The Important First Few Things You Do Once You're Engaged*

*This is a collaborative post*

It’s a wonderful moment when you finally get engaged. The anticipation builds up every year that goes by when you’re in a long-term committed relationship. Suddenly, your partner asks you the question you might have put far back into your mind. When you say ‘yes’, you’re filled with excitement and a realisation that you’ve found someone in the billions of people in the world, that wants to be with you until death. Most people get home from wherever the romantic place of proposing was, and phone everybody they know or care about. The news spreads like wildfire, and now everyone is passing on the news that you’re soon to become a couple. Immediately you’re going to start thinking about the wedding symbolically. However, soon it’s going to hit you that, actually this is the real thing, and now the ball is in your court. You have to carry out certain pre-wedding actions that will make your wedding official, so friends and family can start clearing their calendars and making way for your special day.

Start thinking about the time

You have to begin with when you want your wedding to occur. This all depends on how you want your wedding to proceed. Not many people think about the weather and time of year because the popular belief is that the theme of your wedding is only relevant to the interior. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, because mother nature will play a part in your wedding whether you like it or not. If you want the sunshine to illuminate your day, then you’re better off planning the wedding in Spring or Summer. Of course, you may not want to do this if you’re intent on taking your wedding vows at sunset, in which case the season may not be a key factor for you. Of course, if you want a snowy wedding winter or really late autumn are the key times for this mood. You’ve got to decide whether your theme will go with the weather and season, and then try to use these three prongs, to encircle your date. It’s wise to pick a date and tell everyone who is coming to clear that part of the year.

Photo by - Belinda

The invitations

Once you’ve chosen the season, year and date, your next action should be to put this all in your message to the guests. The theme of the invitation is detrimental to the type of image you wish to give off. There are many Paper Themes to choose from, such as the stylish Gatsby, the Foiled Wreath, or Blue Graceful to name but a few. The aesthetics of the invitation will grab the attention of those who you’re mailing, and the importance of the occasion will leap out at them. Invitations are far more than just intricate and memorable designs; you also have to have a real heartfelt request inside. Asking people to attend your wedding is a very serious matter and one that carries with it a level of trust. When you’re asking someone to come to your wedding, you must write it in a bare-bones manner, whereby you’re speaking from the heart with no barriers to shield yourself. Write your message thoughtfully and eloquently along with the relevant information.

Photo credit - kertayasa89

Putting your name down

The wedding venue is just as important as the location. If you’re intent on the countryside as being your backdrop, then it's not going to bode well if all you can book is a cottage. You need to start thinking seriously about the venue and where you’ll hold the event. Don’t forget that you’re not the only who is having a wedding, so putting your name down on a venue you like is going to need to be done reasonably sharpish. If you don’t secure a spot, and then change your mind to have the venue you shirked off, your name will fall down the line. This, of course, will ruin the rest of your plans. Many venues that hold weddings will need a deposit payment to hold parties to the agreement, so think long and hard before you lay down any money. Try not to be rushed, but keep in mind it will be first come first serve.

Before you start to worry about the menu and what kind of food guests will like, and even before you choose your dress, always get the ball rolling with these steps. Make sure you have an actual venue that is ready for your wedding which may be in as far as a couple of years down the line. The invitations will need to stand out and project an image of the couple that you are to your guests. Equally, think about seasonal shifts and what the weather might be like before you set your date in stone.

*Contributed by Sam Jones