Just Got Engaged? The Six Things You Need to Do First
Congratulations, you just got engaged! As a new fiancé, you might be wondering, “I just got engaged—now what?” Before you start to stress, we’re here to help. It can be overwhelming to think about all the tasks and decisions that come with planning a wedding. However, there are a few key things that every newly engaged couple should do as soon as possible to set themselves up for success.
1. Share the Good News
Just got engaged? Time to share the exciting news! When you’re ready to share, you likely want to fill in your parents, immediate family and close friends first before blasting the news on social media. Once the VIPs are in the loop, you can go public with your “just engaged” post maybe by sharing a ring selfie on social media for all to swoon!
2. Celebrate Your Engagement
It is important to take a moment to celebrate and enjoy this special time together. This might mean going out for a fancy dinner, popping open a bottle of champagne, or simply spending some quality time together basking in the excitement of your engagement. You don’t have to jump into wedding planning when you’re just engaged—in fact, we encourage couples to take some time to relax before the planning process begins. Discuss whether you want to host an engagement party with your nearest and dearest or plan for engagement photos!
3. Get Organized
Once you have had a chance to celebrate, it is time to start thinking about the practical aspects of your wedding planning. We recommend utilizing our Free Wedding Planning Tools Library to keep everything in one place.
Once you have a vision, you’ll be better prepared to select a date and venue, as well as your team of pros. Our tool library will also help you manage the less-glamorous planning details, like your budget breakdown and the status of RSVPs. Get access below!
4. Focus on the Ring
Get it sized
In case your fiance took a wild guess at your ring size — that’s cool — just take your new sparkler to the jeweler where it was purchased or a trusted one to make sure it’s the perfect fit. It will be hard to part with but sizing should only take a few hours to a day.
Get it insured
Talk to an insurance agent about coverage in case your ring or its stones ever need to be repaired or replaced. Get an appraisal by a jeweler. See if you can add your ring to your existing homeowner’s or renter’s policy; if not, set up a separate policy. Find out whether you are covered if the ring is lost, stolen, or damaged, what stipulations there are if any, and how long the claims process takes.
5. Start Talking: When, Where, Who
Time of Year
Have a loose idea of when you want to get married. Once the word is out, expect lots of questions, including “When are you getting married?” so, have an idea in mind, at least a time of year. “Fall of next year” or “Spring of 2024”, “We want a New Years Eve wedding” — it’ll help give you and your fiancé direction and buy you time before you set an official date.
Wedding Style
You might have different ideas about the size, location, and style of the wedding. Talk about the most important aspects of the wedding day to you both – perhaps it’s food, headcount, location, music, or hiring a professional wedding videographer. This will really help you figure out how to put together your budget later down the line if you know where your priorities are. Discuss the idea of having a theme: Casual? Formal? Intimate?Rustic? Golf course? Private residence? Unique location, such as a museum or zoo?
Wedding Party
Bridal Party: write down some names of your closest friends and family, and get an IDEA OF who you want by your side.
6. Draft a Guest List (yes, already!)
Just start writing down the names of the people you KNOW you want at your wedding! Don’t think about money or venue capacity right now, do it for the process. You can label your must-haves as your A-list, your would-like-to-haves as your B-list, and your ‘meh, not the end of the world if they weren’t there’ as your C-list.
That way, you know you have a little flexibility when it comes to venue hunting for capacity and budget for food and drink.
