It’s finally happened, you’re engaged!! Major congrats friend, I’m sure you’re SO excited and can’t even wait to start planning your big day! Though, understandably, you probably have no clue where to even begin when it comes to planning a wedding – which is why I’m here to help!

Now, I’m no wedding planner, but I’ve been in the wedding industry for over 7 years now, and I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of how things work!

Below, I’ve listed out the first 5 steps you should take after getting engaged to help you with wedding planning.

#1 – Celebrate your Engagement!

First and foremost, celebrate your engagement and enjoy it! Before rushing into planning, I highly suggest soaking it all in and celebrating! This is an incredible time in your life and a very special part of your story, enjoy it!

#2 – Get Organized!

Now, I don’t know about you – but I’m someone who works 1000x better when I’m organized. This is why I suggest making this your first step! Planning a wedding involves lots of moving parts so having a plan and keeping things organized can help tremendously! I suggest starting out with purchasing a physical wedding planner (this is my favorite one).

Then, comes the most important factor – picking your wedding date + location! I put these two together because they go hand-in-hand with each other. I suggest deciding on the location you want first and then going off of what weather you’d prefer for your wedding day – picking your date! Here are my favorite Nashville Venues!

#3 – Hire a wedding planner.

My number one tip for all couples who don’t want to be overly stressed during the wedding planning process will always be to hire a wedding planner. I get it, you may be like me and be a perfectionist and like to do everything yourself – but a wedding planner will have tips, tricks, and vendor reccomendations you would’ve never thought about. Remember, they are experts in this industry, and having one will go a long way. My favorite in Nashville is Knoble Events.

#4 – Hire a photographer.

Aside from your venue and your planner, your wedding photographer should be at the top of your list for vendors to hire. Most wedding photographers (including myself) book out a year in advance, some even further than that. So, if you want to be sure to snag your dream photographer – the sooner the better. On top of their availability, a lot of wedding photographers will also give you a hand in the planning process (I absolutely love helping my couples with planning!). So having them secured early on can help you in more ways than one.

If you’re still on the hunt for your perfect match I’d love to chat. Reach out here, and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

#5 – Plan your engagement photos!

Next up on this list, plan your engagement photos! While I’m sure you’re incredibly excited about this part (and your photographer is, too!), engagement photos can be necessary depending on what style you’re going for, when it comes to getting save the dates out. On average, most save-the-dates get sent out anywhere from 8-12 months in advance.

Check out a few of my favorite engagement sessions below:

I wish you the absolute best during this amazing season of life!

If you think we’d be a good match, I’d love to chat about your wedding day, here.

x B