What Advice Would You Give Newly Engaged Couples?
We reached out to a few of the experts in the industry to share the advice they would give newly engaged couples and here is what they said!
“Take some time to enjoy being engaged. Once you are ready to start planning, stay up late talking about both of your visions and priorities for your wedding day. Give your parents time to gather their expectations and compare how those fit with your own. So many couples jump straight into planning and don’t take time to actually dream and determine what would best fit them.” – Alex Chalk, Taylor’d Events Group
“Before you start any of the planning process sit down with both family and discuss how many guests and finances. It not always comfortable to talk money but having a clear understanding of how much money everyone will be contributing to the wedding will allow for a smoother planning process. Once you are done discussing the budget, you can start having fun planning all the details.” – Heather Jones, Wente Vineyards
“Being a photographer, this is easy! Of course there are many things to think about when you get engaged but make sure you put hiring a photographer at the top of your list. You certainly need a venue, a dress, a wedding cake, and flowers but when it’s all said and done all you have left to remember your special day are your photographs. Make sure you choose a professional, someone with experience, knowledge and know-how. When it comes to photographers you can usually stand by the ‘you get what you pay for’ mentality. So even though your Aunt Kathy just bought a new Nikon, she takes great photos of her cat, and said she do it for next to nothing plus drinks, it’s not a good idea to go cheap on your wedding photos.” – Jason Turner, Turner Photography Studio
“Each of you should look at a list of things that you need for your wedding and individually put them in order of importance. Once you have each list you know what is important to the other person and you can divide up responsibilities. For example, if music is the most important to your fiancé then let him/her handle booking the music. Alternately, if flowers are at the end of the importance list then don’t drag him/her to floral meetings. This not only helps keep each other involved, it won’t feel like one or the other is taking on all of the responsibility.” – Kim Sayatovic, Belladeux Event Design
Photo Credit: Stephanie Yonce Photography
“Before you start planning anything take the time to sit down and discuss what is important to you both about the wedding, what you want and why. All your decisions and actions going forward will all stem from this foundation. It’s really important to have a solid understanding (and agreement) before you start making plans and spending money, time and effort creating your wedding.” – Jamie Chang, Passport to Joy
“Relax and find the best professionals you can work with, so that your day will be wonderful! Find the professionals that you “click” with. It’s not just about money, it’s about you feeling at ease so you can not only enjoy the day but the process along the way.” – Christi Lopez, Bergerons Flowers
“Do your homework! Planning a wedding is a lovely, yet intense process, and while loved ones’ advice on the topic is always (well hopefully) from the heart, it’s always best to listen to your own. Put in the time researching wedding professional’s reviews rather than heeding the pearls of wisdom being hurled at you from every direction. Once you’ve done your homework, trusting your choices and decisions based on sound reviews and your gut instinct, you are sure to plan the event of the season!” – Paula Ramirez, Historic Mankin Mansion
“When you first get engaged it’s easy to charge head first into color palettes, dress shopping, and swoon worthy flowers. But before you get ahead of yourself, sit down with your significant other and determine the MOST important parts of your wedding. Maybe it’s an open bar, photography, or location. Regardless you can jump on the budget, allocate funds appropriately, and plan a seamless day from the start.” – Kaysha Weiner, Kaysha Weiner Photographer
What advice would you give newly engaged couples? What did you learn from planning your own wedding? Let us know in the comments!
