Just engaged: What to do next

So you’ve just gotten engaged. Congratulations! The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Although everything feels surreal, immediately after getting engaged you’re likely to feel a mixture of excitement, happiness, and maybe panic. The excitement of becoming engaged is undeniable, however, it can also be extremely daunting at the same time. Suddenly your mind is flooded with a million questions, who do I tell first? Do I like my ring? When is it appropriate to start the wedding planning process? But thankfully we have you covered.

We’ve put together a list of the first things you need to think about after they’ve popped the question, so you can skip the panic stage and go straight to enjoying being engaged to the love of your life.

Take a moment to let it sink in

As mentioned earlier there will most likely be hundreds of emotions swirling around both of your heads the first few moments after you get engaged. Take a few hours, or even the whole day to spend with your significant other basking in the excitement and happiness you’re feeling. Let it be a little secret the two of you share before announcing the happy news to everyone else.

Tell family and close friends

Okay, so you’ve let it sink in and you’re ready to tell the world. Firstly hold off on the social media post just yet. Your best friend and future mother in-law definitely don’t want to find out you’re engaged via Instagram stories, trust us. Some of your family may already know about your engagement if your other half asked them for permission first, or needed an opinion on rings, but they still want to hear the official announcement from you. We suggest you tell your entire family first and then let close friends know directly from you too.  

Get your ring re-sized and insured

Unless you are extremely lucky or your husband/wife knows your ring size, chances are you’re going to have to get it re-sized, or if worst comes to worst changed completely. We recommended doing this as soon as you can to avoid discomfort or it potentially falling off. While you are getting it re-sized, make sure to get it insured too. For most of us it is likely the most expensive thing you will wear every day so give yourself some peace of mind and get that shiner insured ASAP.

Announce it on social media

Right, now the ring is all sorted you can blast it on all your social media platforms for everyone to see. This means that all the people that you might not speak to regularly will get to know the great news. When it comes to how to post, keep things simple. A couple pic or a snap of your ring will do. We also suggest keeping posts to a minimum because as much as you and your inner circle might care, your 500 Facebook friends you haven’t spoken to since high-school won't necessarily want their newsfeeds flooded with your snaps.

Don’t jump into wedding planning straight away

As tempting as it may be, hold off on the planning straight away. Just enjoy the next few months being engaged and introducing your other half as ‘fiancé’ as many times as possible. We aren’t saying don’t think about the wedding; just don’t get stressed about the details just yet, because you’ll have plenty of time for that in the coming months we promise.

Plan an engagement party/ get together

Although we recommend holding off on wedding planning straight away, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan an engagement party. Organise a get together with close family and friends to celebrate your engagement. It doesn’t have to be super formal but a nice dinner or party with some champagne and maybe a few decorations will suffice. Consider booking a private or group dining space for a more intimate celebration. Just remember as a rule, if you aren’t going to invite them to the wedding, you probably shouldn’t invite them to the engagement party either.   

Have a casual browse

It is probably about time to dust off your secret Pinterest board you never used to admit to having and maybe have a flick through a wedding magazine or two, just to get a feel for the kind of things you would like. This is the fun bit because the possibilities on Pinterest, when it comes to weddings, are endless.  

Talk about budget

Now back to reality, let’s talk budget. It’s a topic nobody wants to talk about but this step is crucial, because weddings are expensive. Sit down with your partner and if your parents are helping pay, them too, and discuss realistic budgets and how long it will take to save for your wedding. As uncomfortable as it may be, you’ll get a much better gage on what you can and can’t have at your wedding once you’ve talked it through.

Think about a potential wedding date and timeline

Once your budget is set and you have a time scope to start saving, start thinking about potential dates for the big day. Do you want a summer or winter wedding? How long do you need to plan your dream wedding? Everyone will want to pitch in on this bit and pick the date that best suits them, but it is important to remember, as close as they may be to you, the date has to suit the two of you. And just think once you’ve set a date, you’ll actually be able to answer the ‘so when’s the wedding?’ question without wanting to rip your hair out.  

Get a wedding planner or organiser

The last thing to do before you go into full on wedding planning mode is decide whether you want to plan the wedding yourself, in which case we suggest getting a wedding organiser to keep everything together and focused, or will you be hiring a wedding planner to take the pressure off you a little bit. Either option is great, but just be wary that wedding planners get booked up quickly so if that’s the route you’re picking get that sorted as soon as you can. The last tip we can give is that wedding planning can be stressful but don’t get too bogged down on the details. Remember, at the end of the day it’s primarily about you and your partner not just the glitz and glamour of the event itself.  

For when you do eventually start the planning process, why not go for a unique and unusual wedding venue?