You said yes when the ring was placed on your finger and then the tears of happiness flowed, words of love were said to one another and you forgot where you were and what was going on! That’s right, you just got engaged! Congratulations!

Now what do you do?

1. First thing, tell both of your parents. Then tell other close family members and friends. After you have told people close to you it’s okay to post in social media land! I highly suggest holding off posting that picture of your new bling until those closest to you have found out.
2. Enjoy the next couple of weeks with your new fiancé, because that precious time you guys have together now, might change when the wedding planning starts.
3. Think, think, and think some more! Look at online websites; check out the best wedding blogs, magazines, call friends who recently got married, and start to envision what you want for your wedding. Does a Catholic mass and very traditional, formal wedding fit your personalities? Maybe you two love to bike & hike, which is pretty casual. Maybe casual is more your style.
4. How shiny is that bling on your finger? You may want to insure that thing. Get it appraised professionally then call your renters or homeowners insurance and see if you can add the ring to your insurance. Also, this is the time to size the ring if it doesn’t fit correctly.
5. Before setting a date, budgeting, or purchasing anything, you need to figure out what kind of wedding size you want. This is when you go to both sets of parents and ask what their ideal guest list looks like. Then you and your fiancé need to sit down and come up with your own ideal guest list. The larger your list, the larger your budget will to be!
6. Before you set the date, come up with a wedding budget including the honeymoon. This may be the time to talk to both sets of parents to see if and how they would like to contribute. Too many couples set a date not realizing they chose a prime date that will give little to no bargaining power when hiring vendors for a wedding.
7. Now that you know your wedding budget, you can choose a date (could just be the time of year at this point) and spread the word to get feedback. Once you feel comfortable choosing for example a spring wedding, you can narrow down a month. Once you know what month you want to marry, start looking at venues and check out the availability for that month. This will give you the info you need to choose an exact date.
8. Once you know you are ready to start planning, put a deposit down on the venue that you fall in love with. If you have a healthy budget ($15,000 +) then seriously, hire a professional event planner! This will save you money, time, headaches, stress, excessive moodiness, horrible temper tantrums, and horrible ailments caused from planning a wedding! Find someone you like, trust, has good reviews, has experience and can show you their experience, works with a solid contract, can prove to you they can save you money, and post all the details they will cover for you in that amazing contract!
9. Work out a finalized wedding budget with your new planner. Also, figure out your game plan and implement it with your planner and anyone else who is helping you!
10. Now that you have a game plan, and a wonderful planner helping you out, enjoy the journey! This experience should not be too stressful! Have fun; enjoy time with your bridal party, friends, and family. Don’t let the little things bother you; take each day to celebrate your love and cherish this journey.

This list can take a matter of a couple of weeks to months to accomplish. Move at the speed that you want to. Some couples choose to be engaged for a few weeks, while others choose to be engaged for a couple of years or more. There is no right or wrong, you and your fiancé make the rules!