Congratulations!! Your beau asked you the biggest question, and you said yes! I am so so happy for you. Make sure you enjoy this time, it is so precious as one of special moments in your relationship!
So I get it, this day in age we are all very social media heavy (well, you might not be) but the majority of people I know are all on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, sharing all aspects of their lives. But I would highly recommend, before you jump onto social media to do your grand announcement – call the people who are your nearest and dearest! Your parents, siblings, your best friend! Personally, I don’t think they should find out on social media your big news – it makes it extra special for them to have a phone call from you or a visit if you can, to share your amazing moment.
Then once they are all aware, then share to your hearts content! We were in a different country at the time, so we shared with out closest friends and family first of all via text or phone if we could. Then sharing it on social media, was amazing and so overwhelming with all the lovely comments from our friends!
As I mentioned in my last post, its best not to rush straight into the planning – enjoy the moment first! But when you are ready I would recommend a few things to think about or do first before you start rushing into anything.
1. Budget This is a conversation I feel should be one of the first – this will very much be driven by what type of wedding you want, how many guests you will have on the day, if you want to get married in wedding season. Basically there is a lot of contributing factors. But it is a good idea, to initially have a conversation about a rough budget, just so your on the same page and then not overspending at a later date.
Work out what feels comfortable to you both for spending. No matter whether that is £5,000 or £40,000. Find what is comfortable for you both and go with it – there is no right or wrong amount to spend.
We spoke about this and have decided that we want to base our budget around the top things that are most important to us on the day and then go from there. We want to have a fabulous day and entertain our friends and family. But we also have other priorities to consider in our life which will have an impact on how much we would want to/should spend on our day.
2. Guest List Now I am not saying you need to have it completely nailed straight away – especially if like us you’re not planning to get married for a couple of years. But having a rough count of the people you would love to be there, gives you a good idea on the venue size you will need, to make sure it accommodates all of your guests.
Also don’t feel pressure to invite everyone and anyone to your day! It’s your special day, it should be shared with the people who you love and you want to be there. Don’t feel you have to invite really distant relatives who haven’t even met your bride or groom to be. Or give out plus 1’s to everyone.
3. Venue I am sure you are really keen to start trying on wedding dresses and deciding your colour scheme, maybe even what favours are going to be. Hold on, you don’t need to rush the process. First things first, find your venue, set your date – then you can get going with the rest of your list. I am not saying don’t get on and create your dream Pinterest board (had mine for a few years now ;)) – but most suppliers will want to have a wedding date from you before they start working with you so they can get you booked in the diary.
Hope you found this useful – be sure to keep an eye out for when the next in the series is coming!
Much love, Charlotte x
