We’re Engaged! (Let’s Kick Off The Planning Process)

So as you can tell by the title, my partner Scott and I got engaged! We had spoken about it for a few years and we’re so excited to start on the new chapter of our lives (as cliché as that sounds!) In today’s post, I’m going to talk about starting the wedding planning process, and our three top priorities that we have so far at this early stage.

Being in a little engagement bubble is really lovely, and while we’ve been in our bubble for quite a few months now, it’s even nicer that Scott wants to be as involved in the entire process as much as I am.

There’s a misconception that men aren’t interested in the planning stages, but some really are, and it’s quite nice to have someone who’s just as excited as you, to bounce ideas off.

If you spoke to my fiancé, he would tell you that I’m a very messy person, and I admit that I am. Let’s be honest, keeping on top of mess all the time can be a struggle if it’s not built into your habits. Organisation on the other hand, I’m on it! Whether that’s appointments, figuring out what I’m doing with my week, tracking my habits, tracking my finances; and that is just a very small portion of what I do (for fun too!) so starting to plan a wedding is right up my street.

I have never planned a large event before, or even a small event for that matter but every little thing counts, and with that, comes overwhelm. This is the only time in my life that I will ever get to plan something that truly represent what Scott and I want, so I want to make sure that I’m having fun throughout the process. That’s why prioritising is absolutely key especially in this type of situation and these three points below are my top priorities in this very early stage.

Your wedding date

You can’t get married without choosing a date, and choosing our wedding date was a really easy decision, it was a date that we both cherished and it was sentimental, which in the future, would make it even nicer to celebrate each year. However, if our date that we wanted wasn’t going to be available, we would have been happy choosing any other date on the calendar. It’s important to be open to change as well as knowing what you want, balance is key too.

Your budget

Your budget is the biggest factor that you will come back to time and time again, and for very good reason. Your budget can determine anything and everything from your venue, your guest count and even down to your wedding favours. Scott and I sat down together to discuss how much we could afford to save without being really tight every month, and we looked at what we could temporarily cut out from our living expenses that wasn’t worth the cost.

Choosing your venue

The venue we have chosen is absolutely beautiful, and right now, I’m choosing not to share it online. It was the first venue that we saw and I instantly fell in love, and we only went to visit one other place, and it was very close in comparison to the first one, but I think we both knew the first one was the one. We didn’t choose based on recommendation or price (but it does still have to fit our budget) we chose on the customer service they provided when we first met the staff, the energy and the vibe we had when we first walked in and we just had that feeling, and that’s all we needed.

I have quite a few other services booked already (which I’m sure I’ll share in my next instalment) to give myself time to relax over the next six months, before it all kicks off next year but if you’re struggling with overwhelm, or you just don’t know where to start, talk to friends or family who have been married or are in the process of getting married, and see what advice they can offer. This part should be so exciting, and in the early stages, not stressful at all, so enjoy it while it lasts!

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I’m so excited to see what the next steps of wedding planning bring, and if you have any tips, advice or websites to share, send them through to me on my socials. Have a great week! 🐤