You’re Getting Married! Now What? — First 10 things you should do after getting engaged

First things first, a big congratulations on your engagement!

This is such a joyous moment in your life and it should be treated as such. That said, it’s pretty common to simultaneously feel overwhelmed as you are excited. Getting engaged signals the start of a new chapter in your life, which is married life. But of course, you’ll first have to go through the getting married part — meaning having to prepare for the wedding of your dreams.

So how exactly do you go from point A (getting engaged) to point B (getting married)? Here are the first 10 things you should do after getting engaged. And before you go ahead and read this list, do us a favor and take one deep calming breath. You got this.

1. Simply enjoy the moment

First thing to do after getting engaged? Just enjoy it! Whether it means posting your ring selfie, calling your family and friends, planning an engagement gathering or party, or what have you, this is the time to simply relish in the moment and celebrate with your future spouse and your loved ones. There’s no rule on how long you should celebrate anyway, so make sure to take your time in doing so before you dive headfirst into timelines and wedding preps!

2. Sit down and talk to your future spouse

After all the celebrations and congratulations, it’s now time to have a proper sit down with your future spouse, especially if you haven’t had this talk with your boyfriend/girlfriend before getting engaged. Take the time to align with your partner in what you both want for your wedding: How big (or intimate) is it going to be? How much of your savings are you willing to allot for it? Is it a destination wedding or just a simple garden reception? What are your non-negotiables when it comes to wedding preps? These are just some of the questions you both should be answering to get started on your planning.

3. Think about your wedding timeline & book your venues

Now onto the planning! After aligning with your future spouse, it’s time to create a timeline up until the date you want to get married. This will give you a clear picture of how much time you actually have to plan, prepare, and execute. Of course, part of it all is actually choosing a date and zeroing in on your chosen venue. It’s best to knock this one off your list early on because venue bookings — especially churches — can get booked out so fast, so make sure to seal the deal before anything else!

4. Set a budget

After booking your venue and creating a timeline of to-dos, you must agree on a working budget with your S.O. It’s completely up to you if you just want to have an overarching budget for everything or have a specific budget for each part of your wedding (e.g. reception, videographer, wedding dress, etc). One tip is to set a slightly lower budget and add a bit of leeway into that in case you really, really need to go beyond what was originally set. Finances can be a tricky thing to deal with your partner and this would prove to be a good exercise in setting the foundation for how you’ll both handle money matters in your married life.

5. Get organized and work with a checklist & schedule

Lists make everything better, wouldn’t you agree? Now that you have a set date and a working budget, it’s time to get down into the nitty-gritty of wedding preps. Getting a ready-made wedding planner can help you sort out everything you need to do. If you’re not so keen on doing that, there are thousands of resources online that can help you finalize a checklist as well! It’s really all up to you with what you think works best for you as a couple. This is also the time to map out guest lists, possible themes, entourage, potential suppliers to check, etc. Make sure to keep a schedule that fits in with your life and don’t forget to take a break once in a while as well.

6. Divide and conquer (with love)

We get it. It can get pretty tempting to just do everything yourself (yes, brides, we’re talking to you). But trust us when we say that doing that can get pretty tiring so fast. It would help to delegate tasks, especially between you and your future spouse. If you find yourself needing more help, entrust your family members and besties to take care of other things in order to help unload you from the burden of doing everything yourself. Remember that at the end of the day, you should never lose sight of what this period is all about — celebrating love, having fun, and preparing for a lifetime ahead with your partner.

7. Set the dates for pre-wedding events

Bridal fairs, bachelor and bachelorette parties, “pamamanhikan,” and so on. These are just some of the pre-wedding events that you should be setting the dates for as well. It’s important to set these dates to make sure that the people you need to attend will be there. You can also turn all these, especially attending wedding fairs, a fun activity to do with your mom and sisters or your BFFs.

8. Lock in suppliers

Around this point, you should already have a much clearer picture of what you want for your wedding. You should’ve already been able to narrow down the suppliers for each important part of your wedding. Remember that the earlier you book your suppliers, the better it is so you won’t have to deal with fully booked suppliers and have to find your next best option. If you also manage to book your suppliers early on, you’ll have more time to relax as the big day approaches and you’ll have more help on your hands to take care of the smallest of wedding prep details!

9. Find the right wedding planner/coordinator

Honestly, if all else fails, just get a wedding coordinator. There’s no shame in hiring one early on with your wedding planning. It’s also perfectly fine if you just get a coordinator to manage the actual wedding day itself. You have no idea how lighter your life will be once you simply surrender and entrust your wedding to these amazing professionals. One tip in looking for the best coordinator is to start by asking your relatives and friends who recently got married. Get their recommendations and start with that.

10. Relax and get married

Now onto the final step: just relax and get married! You’ve done everything that’s within your power to prepare for the wedding of your dreams. Now it’s time to shift your focus towards what this wedding is really about — your blessed union with your partner and your life ahead as a married couple. Trust that everything is covered, trust your family, trust your friends, trust your wedding coordinator, trust your partner, and more importantly, trust yourself.