Congratulations!

You’re engaged! Now what? From my own personal experience and through walking along brides during their engagement I have created a list of the top things to get you started on your wedding planning. Whether you’ve been dreaming of this day your whole life, or you don’t even know where to start here are a few tips to get the party started!

1. Take advantage of free dessert…. I mean celebrate!!

Now this might seem like a no brainer, but celebrate and keep celebrating throughout your engagement! Take the time to soak in this moment and enjoy time with your new fiancé! Make sure to keep having lots of date nights and designate certain nights a “no wedding talk” night. Kyle and I are very competitive and like to turn things into a game. So make it high stakes! If anyone talks wedding first they pay for dinner! Also be sure tell everyone you just got engaged, because trust me, there will be free dessert, lots and lots of free dessert!!

Call Mom and Dad!
Or whoever else is important to you!

Before posting pictures or updating your relationship status call the ones you love! They want to hear the news from you personally and there’s nothing like celebrating exciting news as you hear family and friends screaming and singing for joy on the other end. (or maybe that’s just my family :P)
The day Kyle proposed to me we got to Facetime both of our parents (who lived on opposite coasts at the time) Even though they couldn’t be there in person it was so good to see their faces and feel their joy and excitement for us!

If your ring is not already insured add it to your policy ASAP!

If you’re like me, you don’t want to spend your time worrying about your new beautiful ring getting stolen, lost, or damaged! Most renter/home owners insurance does not include this in their policy. You generally need to get your ring added to an existing policy or add a new one. I did not ensure my ring and when Kyle and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon I was so paranoid about my ring. I’d take it off when we went to the beach and hide it in the car. Then the whole time I was worried about the car getting broken into! It’s much better to have peace of mind and just get it ensured!!

4. Inspiration  

There are so many choices to make when planning a wedding. Having an inspiration board will help you develop a clear and organized vision for your wedding day. Small and rustic? Elegant and large? Or somewhere in between? Trust me, there are pins for it all! This is also a great way to share your vision with anyone helping to plan the wedding. 

Don’t pick a date until you know…Venue, Photographer, or Family Events

Decide what is most important before you pick a date! Kyle and I wanted a short engagement and had planned to get married in August. Well my amazing sister-in-law was going to be giving birth to her third child and would not be able to fly out for the wedding if it was in August. It was an easy choice to move our date to October so they could be there. We are so glad we did because it wouldn’t have been the same without them!
If you have been dreaming of a specific location or drooling over a gorgeous venue, call to see when they are available and then book your date! The same goes for a photographer! If you have your eyes set on a specific photographer that you really want to document your special day contact them to see when they are available.

I hope these were helpful to you and your wedding planning! Have fun and don’t forget to tell everyone the good news of your engagement because…FREE DESSERT!!

Here’s to living life to the fullest,
Kari Joy Kuschel
Kari Joy Photography