One of the most exciting moments in your life and one you’ll never forget – the moment you got engaged (and/or proposed!). I’m sure you’re still caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that come with such an important life event and maybe you’re itching to get started on the details of your wedding day! Before you do, here are a few things I recommend before you dive in.

Step one: Celebrate!!

You’ll never get to relive your engagement ever again, so take advantage of this exciting step in your relationship! Not only should you celebrate with your friends and family, I highly recommend taking time to celebrate with your new fiance (!!!) first. This new phase of your relationship can be an absolute whirlwind full of the emotions and opinions of others (specifically when it comes to wedding planning), so celebrate with your person beforehand!

2. Set a wedding budget

Now that you’ve celebrated, let’s get into the first step of wedding planning – creating your budget. I recommend creating a budget that you and your fiance are comfortable with before you begin looking at venues, photographers, dresses, anything wedding related. If you start looking at vendors before your budget is figured out it may lead to disappointment. Some important things to know while creating your budget: will family be contributing financially to your wedding? What is most important to you and your fiance? Are you flexible with your wedding budget?

3. Draft your Guest List

Once you have your budget set, you can begin to draft up your guest list! This can be a difficult task, especially if you have a large family. Remember, it’s your wedding and you don’t have to invite anyone you don’t want to be there! You may need to make adjustments to the guest list later in your planning process due to budget constraints or venue capacity limitations, but it’s a good idea to have a first draft that you can later whittle down.

4. Discuss Potential Wedding Dates

Before you begin your venue search I recommend brainstorming a few wedding dates with your fiance. This will help immensely when searching for your wedding venue, which is the first vendor you should book! I’ve noticed that venues are booking up quickly lately so if you can, it might be best to be flexible with the date/month/year you choose to get married.

5. Think about the big picture

Before you get deep into wedding planning details, take the time to think about the big picture of your wedding day. Create a Pinterest board (or 10) to plan out what type of venue, decor, and vendors you’ll choose for your wedding day.

Ultimately it’s so important to keep in mind that you’re planning your wedding to celebrate the love that you and your fiance share and you’re going to have family and friends around to recognize and celebrate that alongside you.