And if you prefer to read, here's the summary of the podcast episode!

These 6 items will give you a great foundation to help you tackle all those wedding planning decisions. As long as you keep them in mind, you will be refreshed, relaxed and ready to party when your wedding day finally arrives.

Step 1: Relish that “Just Engaged” Glow

Really. Being engaged is a fun, happy, special time. Drink champagne, have people take you out to celebrate, get a manicure while you look at your ring. 

If you’re a guy and you don’t have a ring, do something else that makes you feel pampered and special. 

This is the one time in your life that everyone’s going to be about you and your partner, so live it up!

Also, if you listened to Episode 36: 6 Things to Do Before You Get Engaged, you might have already started doing some wedding planning research. If you haven’t, definitely go back to that episode too. 

Recently engaged? Use our Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist for all your wedding to-do's.

Step 2: Pick 3 adjectives to describe your wedding

This step is super important. Pick 3 adjectives you want to describe your wedding. These words will act as a compass throughout the wedding planning process. 

These words can describe how you want to feel on your day and the mood and environment you want to create. What emotions do you want your guests to feel? What do you want people to say about it? While you're wedding planning, remember these words. They will guide you in your decision-making process and will help narrow your choices. Listen to the episode for a long list of possible list of words you can use.

Step 3: Pick 3 words to describe the wedding planning process

Now that you've done Step 2, it's time to pick 3 words that you want to carry and keep with you while you plan your wedding. If you start to feel lost, overwhelmed, or stressed, remember these words as they should help you bring you back to what you wanted to experience at this time. IF you're not experiencing them, it's time to take a step back and analyze what's really going on. 

Some words could be:

• Effortless
• Exciting
• Fun
• Joyful

Step 4: Pick 3 goals or priorities for your wedding

Like Steps 2 and 3, these 3 goals are important during the decision-making process of wedding planning. They will provide focus and remind you of your priorities when choosing between vendors, decor options, favors, etc. Unless you have an unlimited budget, you will need to prioritize and identify your negotiables and non-negotiables, what’s most important for you and what would be nice to have?

It also helps if you discuss these goals with your future spouse to make sure you’re both on the same page. It can be hard if you want a really elegant five-course meal and they want a $15,000 band and you have to choose between the two. So make sure you talk about your priorities.

Love the pretty details? Organize that messy Pinterest board into a cohesive mood board with our Mood Board Template.

Step 5: Discuss with your partner your BUDGET and GUEST LIST

In wedding planning, these two go hand-in-hand and significantly affect each other. If you listened to Episode 36, you’ll remember that I said it was okay to start thinking about BOTH of these items prior to your engagement.

Your budget will grow exponentially with your guest list so it's important to know what you're comfortable spending. 

If your parents or anyone else is contributing to the wedding, discuss with them what they're comfortable spending. They might have dreams or certain wishes for your wedding, as well, and if they’re helping pay for it, you'll need to consider their wishes, as well.

Need help budgeting your wedding expenses? Use our Wedding Budget Bundle so you can stop stressing if you can afford that vendor you've been stalking.

Step 6: Seriously consider hiring a wedding planner.

Yes, I also talked about this a lot in Episode 36 but for a good reason. A good wedding planner will save you a ton of time, money, headache, and stress. Once they know your goals, they can identify the right venues and vendors that fit with your vision and your budget because it’s their job to know a variety and to advise you on what works with your budget and who can best execute what you have in mind.

In the last 2 years, I've helped couples re-schedule their weddings while keeping their entire vendor team intact. I’ve advocated for my couples when a venue’s force majeure policy was one-sided and they penalized my couples even though social gatherings of more than 20 people weren't permitted! 

I’ve also sourced tablecloths four days before a wedding because the linen company didn't have the ones we ordered 6 months earlier.

Needless to say, in every single situation, all my couples were grateful they had an advocate that fought for them when the situation was dire and they didn’t know what to do. (Some didn't even know about the problem until I had solved it!)

Conclusion: What to do after you get engaged!

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