You Said “YES!” Now What?

Are you newly engaged couple in Northern Virginia or D.C. wondering where to start in your wedding planning journey? Here are a few things to think about!

⭐️ First: CELEBRATE!

Enjoy the moment and soak it all in! This is one of the MOST exciting times in your whole life and it deserves to be celebrated! Go on a fancy date night, take a million photos of your sparkly new ring, and announce the exciting news to all of your friends and family!

⭐️Set a budget and decide what aspects of your wedding day are most important to you both.

It is best to start by picking your top 3 MUST HAVES.

Ask yourselves: What is most important to us? ie: You may decide that the venue, photography, and videography are the most important investments. Start by reaching out to these vendors. Allow more of your budget for these must haves.

⭐️ Secure your wedding venue!

Venues are typically the first thing you’ll want to reserve because they can book out YEARS in advance! Be prepared for your wedding date to change based on your preferred venue’s availability. Have fun with your significant other and spend some time visiting pretty venues!

⭐️Make sure to book the vendors you love ASAP!

Are you set on having a certain photographer capture your wedding day, or hiring a specific florist to make the floral arch of your dreams? Reach out to them now! Dont wait to fill out their inquiry form.

There are only so many Saturdays in the year, and the busiest months of the year (April-May and September-November) are highly sought after and book the quickest. Make sure you are quick to book to ensure you have the venue/vendors you love.

⭐️Hire a wedding planner/coordinator.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later! No stress on your wedding day? Yes, please! Wedding planners can help you hire and coordinate booking all of your other vendors and releive SO MUCH stress before AND on your wedding day! (Are you dealing with wedding day stress!? Check out this post! It talks about how to manage this busy season in your life!)

Wedding planners and coordinators are truly worth the investment! The last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day is whether the tables are set up how you invisioned or the timeline is staying on track. You won’t want your parents/family worrying about this either! Pro tip: Build a coordinator into your budget! (Some venues even offer a day of coordinator- definitely take advantage of this, but know that is it NOT the same as hiring your own coordinator!)

⭐️ Book a photographer and start planning your engagement session!

Having photos taken is the perfect way to celebrate your new engagement! An engagement session allows you to have photos to send out with your save the date and to put on your wedding website. You can also get to know your photographer and create a relationship! Your photographer will be with you all day on your wedding day, following you from one location to the next. You should be comfortable with this person! Having your engagement and wedding photos taken by the same photographer allows you to get used to their posing style and also allows everyone to get to know each other. This is super important in order to feel comfortable in front of the camera, which will make for a smooth wedding day and beautiful photos!

For more tips on engagement photos and preparing for your engagement session, click here!

That’s it! I hope this post gave you some things to think about as you navigate planning your wedding and choosing wedding vendors!

MEET THE AUTHOR

Carly is a wedding photographer based out of Northern Virginia. She is most known for her bubbly personality and love of Starbuck’s iced coffee.

Are you searching for a Northern Virginia or D.C. wedding photographer? Contact Carly and inquire about your wedding date today!

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