Pop the champagne! You’re engaged! Your partner asked the question and you said yes! You might get a day to soak in being newly engaged before the questions start rolling in. When’s the wedding?

At this point you’re likely feeling several emotions. You’re happy and excited, but also wondering where to even begin with planning a wedding. As a wedding photographer, I’m sharing my guide on what to do after getting engaged!

#1 Enjoy and celebrate being engaged! 

Getting engaged is a huge and exciting step in your relationship as a couple! Take time to simply enjoy and celebrate being engaged! There is no need to rush into wedding planning right away.  

#2 Share the Good News!  

Some of you might be Facetiming friends and family right after you say yes. For others you might take the day or weekend to soak in being engaged before sharing the news. Some of you might be screaming it from the rooftops and sharing it with everyone you see! Regardless of how you want to share your engagement, enjoy getting to celebrate with the important people in your life.

Throwing an engagement party is a fun way some couples celebrate with friends and family! 

#3 Discuss your wedding priorities. 

After the excitement has settled and you both feel ready to think about wedding planning, the first step is having a conversation about what you both want and are envisioning for your wedding. 

Here are questions to get the conversation going: 

• What’s important to both of you when thinking about your wedding day?
• What’s your engagement timeline? Do you want a longer engagement or want to get married reasonably soon? 
• Who do you want to have there?
• How do you want the day to feel?
• Are you wanting a big wedding with all of your favorite people?
• Or does an elopement with just the two of you or a select group of people feel more aligned? 
• Is there a certain aesthetic you want for your wedding? 
• What locations are you thinking of? Staying local or planning a wedding elsewhere? 
• Is there a certain time of year, month, or season you’d like to get married? 

A conversation to start thinking and dreaming of your wedding values and vision is essential to have as a couple before making any major decisions. These questions are a good place to start and will likely lead to more! 

#4 Choose a Date. 

It’s time to talk about the wedding timeline! The first big decision is choosing the date. Think about when you both want to get married and a realistic timeline to make it happen.

When do you want to make it official? In 6 months? Next year?  

Whether you’re ready to run away to elope or want more time to put together the day of your dreams, the wedding date is what everything else will revolve and be planned around. 

#5 The Wedding Budget

Once you have an idea of your wedding vision and a general idea of when you want to get married, the next topic is the wedding budget. Talking about money is always a tough conversation, but it’s important to know what you’re working with and what will be a priority with your spending. 

Are you paying for the entire wedding yourselves? Are there any family members you know will be contributing?

Once you establish your base budget, you need think of your top budget priorities.

Maybe for you it’s the venue, planner, and photographer. For someone else it might be the florals, photographer, and music. The combos could go on! 

On the flip side, what vendors or wedding items are lower on your priority list? For example, maybe you’d prefer to work with a smaller budget on florals, music, or cake. 

As a wedding photographer, I’m slightly biased, but hiring a photographer to document your day should be a top priority!

Also, an experienced wedding planner can guide you when it comes to wedding budgets! A great wedding planner can give you realistic numbers and can help you best allocate your money. Most couples understandably have no idea what a realistic budget is for a wedding and for what they’re wanting. I always recommend hiring a wedding planner to any couple planning a wedding! 

#6 Start Reaching Out & Hiring Wedding Vendors 

Once the vision and budget are established, it’s time to start hiring the wedding vendors who will bring your wedding to life. Most vendors need to know your exact wedding date before booking, so booking your wedding venue is typically the first step! A wedding planner and photographer are two other vendors to book in the beginning stages. 

It’s surprising how far out some wedding venues and vendors are booked, so it’s always a good idea to start gathering information about availability and pricing. 

Planning an elopement can look quite a bit different from planning a wedding and you can dive more into how to plan an elopement in Las Vegas here! 

I know planning a wedding is a lot to take on! My hope is that this guide gives you a starting place and gives you both things to think about and discuss!

Las Vegas Wedding Photographer

Looking for a Las Vegas wedding photographer? I’m Katelyn and I’m a local to Las Vegas! I would love to chat with you about your Vegas wedding or elopement. Get in touch with me here!