CONGRATS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!! Wow wow wow what an exciting time of life! I hope you’ve had a chance to soak it all in! Soon after, you might think, now where do I begin as we look toward our marriage and wedding day? When you’re newly engaged, it can be pretty daunting to know where to start because, let’s face it, there’s a lot of details to consider when you’re planning your wedding! Colors, location, timing, who’s coming, will the groomsmen wear ties or bowties? or neither?, will grandma get a corsage? You get the point! I know when I was planning our wedding all those details felt pretty overwhelming. So, I wanted to share my top 3 tips for newly engaged couples to give you a practical starting point 🙂

1. CELEBRATE!!!!!

   Seriously though…what an incredible season of life! Celebrate with your loved ones & soak up the sweet reality that YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED! Marriage is hard work, but ya’ll, it’s the BEST work!! Can’t wait for you to experience it! 🙂

   

2. Book your venue

   Booking your wedding venue will lock in your wedding date and location- two of the biggest decisions you’ll make! In some cases, it will also lock in what time your ceremony or reception will start (TIP: Include your wedding photographer on your timeline planning so they can work with you to ensure you’ll have enough time to get all the images you’ll want! For us, one of my favorite parts of the wedding experience is getting to work with our brides to customize their timeline. It can be pretty stressful and I WANT to help you have the best planning process + day possible!!). Another reason to book your venue is because these can book up fast! In some circumstances, for shorter engagements, couples will book their venue before they get engaged because their dream venues book up so quickly. Just remember, there’s no formula, and there’s no right or wrong way to plan your wedding. You do you 😉

   Manor House in Cincinnati 

3. Book your Photographer

   You may think I’m biased because I’m a wedding photographer, but this really is the most valuable investment you’ll make on your wedding day. Your images and your legacy album (and sweet memories) are what will LAST after your big day! You’ll decorate your first home together with your wedding images, which will one day be replaced with priceless pictures of your kids. When your kids are little, they’ll flip through your wedding album, and when they’re in their teens they’ll gawk at how good you both looked in your 20s and 30s! 🙂 Another reason your photographer should be one of the first vendors you book is because photographers, just like venues, can book up fast & typically offer a limited amount of weddings (i.e. between 15-30/year)! We’ve already received an inquiry for 2019 and it’s only September of 2017! Another positive? If you’re planning to send out save the dates, you’ll already have your photographer booked so you have plenty of time to schedule your engagement session & send them out with plenty of time!

   

I hope these 3 practical tips are helpful as you’ve started the planning process! I know it can be a lot, but you’re going to do great!! We’re cheering for you!

Again, congratulations and happy marriage + wedding planning!! 

Xoxo

Mon