some opinions are unavoidable! Another great thing to do is to go to each of your parents and ask them what some of their favorite aspects of the wedding day is to them (parent dances, photos, toasts, etc.). While you may not accommodate all these things, it can be a great way to let them know you love them and want to honor them on your wedding day.
