Engaged! Now What? Your Top 3 To-Do's
The bling has been placed. The YES! Has been said. Bask in the glow and relax before you do anything else babes! When you are ready, here’s what to do next.
First step: Enjoy being engaged. A lot of people are going to be pressuring you to pick a date and get planning. Unless you have a solid reason to put a deadline on your wedding plans, I’d advise basking in this glow before you start wedding planning. Why? Because your engagement is a major milestone that deserves it’s own time. You and your beloved need to do a lot of talking and sharing of dreams and goals. Plus the un-fun part of figuring out things like budget and logistics is coming. This is the time to do relax and enjoy. Wedding planning can be frankly stressful. You get to be a fiance’ for a very short time before you become a spouse. Soak it up. This is a season that deserves its own celebration and time.
Ready to start planning? Deep breath. Here we go! Pick your season, choose your venue, set a budget, and see what dates are available. On average one wedding venue can take up to 25% of your overall wedding budget, so choose wisely. Need help? Professional wedding photographers can point you to truly beautiful and unique venues. I've photographed everywhere from 5 star hotels to coffee shops. The average wedding in the US in 2020 came with a whopping cost of $33,900. Weddings in 2020 were truly unique. Which leads us to… ME. Yes. I am a professional wedding photographer.
Your top 2 wedding vendors that will book most quickly are your venue, and your photographer! Got your date and location? It’s time to pick your memory keeper. Your wedding photographer will most likely be the person whom you look back to the most in the years following your wedding. They will be with you all day and are responsible for providing images that honor your love. Choose wisely! Look at portfolios. Pick your top 3 wedding photography candidates, and see if they can be there for you. My best advice is PLEASE don't choose on budget alone. A professional wedding photographer can take up to 25% of an overall wedding budget. Why? For every hour a wedding photographer spends with you they have an average of 4-6 hours of work on the back end. One engagement and wedding is easily 40+ hours of work for your photographer, and rightfully so. This includes editing, answering questions, meetings, coordinating vendors and more!
I hope these top 3 to-do's helped you relax and plan your big day. If you need me, you know where to find me! hopestudiosphoto@gmail.com