The first thing to do when getting engaged

So, I've already done this but I know that engagement season is right around the corner (yes! There is such a thing!) In fact, there are three - around Valentine's Day in February, around the middle of the year (June/July, which is when G and I got engaged), and around Christmas time (talk about an amazing present!)

The first thing to do after getting engaged (apart from saying yes, screaming and jumping up and down, and calling your friends and families) is to think about your venue. What kind of wedding do you want to have? Do you want a relaxed, beach style wedding? Do you want a formal, city-based wedding? Would you prefer a garden party in the country? Do you want all three? <----this was me!

Once you've established what type of wedding you would like (and believe me, this can change), think about the dreaded B word.....yes, budget. You need to think about how much you'd like to spend on the wedding as a whole, as well as how much you would like to spend on the ceremony and reception. There's no point looking at lots of venues, finding your ideal one, then realising that you cannot afford it!

Budgets do not need to be boring. Nor do they have to be such a touchy subject. Many people get offended when budgets are brought up. A "budget" wedding does not have to mean cheap - it just means that you are designing your wedding to your budget, not anyone else's. So some people get their weddings paid for by parents.....big deal! So some people get loans to afford the wedding of their dreams.....good for them! So some people have longer engagements to pay for their own weddings.......congrats! There is no right and wrong. Think about how you will pay for your wedding, whether that is through parents, loans, or savings. G and I are paying for the entire wedding ourselves, so we've had an extended engagement. This has allowed us to pay for things over an 16 month period, meaning we can still have some kind of social life!

Finally, think about how important certain elements of the wedding are to you as a couple - these will be the things you may want to spend more money on. You might think that good food and wine are the most important things, therefore these will take a bigger chunk of the money. You do not necessarily have to give everything a monetary value! G and I have a "rolling" budget - we have established about how much we want to spend on the wedding as a whole, identified the most important elements to us (alcohol and flowers!), and make allowances to cover any additional costs. It's also been handy having a 16 month engagement as we can spread out payments (and buy vases/candles/shoes etc when sales have been on, not last minute).

In coming posts, I will outline how G and I decided on our location (as well as giving you all a sneak peek) and questions to ask the location manager when deciding.

Keep safe lovelies.

xxx