Newlyweds kissing in getaway canoe full of flowers

Woo hoo—you're engaged! Cue the eager butterflies and wedding planning buzz. Planning a wedding is fun no doubt, but it can also be a stressful time not knowing exactly where to start as the excitement whirs around you. Follow these 6 tips for what to do when you get engaged.

1. Celebrate

First and foremost, take time to celebrate with your partner and loved ones. This is an exciting time! Pop the bubbly!

2. Make a rough draft guest list

In our minds this is one of the most important first steps. Knowing roughly how many people you expect will guide which venues you're able to look at based on their max capacity.

3. Book your venue to secure your wedding date

As you begin reaching out to wedding vendors, one of the first things they'll want to know is your wedding date so they can confirm their availability. We suggest booking your wedding venue first to lock in your wedding date so you can start conversations with additional vendors.

4. Book a wedding planner

If it's in your budget, we highly recommend booking with a wedding planner. They can relieve so much stress throughout the planning process, and especially on your big day both for you and your family members and wedding party. There's nothing like not having to worry about the fact that everything and everyone is exactly where they should be, as you focus on enjoying every moment of your wedding day.

5. Begin reaching out to additional wedding vendors

Photographers, videographers, caterers, and florists are all great vendors to book early on in your wedding planning journey. Choose which details are most important to you and start there. Once you've got all of your major vendors booked you can move on to smaller details.

6. Download our floral checklist

When you're ready to start thinking about flowers, download our Floral Design Checklist for Planning a Wedding. Walk through common floral elements for weddings, and make notes on what you're dreaming up for your celebration. This download comes with a printable and digital version. Perfect for couples that prefer pen to paper OR a digital spreadsheet that's updatable over time.

Now, breathe in... breathe out. You've got this! We hope with these 6 tips help you feel ready to conquer the beginning of your wedding planning to-do list. Congratulations on this exciting ride!

Featured image by Beth Solano Photography.