5 Things to Do Once You're Engaged | Fine Art Portrait and Wedding Photographer

HAPPY WEDDING WEEK to Amanda and Greg! To kick off this celebratory week, I am sharing their romantic engagement session in Mapleton, Utah County AND 5 things to do once you’re engaged!

Because let’s be honest, as soon as you’ve got a ring on it all the questions come chiming in: “When are you getting married? Have you picked a date? Where are you getting married? What should I wear?”. It’s a lot to take in all at once, but hopefully I can help alleviate some of the stress by helping you get off on the right foot!

5 Things to Do Once You’re Engaged

First thing’s first- if you are recently engaged, CONGRATULATIONS! What a beautiful season of life you get to embrace with your sweetheart! Just a helpful tip- Try not to stare at the ring on your finger while driving, haha!

1.) Become “Pin-spired” – In other words, spend time on Pinterest creating a vision board. Pinterest is such a great resource to help you get a solid visual of what you would like to see at your wedding. Maybe you already did this while waiting with anticipation for that ring, but just in case, here are some things to consider while thinking through your wedding day vision: What colors do we like? Do we want an indoor or outdoor wedding? Would we like to have my ceremony and reception in the same space? What time of year do we envision our wedding taking place? Do we want a large gathering or an intimate gathering? What type of ambience would we like to offer our guests? What style wedding gowns do I adore?

2.) Set a Budget – This is especially important. Are your parents paying for the wedding or are you and your fiance paying for all of it? Sit down with your fiance and/or your parents and decide on a number. Then, keep your budget in mind every step of the way. If you are willing to splurge in certain areas, make sure you are both in agreement of which areas those are and just how much extra you are willing to give toward it (live band, wedding dress, etc.).

3.) Set a Date – Decide on the date you would like to get married on. If you’re eyeing a certain venue or two, call and make sure your date is available. Something to keep in mind is this: Friday night weddings are always cheaper than Saturday night weddings. If your wedding is local and most of your guests are local too, you can really save some big bucks by booking a Friday night wedding.

4.) Hire Vendors You Trust – I cannot stress this enough. Take your time meeting with vendors so that you can hire the ones you love and trust the most. One of the absolute most important vendors that will be vital to your entire wedding day experience is your wedding planner. If you are currently planning to do it alone or designate a family member as your wedding planner, please reconsider! Your wedding planner will be your hands and feet during the entire process. They will help you find vendors who will go above and beyond for you. They will act as a mediator when you and your parents are not in agreement about something. They will help you meet your wedding vision needs within your budget. They will handle all of the behind-the-scenes chaos of your wedding day so that you can rest easy and truly enjoy your day. They will correspond with each and every one of your vendors about every detail, big or small, so that you can focus on your engagement instead of your inbox. A great wedding planner is invaluable. They will help way for one of the most memorable days of your life. Don’t go without one!

Another invaluable vendor to your wedding experience is your photographer. A great wedding photographer will also act as your hands and feet and make sure that the most important moments of one of your most important days are captured.

5.) Don’t Lose Sight of the Bigger Picture – At the end of the day, remember the most important piece of your wedding is the fact that you are getting married! Your wedding day moments are the very first heartbeats of of your marriage to the love of your life and the covenant you are making to one other is the only true reason for this day. As you reflect on this everything else will fade into perspective. Nobody knows (or cares) how much you stressed about garden roses versus blush roses…or mix-matching your bridesmaid dresses versus everyone wearing the same thing. Details are a ton of fun, but they pale in comparison to the true reason of the day: your vows to one another and the start of life together!