Now that you have announced your engagement to your friends and family via every single social media outlet you have ever signed up for, everyone and their mother is asking that golden question “So when are you getting married, when is the wedding?”.

Before you have that never ending conversation that leads to you explaining all the details that you don’t even know yet, you should totally communicate with your soon to be spouse about some crucial aspects of wedding planning.

Decide what’s important to you and your partner; come to an agreement about the money you are about to spend. 

Maybe you both decide you want to save for your first home, so a lavish wedding is not part of the plan; maybe you have been saving for your wedding since you were 9 years old and ready to pull a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle extravaganza; or your parents have been waiting for this day since you were born so they are cutting the check. In either of these cases, you should be prepared to not just spend money on the wedding day but also the honeymoon and all the other attached “festivities” that lead up to and follow the actual wedding. Agree on your MAX budget for your entire Wedding experience vs. just the Wedding day. 

When are we getting married?

Make a decision on how soon you want to get married. No one said just because you are engaged that you need to get married in a month. Enjoy this time together and don’t make it ALL about planning. Rather decide on a time frame. “So, we’re getting married in a year, two years”. This way you can put together an actual plan and not feel stressed or pressured about planning a wedding. Just remember, once you come to terms with a timeline you need to make sure to start considering locations at LEAST a year from your ideal date. If you want to get married during peak wedding season, typically May through October, you’ll need at least a year and a half for some of the most sought after venues (and vendors), especially on a Saturday.

Bachelor Party and Bachelorette Party allowed or nah? LOL

SO we tell couples all the time it is crucial to establish this rule at the very beginning. Sounds crazy right? It’s not. You need to set parameters at the onset of planning for both of you on whether or not you want your partner to engage in these kinds of activities as part of the wedding tradition. Decide if you’re comfortable with a local excursion at a bar or if you are OK with your partner going to another state or out of the country with their squad. Your wedding party will be more focused on the planning of these events than the actual damn wedding so you’ll want to finalize what you and your partner would like to do from the gate. Maybe you’ll settle on a co-ed adventure? (AS IF) or just set some rules about what you’re comfortable with and what’s off the table.

Consider how much time off you’ll need. 

Many jobs offer time off for things like a death in the family or new baby, however when it comes to getting married and all the events that surround the wedding you should figure out just how much time off you will need. Between all the events that surround the wedding, the actual wedding, and the honeymoon, you need to plan accordingly and figure out what is realistic. What will your company allow based on your accrued vacation, personal, sick time or otherwise.

Who are we inviting?

Do you really need to invite your Aunt Linda’s cousin’s sister that you visited on your family vacation in 1995 when you were 4 years old? People tend to get out of control when it comes to invites. Is it important to you to show off a bit? Or maybe you both just have a big family. Be mindful of how many people you invite, their true position in your life and realize some may not attend. It really may not be necessary to invite everyone from work, your Instagram friends, and the dog groomer. In any case, you should expect a 15-20% drop off from your initial invite list which is industry standard. 

What do you think is important to discuss with your partner once you get engaged? Comment below. 

Until next time, Happy Wedding Planning!

Don’t forget to visit, https://thesocialsetters.com/startplanning to start planning your Engagement Party, Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties, Rehearsal Dinner, Dress Shopping Day, Honeymoon, Bridal Shower, Brunch, and much more!

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