So you’ve just gotten engaged….what now?

So you’ve just gotten engaged! Hooray! So, what do you do next? You celebrate, That’s what! You round up the family, the friends, break open the bubbly, flash your new bling and you celebrate good & hard! Then, when the celebrating is over, let the dust settle a little and over the next few weeks you can start thinking about exactly what is it you want on your big day.

Discuss ideas between the two of you, get a rough indication of what kind of day you both want, guest numbers and what kind of budget you have for the day. Will It be a church or a civil ceremony? Decide on your theme or how exactly you picture the day looking and once you have those few points hashed out, and only then, do you go and find your venue. There is little point looking at venues until you have an idea of numbers, budget and what kind of ceremony or theme you want because a lot of what the venue has to offer will be based on just that.

Do a bit of research and email any venues you’re interested in. They’ll send you price lists and based on that you can decide what’s doable and where is worth a visit. Be very realistic with what you want from your venue and when you do find somewhere that ticks all your boxes get everything discussed in writing. Some venues can have a revolving door of wedding coordinators so follow any conversation up with a written email just in case anything changes along the way.

Once you’ve established your venue you can start to relax a little. After that it’ll be booking the big suppliers for the day – photographer, Videographer, band, hair dresser, makeup artist along with whatever else you desire. But, what I will say is go about all this gradually. Booking so many areas all at once gives you little time to research each area properly and may result in choosing a supplier without having all the relevant details. After you’ve booked your venue, pull back and give yourself a couple of weeks to let it sink in. Then, gradually, start researching your suppliers. I always advise to go with suppliers that have been recommended by someone who has physically used them or someone you have witnessed in action first hand. Most of my bridal makeup bookings are from past bridesmaids, sisters of past brides who have experienced first hand what I do. My brothers group of friends have all used the same photographer (Siobhan Byrne) because she’s amazing, they’ve all seen her in action and gorgeous results. Don’t be swayed too much by fancy websites and beautiful imagery, word of mouth is the most reliable source and if you don’t have that then consult google! Give yourself a bit of time on each supplier and don’t feel you need to rush into anything. Planning a wedding can be extremely overwhelming and can take over a little if you let it. Don’t let it. Go at it gradually and get your bridal party to help also, they don’t call them bridesMAIDS for nothing!

The main thing is to enjoy the whole experience. I see brides overly worked up on the morning of their big day because they’re trying to organise 50 different things at once. Do your homework, trust your judgement on the suppliers you’ve booked and on the big day, let them create the magic!