Recently featured on Martha Stewart Weddings:
Getting engaged is a bit like the Indy 500: you anticipate going through wedding planning with speed and precision (in your head, you've done a practice run a million times!) but once that ring is on your finger, "Boom!" you're racing toward the alter without focusing on anything but the finish line. Whoa-whoa! Slow down. We teamed up with Amy Nichols, lead planner and designer of Amy Nichols Special Events and Co-founder of The Poppy Group in San Francisco, to highlight seven things to keep in mind in the first month of engagement.
Image courtesy of Jami Saunders via Martha Stewart Weddings
Don't immediately post your announcement on social media.
Before you share the news with all of your old high school and college friends on Facebook and Instagram, take a few minutes (or days) to breathe and enjoy the moment with your fiancé, family and closest buds. It is more important to connect with people in your inner circle, rather than your social media posse.
Don't add extra responsibility.
Now is not the best time to adopt a puppy or sign up for a yoga teacher-training course. Even if you are working with an arsenal of wedding-planning professionals, coordinating a celebration will keep your schedule pretty packed. What's more, even positive change in your routine adds a certain degree of stress—that's what you want to avoid, remember?
Don't call vendors immediately.
Tempting as it may be to make appointments with florists and bakers and wedding dress makers—hold tight. You'll have plenty of time to navigate the wedding-planning arena. Before you start worrying whether peonies are in season to create your dream centerpieces, estimate a budget and the number of guests you plan to invite.
Don't get obsessed with your wedding.
You'll want to talk about the wedding all the time—naturally. Of course friends and family want to know all the details, but remember that you're not the sole centerpiece of the year. Make a point to ask friends, family, and your fiancé how things are going outside the wedding planning world.
Don't get too crafty.
Pinterest makes DIY look so easy, but if you're never used a glue gun in your life, now is not the time to find your inner Crafterella. If you're itching to create, start with something small that won't consume much of your time, that way if you have to abandon the project midway the wedding won't come to a halt.
Don't build a bridal party right away.
Before you invite your best friend from kindergarten to join you by the altar, chat with your fiancé about the total number of attendants. First of all, he may only want to have his brother and best friends, while you have a list of besties from every part of your life, which will lead to a huge imbalance. Secondly, a larger bridal party increases total costs.
Don't forget to enjoy non-wedding things.
Between vendor appointments and invitation designs there is going to be a lot of wedding talk, especially with your fiancé. Give yourself, and him, a break by reverting to your dating selves once in a while—you know, the ones who went scouting for a new restaurant or spent the weekend camping.