You just got engaged and you have NO CLUE what to do after he puts that ring on your finger. Have no fear, Lauren is here (don't roll your eyes- it's supposed to be funny)! As I have said before, I only consider myself an expert on the topic of weddings because I am currently in the process of planning my own. I have just been through all of this, and am still going through it!
Some advice before we start:
1. Try to not get annoyed with everyone around you. They will all start to get on your nerves. Just take a chill pill and concentrate on the task at hand.
2. Give your mom something to do. My mom asks every other day "what can I do what can I do". She is trying to be very hands-off and let me make most of the decisions, and I love her for that, but then she doesn't feel like she is "a part" of the process. Give her one task a week and she will be happy.
3. Make your man do something. I give Cory a list every week. Sure he may have two things to do while I have eight, but it still helps, will take the stress off of you, and will make the process more about the two of you, and not just about you (Who am I kidding?! it is alllllll about the B-R-I-D-E) :]
4. Short engagement? You can do it! We are having a 6-month engagement. I will have a blog posting later to come about short engagements, so stick around. Also, email me if you have specific questions! Lebyrne3@gmail.com
5. Don't take everyone with you to every appointment. The smaller amount of people, the better. Just trust me on that one. Goes for dress shopping as well!
6. Talk to friends and acquaintances who are in the process of planning their wedding or have gotten married in the past few years. Ask them about their vendors. They may be able to put you in contact with your future florist, and they might have some great advice for your big day.
7. Do not buy a $45 wedding binder. I repeat! Do not buy a $45 wedding binder! Go to borders, write down the different sections that are in one of those binders. Go to Target. Spend less that $10 and make your own wedding binder.
8. Marriage counseling. Just do it.
9. Get a wedding etiquette book. You don't have to purchase one- you can rent one from your local library.
10. Make your dad go to an appointment with you. If he wants to be super involved and go to all of the appointments, then you can decide what ones to bring him to. It will be a special moment. Was for me at least.
That's all the advice I have for now, but there is still a lot more from where that came from! Now, you really just need to know where to start-
1. BUDGET. You must figure out your budget before you do anything. How can you start dress shopping if you don't know if you can spend $500 or $7000?
2. When do you want to get married? Decide on a season, then decide on a year, then pick out 4 different weekends. You will need a few different dates to choose from if you are having a short engagement or if the venues you are looking at are popular
3. Start gathering information about different venues for the ceremony and reception. Search online and talk to friends. Think outside the box! For example, try a local winery and ask them if there are any vineyards in town.
--- Once you have the date and the venue everything will start to fall into place. I had a few married friends say that to me, and at the time I was stressing out and being a crazy bride. But, they were right. Everything was easier after the date and venue were set.
Read my next blog post to see what to do next! As always, email me Lebyrne3@gmail.com, leave a comment, and follow me on twitter @laurenbyrne3
