Where to begin!?!?

Re: Where to begin!?!?

• Madisonpenny member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Well First off, breath.. you've only been engaged for a week. You have over a year to plan.
  Secondly, why dont you and your FI take the next week or 2 to ENJOY being engaged, with NO wedding talk.
  Third, your wedding date, if this date has importantce to you, then have it the day you chose, no one cares, but be prepared to pay more for certain things like flowers.
  As far as Colors, you have lots of time, but what you should focus right now is  on is the type of wedding you want. Do you guys want a outdoor or indoor ceremony and/or reception. Do you want a theme  like beach, "country", etc.. you can ahve whatever you want.
  once you chose that or have a general idea, I suggest you start looking for wedding venues since hose tends to get booked first, and that is what you should start looking for now as well of photography if that is important to you.
  Wedding invs. don't even go there, you have tons of time. Wedding invs. only go out about 4 month before your wedding.
  take advantage of things like theknot.com's wedding checklists, they give you a general idea on when to start focusing on certain areas of planning.
  Hope this helps.

  .

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• AmberLeannaH

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  We are trying to enjoy being engaged, but with a distance of 9000 miles between us (she is in Colorado I am sitting in Germany until mid May when the Army lets me leave for good) it's hard to to enjoy it, we are both still getting used to calling eachother Fiancees instead of Girlfriend.  We are trying to get some of the smaller details out of the way. Plus, we have a lot of help from a very close mutual friend. So we aren't stressing too much, just me because I tend to let my OCD and ADD take over so I do 100 things at once lol!.
  
  
  

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• BirdsongBell member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  Definitely enjoy being engaged and just the idea of spending your lives togethe ronce you are finally out of the Army!

  
  

  Also, really think about hiring a wedding planner (I used Jennifer with J. Renee Events.com) to help you sift through all of the details and get organized with your wedding plans and begin checking things off the to-do-list.

  
  

  A lot fo people think planners are expensive but there are some that specialize in weddings on a budget and stay within your price range. 

  
  

  Check them out and congrats again!

  
  

  JReneeEvents.com

  512-947-0301

  jrenee@JReneeEvents.com

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• AmiDenise member

  

  March 2011 edited December 2011

  I think you've got a good start there.  If you're considering doing the wedding planning yourself (which I've done), I would recommend getting a wedding organizer.  It helps keep you remember that thing you saw last November that you liked and wanted for <insert wedding-related item here>, as well as when you need to do what.  Heck, even if you get a wedding planner, it'd be helpful.
  
  BTW, I'm OCD myself (certified, got the papers and the RX) and to say that I've been obsessed with the wedding stuff for the past 6 months in particular would be the understatement of the year.
  
  BUT...
  
  At this point, all you really need to be doing is this:
  - Figuring out when you want to get married, since your original date won't work
  - Figuring out where you want to get married and getting that set with the venue
  - and starting to collect ideas for things that you want.
  
  It sounds like you're on the right track with these things.  I think that most of us go through that initial "I'm engaged! Now I've got to plan EVERYTHING!" period.  It fades for a few months -- though maybe not in your case since you're so far away from your FI.  I imagine that planning your wedding helps you feel closer to her.
  
  So to entertain yourself, I recommend an organizer, color swatches so you can think about color combinations, lists (perfect for us OCD brides), bridal magazines and a glass of wine or two.
  
  One last thing: You'll probably adjust to calling each other fiancee's soon.  Mine and I never did.  Fiancee is thrown in the mix sometimes, but mostly it's girlfriend or wife.  (We feel that's where we already are relationship-wise; our wedding next Thursday is just for DC to legally cement the committment that already exists between us.)
  
  Good luck, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

  

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• chrmun member

  

  April 2011 edited December 2011

  Congratulations! 
  This is a super-exciting time, so my  #1 suggestion is to make sure you're having fun with it.
  The Knot has a really helpful checklist that gives you an idea of the things you need to get done 12+ months ahead, 9-11 months ahead, 6-8, etc.
  They also have a budgeting tool, so you can get a clear idea of the way your costs are starting to add up.
  I have to agree with the earlier posters that the big priority is picking a venue and reserving your date.
  The only other suggestion I'd make is to take a really hard look at the budget.  For me, this was probably the least fun part, but it was also very helpful for setting realistic expectations for what we can afford.  (Band-yes, Cake-yes, the GOOD caterer-yes, a ferris wheel-maybe not...)
  
  Remember to have fun!

  

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• tabbychris member

  

  June 2011 edited December 2011

  Stay away from J.Renee Events!! We prepaid for a discount and everythign was going ok and now she's disappeared. Who knows if we'll ever see our money again!!

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