In the first of a new, monthly blog series on planning your wedding, my best advice to you is this: savour the moment, before launching into the process.
The initial excitement dies down, and your mind starts to swirl… Dates, venues, budget, attendees; dress, hair, photography, flowers; invitations, hen-dos, stag parties and more…
‘Ugh: we’ve got so much to do!’
Back up and breathe: the most pressing thing to do right now is consciously enjoy your engagement. Here are 5 simple tips:
Celebrate the moment
Mention the word ‘wedding’ and it’s easy to lose yourselves in its execution. Military precision takes over. Doesn’t sound very romantic, does it?
And yet, your engagement should be just that – a joyous celebration of your love and togetherness. In saying ‘yes’, you’re committing to a life with another, so mark the occasion in a way you’ll both treasure.
That restaurant you’ve been wanting to try? Reserve a table. The secluded cabin in Provence? Book it up. You could also exchange meaningful gifts that will come to signify this very special period you find yourselves in. Cherish it.
Share the news
You’re getting married, and want the whole world to know. That’s only natural, but it’s helpful to think about how you broadcast that news.
Tell family first
Face-to-face is always preferable – so, why not visit close family to take them on your journey? If you can’t connect in-person, schedule a Zoom call.
Let your friends know
Jump on the phone; text pictures of your ring, and allow yourself to revel in the thrill and trepidation of your engagement. Hopefully, they’ll be as happy as you are…
Shout it out on social
Using your preferred platforms saves you the time and energy of informing wider contacts one-by-one. And yes: it’s OK to share that happy-teary engagement photo.
Go all old-school
You could even make a formal announcement in your local newspaper. Molto carino.
Create a wedding website
A lot of my couples go down this route, because it’s such an easy way to involve family and friends – starting with announcing your engagement.
Get creative with your message; personalise your story, make the site work for you.
As you progress with your wedding planning, you can use it to keep your connections updated – including answering questions from guests or sharing a wedding gift wish-list.
Throw an engagement party
The decision to marry is a major life event; celebrating it with your intimate circle honours its significance. Memories are made of the things we do – not those we wish we’d done…
Commission an engagement photoshoot
What better way to capture the magic of the moment? To quote Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich:
“In 20 years you’ll look back at photos of [yourselves] and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.”
There will be a time for checklists and organisation and structure. This is not it…
We’ll cover those in future posts.
And that’s the purpose of this series: to guide you through every step and stage of your wedding planning process.
Adding to my own experiences and insight, I’ll be interviewing trusted wedding suppliers about their offerings and tips.
We’ll talk about pricing; timelines and key points for you to consider – including options to integrate your wedding cake into your the overall theme of your big day.
Next month, I focus on what is perhaps the single greatest factor in smooth progress: things to agree on as a couple. As true for your marriage as it is your wedding…