The QUESTION has popped! It’s the moment you’ve been dreaming of, waiting for, imagining! So…what’s next?
Here are the first steps after getting engaged: how to plan a Vegas wedding!
All the things may be swirling around in your mind after you’ve taken a little time to let it really sink in. You’ve made the calls to family and friends. You’ve admired your gorgeous ring. NOW WHAT? How do we start planning? What do we want our big day to look like? How do we celebrate our love? How do we stay true to ourselves and our desires while we do all of those things?
First Steps after Getting Engaged: How to Plan a Vegas Wedding!
Savor the moment: The never ending to do list will always be there. But may I encourage you to stop and first really enjoy the moment. Savor it. Celebrate it. Flaunt that ring. Take all the selfies. Call your beloved FIANCE over and over. Dance in the rain together. Ask your lover to repeat your proposal like I did so I could hear it again since I was in such shock at the moment. It’s an important and significant moment in time. You and your fiancé deserve to really savor the start of a new era in your relationship.
Communicate : We’ve all heard it before…the foundation of any successful and amazing relationship is communication. Getting a jump on that in this stage will relieve a lot of stress and mixed wires going forward. Taking time to sit down together and get on the same page as to where you both are as far as moving forward in the planning process is crucial. There is a wedding in your future, but there is also a marriage.
Guest List : Depending on how far out your wedding will be, consider drafting up a prelim guest list after you’ve got the aforementioned items checked off the list. Your budget is going to dictate how many people you can invite. If you’re paying for the wedding yourselves, getting your families together to talk about this can be beneficial. If your parents are paying, it’s polite to ask if they have any guests they’d specifically like to attend the event. At a traditional event, usually the guest list is split in half with each partner getting 50% of the say in who they’d like to attend. So many parts and pieces of your day will be determined on how many guests will attend (venue size, catering, rentals, cake size etc)
Create a Budget : It’s not fancy nor is it something that’s easy to talk about sometimes, but it’s an important aspect of your wedding planning as well as your future as a couple going forward. Before you can really nail down the type of wedding you want, the location, the vendors and all the things that come with planning a wedding, you have to know where you stand financially. It’s not sexy, but it’s a huge part of it. Will you be paying for your nuptials yourself or will you be receiving assistance from a parent or family member?
Location, Season, and Date : Now that you’ve nailed down a budget, when and where would you like to get married? If your budget allows you some flexibility in terms of a particular season of the year to get married, when will that be? Will that be off or on season in terms of the cost of vendors and venues? Will you be staying close to home or planning for a destination wedding? Will you be eloping to a space that is special to the both of you? If you’re having an event where you will be inviting family and friends, nailing this down so you can send out save the date announcements in advance will allow for your loved ones to start planning ways they can join you as you plan for your special day.
Hiring a Wedding Planner/Coordinator : Sure you could handle it all yourself, but why add unnecessary stress onto your plate? Wedding Coordinators and Planners have so much more up their sleeves and may surprise you at how much value they bring to the table when planning a wedding. They’ve seen IT ALL and have so much experience from helping you choose vendors, decor, arranging transportation, nailing down details you didn’t even know you needed nailed down, checking and double checking absolutely everything, creating timelines for your day, and making sure all your needs are met and things run as smoothly as possible so you can have the absolute best outcome on your day. Here at SunRae Planning we would love to celebrate your new engagement alongside you and talk with you about next steps in planning your wedding!
Choose a Venue : A vineyard in Napa? An old barn in the country? An opulent estate surrounded by lush gardens? A gorgeous overlook in the middle of a National Park? Whatever you choose, a venue should be one of the things you look at first in the planning process. Venues tend to book out quicker than anything else so you’ll want to do a tour, if possible, and snag quickly. Some venues also offer reduced pricing based on the season and time of the year you plan on getting married, so make sure you take that into consideration when planning as well. Also consider what the venue has to offer. Is everything a la carte or do they have all inclusive packages to choose from? Is the natural beauty of its surroundings decor enough or will you need to supplement quite a bit to make it your own.
Inspiration Gathering : Now is the time to fire up those Pinterest boards, buy all the Bridal magazines, read all the wedding blogs to see where you want to go from here. Are there particular venues that look absolutely dreamy to you? Colors that peak your interest? Flowers that you absolutely have to have in your bouquet? A photographer’s aesthetic that speaks to you and you will want to be proudly featured on your mantel for years to come? Gather it all! Create a vision board so you can start putting the pieces together for your dream day!
Choose your Wedding Party : After taking some time to really consider who you will want to stand by your side as you pledge your commitment and love to each other, you’ll also want to consider how your choices will affect your day. Did you choose a Maid or Matron of Honor and Best Man that will be responsible and can handle the extra duties of the day? Are you willing to be honest and set expectations right off the bat about what you will need and expect leading up to the day and on the day of your wedding? If you’d like a larger bridal party, will there be room at your venue to accommodate everyone to stand with you? Are the people that you’re picking to be by your side going to create more drama and needless stress or will they add value to your day?
Savor it. Soak it all up. More than anything else, what’s really important is your love. Celebrate it. Enjoy absolutely every moment. And let us help you take the next steps in helping you plan your dream day!
Happy Planning, Lovers!
Jacqueline and the SunRae Planning Team
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