Newly engaged? Congratulations!!! What an exciting moment for you and your partner – so take a deep breath and then we can dive into the first things to do after you’re engaged. Let’s be real: wedding planning is stressful! There’s so much to work through, decide on, pick out, and plan. But, under all of those decisions, wedding planning is a celebration! Today, I want to share a few of the first things you should do after you’re engaged! I also want you to meet the incredible Blessing and Eric, who planned an intimate celebration in Baltimore  – and will help you remember what the most important things to focus on really are for your wedding day! 

The Wedding Planning Checklist 

After you’re engaged, it’s tempting to look at the whole list of things to do and try to tackle them at once. But the truth is that you have to start with a few key decisions first before the rest of your wedding planning can come together. Once you’ve processed your engagement and celebrated, the first thing to do is to answer a few questions. The biggest one is definitely what your budget will be. Sit down with your partner and anyone else contributing to the wedding financially, so you can determine where the top and bottom lines are for your budget. After you know your budget, you can start figuring out what time of year you want to get married if you don’t already have a date in mind. 

Once you know your date, picking a venue and photographer are the most important next tasks. Start to visit venues and find out what dates they have open. Know that they may not have the date you picked in your mind available. If that’s the case, see what’s around the date you wanted – or keep searching. Depending on the time of year, finding an exact date can be difficult. The spring and fall are notoriously busy times for wedding vendors! Once you find your dream venue, start inquiring with photographers you’re interested in. We book up QUICKLY especially during those peak times of year. After that, finding a dress, caterer, DJ and all of the other fun decisions will fall into place pretty quickly. Look at you – you’re planning your wedding already!! 

An Intimate Baltimore Wedding Day 

Blessing and Eric planned their wedding in the middle of the pandemic. In an effort to keep their planning simple and keep their event small, they decided to plan a simple but intimate court wedding date. After getting engaged, they were able to quickly check off picking that date, venue, and photographer! I was lucky enough to be with them when they said “I do” in the courtroom. Afterwards, we headed into downtown Baltimore for portraits together! When we were done with portraits, they met with their family to cut their cake and enjoy a first dance. Blessing and Eric then took off for Boston to celebrate! It was a sweet and intimate day that was perfect for them. 

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Whatever your dream wedding day looks like, starting with your budget, venue, and photographer is the best way to kick off wedding planning! And don’t forget, if you work with me as your wedding photographer, you’ll be gifted my incredible planning guide with over 50 pages of tips for your wedding day! Happy planning!!