1. First things first, you get to announce the big news! Make sure to contact your family and closest friends to share your excitement before posting on social media.
  2. If you haven’t already, go get a manicure! Everyone is going to be dying to see your ring so you want to make sure your hands are in tip top shape! 
  3. Pick a date. This may seem daunting considering your family and friends’ schedules but start thinking about what time of year you want your wedding to be and nail one down. It’s a step in the right direction for wedding planning!
  4. Budgets are not the easiest part of a wedding but a pretty important one. You need to discuss how much you’re willing to spend and if anyone is going to be helping you pay for the wedding. From there, you’ll be able to prioritize what the most important features of your wedding will be. 
  5. After setting a budget, you will need to start working on a guest count rough estimate. On top of family and friends, you should also ask your parents and future in-laws for a list of their friends that they would like to be in attendance. This number is important to the feel of your wedding as well because there is a big difference between an intimate gathering of your 50 closest friends and family and a gala for 500 that includes all of your parents' friends you don’t even know. 
  6. Make sure to check out Bridal Shows near you! It’s a great start to planning to start getting an idea of what you do and don’t want. Some vendors will even do giveaways for their services!!  
  7. One pro tip is to make return address labels with all of your information on them (name, fiancé’s name, address, email, phone #) so when you go to the Bridal Shows, you won’t get writer's cramp from filling out giveaway slips! 
  8. Insuring your ring is always a good idea.  You never plan for anything to happen to your gorgeous new ring and you swear you’re never going to take it off but it is always better to be safe than sorry! If you have auto or home insurance, it’s pretty easy to add on a new policy for your ring to that, bringing you and your fiancé peace of mind. 
  9. If you’re ready to dive deep into wedding planning but want a trusted advisor along the way, consider hiring a wedding planner. Between preferred vendor relationships, expert level industry knowledge and a deep love for love, wedding planners are a great investment.
  10. Even though wedding planning can be stressful, don’t forget to make time for each other! Remember, you’re getting married because you love this person and sometimes it can help with your planning to take a step back and remember why you fell in love in the first place.