Beginner’s Guide: Newly Engaged Checklist

This newly engaged checklist will be your go-to resource for your first few months as a fiancé.

After you get engaged you may become quickly overwhelmed with the thought of planning a wedding. Make sure to sit down and talk to your fiancé about what you imagine your big day will look like. This newly engaged checklist will break down your first steps in wedding planning and provide you with advice from a former bride.

1. Newly Engaged Checklist First Steps

Share the News + Plan an Engagement Party

Before posting your happy news on social media be sure to reach out to close family and friends to tell them your happy news. The day you get engaged should be such a happy one and sharing this news with all your loved ones is super exciting. If you are planning on having an engagement party start inquiring about where you would like to host it and who you want to invite.

Set Up a Wedding Email

One of the very first things I did after I got engaged was create a new email address to use specifically for all wedding related things. It’s super easy (and free) to set up a fresh email account using Google.

Pro Tip:

Have this email send push notifications to your phone so you can see right away when you receive any wedding-related emails.

Create a Preliminary Guest List

Before you can start looking at venues it’s important to understand how many guests the venues you are looking at will need to accommodate. These numbers don’t have to be exact but it is important to understand if you need a venue that holds 100 people or 300 people.

Brainstorm a Budget

I know I was not prepared for how much a wedding would cost. It is important early on to have a rough idea of how much money you have to spend on your wedding. Will you have family contributing or will you and your fiancee be paying for it all? Your budget will be a huge deciding factor in your venue, wedding location and most importantly your guest count. Probably the easiest way to bring down wedding costs is to cut your guest list.

Decide When You Want to Get Married

Maybe a specific season is important for you or you could be looking to get married as soon as possible. For me, I knew I wanted a fall wedding and a long engagement. Also, keep in mind depending on where you live pricing may vary based on what month you choose to get married. Where I live many venues offer discounted rates during less busy months (from November to March). The same goes for choosing to get married on off-peak days of the week. For example, a Friday wedding is often cheaper than a Saturday wedding.

Find a Way to Stay Organized

Staying organized is key to avoid getting overwhelmed. There are a lot of moving parts in wedding planning and it becomes even more difficult because it is likely the first time you are planning a wedding. I used a digital planner so I had access to everything at all times on my phone.

Learn more about the wedding planner I created here.

2. Brainstorm Your Wedding Vision

Setting up a Pinterest board is a great way to start saving inspiration for your wedding and all the fun events leading up to the big day.

3. Choose a Ceremony + Reception Venue

If you are having your ceremony in a church, prior to booking your reception venue inquire with your church about their availability. Once you lock in your ceremony time and date, you can begin to look into reception venues. There are tons of ways to find venues in your area. Even if you do not plan on hiring a wedding planner I recommend following on Instagram wedding planners in your area. Then you can look at who they are following and create a list of all the local venues in your area.

4. Hire Vendors

Often times your reception venue may provide you with a list of recommended vendors. This is a great starting point to start your research. The good part about hiring a vendor recommended by your venue is that they are familiar with your reception space. However, with so many wedding vendors out there, it’s important for you to find the right fit.

5. Select Your Wedding Party

Once you have a venue and wedding date locked in it is a great time to notify all the special people in your life that you would like them to be a part of your big day. Make sure to take some time to really think about who you want to be by your side on this important day. Also, remember having the same number of people as your fiancé is not a deal breaker. If you have additional people in your wedding party than your fiancé does that is okay. The most important thing is you are choosing people who will be excited to celebrate with you.

There are many ways to go about asking. Check out this post here to find some fun gifts to give your girls. It’s also fun to share with your girls a little bit about your vision for the big day. Maybe share with them a color scheme you are planning on going with or

6. Go Dress Shopping + Buy Your Dress

Shopping for a wedding dress is a very different experience than buying a dress for a different type of event. Be sure to schedule your appointment well in advance of when you plan to go as popular retailers can book up quickly. Designers often make wedding dresses to order, and they can take between 8 and 10 months fabricate and arrive.

What to wear wedding dress shopping?

I recommend that you wear something easy to change in and out of. A cute white dress is always the perfect choice. Also, do your hair and makeup in a similar way you want to wear it on your wedding day. This will help you get a better sense of what the dress will feel like on your big day.

When it comes to undergarments, keep it simple. You don’t need to wear a strapless bra since most of the time you can try on dresses without a bra. Most wedding dresses offer a lot of support and have built-in boning. If you plan to wear shape-wear you can bring this to your appointment however this is not necessary for trying on dresses and is only critical during your dress alteration appointments. It can also be nice to bring a pair of heels in a similar height to what you plan on wearing on your wedding day to get a better idea of how the dress will feel with a little more height.

Tips for Dress Shopping

Dress shopping may sound overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be stressful. To make the experience less overwhleming limit the amount of people you invite to come with you. It is helpful to designate someone who is accompanying you to take photos and videos of all the dresses you try on. After the appointment you can then look back on all the dresses and get a better idea of what dress is your favorite.

Prior to your appointment look for dress inspiration to show your stylist and establish a budget. When thinking about a budget don’t forget to factor in alteration costs.

Be sure to eat a good meal before your appointment. Trying on dresses can be exhasuting and you don’t want to feel faint if you haven’t eaten anythign that day. Also don’t be afraid to try on dress styles that are outside of your comfort zone. You never know what you may end up loving.

Dress shopping is an exciting activity leading up to your wedding. Your dress is so important in setting the vibe for your wedding day. If you don’t find your dream dress right away, don’t get discouraged. You may need to go to multiple bridal salons to find ‘the one’.

Questions to Ask at your Dress Shopping Appointment

• How long does production take for your favorite styles of dresses?
• Are there any customizations that can be made?
• What type of bustle is recommended for this dress style?
• Is there a matching veil that goes with the dress?
• How long does it take to order this style of dress? Will it be discontinued soon?
• Are there any sample sales or trunk shows coming up soon?
• Do you do alterations in-house? If so, how much do they cost?
• How many fittings can I expect to have? When and where will these fittings occur?
• What are the payment options? When do payments have to be made?
• Do you have a return policy?
• Will the dress be shipped to me? Do I need to pick it up at the store or another location?

This newly engaged checklist is a good starting point in your wedding planning journey.

For a more detailed guide on wedding planning check out our 12 month checklist.