Where to Start When You're Newly Engaged?

If you're reading this and you just got engaged, huge congratulations to you both!

Remember to take time for you both to simply enjoy being newly engaged, friends and family will be asking you a million questions, that quite frankly you probably won't have the answers to right now, there's no harm in savouring your newly engaged status before starting to make plans.

Once you're ready to start thinking of planning your big day, we've got tonnes of helpful wedding planning tips for you.

Credit: Keeley Wedding Films

Get your Ring Sized and Insured

Least exciting thing to do we know, but trust us you will thank us later. So many brides/grooms-to-be are so excited to show off their sparkler that they that dismiss the fact that it's too big/small or even worse completely forget to insure it. 

You can easily add it to your home insurance, and it costs less than you think to do this. Avoid the heartache of damaging or losing your ring by getting it resized as soon as you can. Yes, you can get a replacement but it won't hold that sentimental value so we urge you to make this top of your priority list. 

Image: Unsplash

Pin your Dream Day

You may have already secretly started doing this long before the proposal and we don't blame you there is nothing like being organised for one of the most important days of your life! For those of you that haven't started you don't need to figure it all out straight away it's just a great way to get a feel for what you both like and dislike.

Set up Pinterest boards within boards to save the images for colour schemes, tablescapes, flowers etc.. separately, that way you can stay organised and it's so much easier to look back on.

Just remember with Pinterest and any other social media for that matter, most of the photos will be taken from styled photoshoots so they look perfect, don't fixate on this perfection - it's not real life. 

Our Pinterest is brimming with ideas and inspiration if you fancy taking a look, visit here.

Decide on your Bridal Party

Maid of honour, bridesmaids, bridesmen and groomsmen are the backbone to your big day. The extra man power will help with those all important decisions, and also provide great ideas. Trust us you you will need a fresh set of eyes and someone who is good at reining you in when you get carried away.

Get a date in the diary when you can all meet up and you can pop the question to them.  You could make your maid of honour and bridesmaids feel extra special by creating a proposal box, we've got some really great 'Will You Be My Maid of Honour' confetti pops and  'Will You Be My Bridesmaid' confetti pops. They are lots of fun and make for some cracking photographs.

Image: 'Will you be my Maid of Honour?' confetti pops

Research your Venues

Remember you can't book a date until you have booked your venue! However, we would recommend not rushing into anything until you have a clear idea in your head of what you want from the venue.  Afterall, this will be the base for your day and the backdrop for those all-important wedding photographs. You want loved ones to feel at home so memories can be created to last a lifetime.

Not sure where to start? Visit websites such as Rock My Wedding, UK Bride, Hitched, Whimsical Wonderland Weddings and Love My Dress  to help you get started, you can search your venue by type (from barns, castles to country homes) and locations. You will also be able to research other reliable and quality suppliers there too!

Top Tip - It's a good idea to have a rough idea of your guest list number before you go exploring venues, there is nothing worse than going to visit your dream venue and then realising they can't accommodate your guest list number.

Agree on the Theme

Your partner may have give you full reign on this (excellent if so) but if they haven't its best to outline what you both want and then compromise, knowing the time of year you want to get married will really help with this. Pastels are popular for summer and rich and deep colours like burgundy and orange are perfect for autumn.  The colours you use to decorate your wedding should be in line with the overall theme you have chosen, for example if you are going for the highly popular Bridgerton theme then think soft pastels and wedgewood blue color palette for table runners and linens. These colour would look fantastic with lush green foliage. A great tip is to go for a colour palette of 3 colours (or more) that work well together. By having a selection of colours will make it easier to source items for your big day.

If you've got a really bright colour in your palette like orange or yellow, you might want to use this as an accent colour instead of the main event. By having a colour palette at this stage it will also help when you start talking to suppliers on your ideas.

Discuss Budget

Our Pinterest boards don't have a budget and that's great, but the reality is you need to set one in order to avoid disappointment. Then keep to this budget by putting everything onto spreadsheets, this will honestly reduce your stress levels  - we promise!

Make a list of all the things/suppliers you think you need. Eg. Photographer, cake maker, dress, catering, flowers, etc. Give yourself a realistic budget for everything and figure out how much you need to create your ideal wedding. There might be somethings you realise you could save money and do yourself, but either way be realistic.

On your spreadsheet make sure to add your suppliers name and contact and due dates for payments, this will save a lot of panicking when you get closer to your big day. Plus it will be really easy to give the contact details to a bridesmaid or member of the bridal squad to iron out any issues on the day.

Image: Unsplash

Plan an Engagement party

This isn't a must however, after the last two years of missing out with our loved ones we think this magical moment definitely deserves a party with your most nearest and dearest. It doesn't have to be a big bash, a few cheeseboards and drinks at home or meet at your all-time favourite restaurant. Just make sure you enjoy this time with your loved ones, most likely the next big get together with everyone will be on the big day and you may not get a chance to have a good old chinwag! 

You can even have a test run confetti moment, with our 'Hooray! We're Engaged!' confetti pops.

Image: 'Hooray We're Engaged!' Pops 

Enjoy, Just the Two of You! 

Finally the most important part... whatever you enjoy doing together, bowling, camping, bike ride, a weekend at the coast make sure to take time out just you two to reconnect and have a good old laugh together. It is easy to become consumed with the wedding plans and it can get stressful at times, having that time together will be really beneficial and help you remember why you're tying the knot in the first place! For more wedding related tips and advice explore our blog.

If you're wondering when to order your biodegradable petal confetti, you can order months in advance with our Delayed Delivery service and have your petals sent out 3-6 weeks before your wedding. Or if your wedding is less than 3 months away you can order for immediate delivery. For more petal advice visit our FAQ's page. 

Happy Wedding Planning! Love SP Xx