You’re Engaged, Now What?!

Wedding Ideas

The love of your life got down on one knee, looked into your eyes and told you they wanted to spend the rest of their life making you as happy as you make them—Congratulations! What an exciting and memorable time…but now what?! Don’t worry…here’s what to do next!

1. Join New Jersey Bride magazine’s BRIDE TRIBE. We’re the ONLY bridal website that is written and created by editors who live and work in New Jersey and who actually know the venues and vendors you’ll be looking at for your wedding. As a member of the Bride Tribe, you’ll receive free tips and tricks on planning your wedding in New Jersey, access to our bridal experts and many more bridal hacks and exclusive information. We’ll help you find your dream venue and point you in the right direction toward expert vendors we know and trust. You can also share your engagement story online here at newjerseybride.com.

2. Set up a separate bank account just used for the wedding. Many brides even open up a brand-new credit card to JUST put their wedding expenses on. Shop around to get the best deal: a free card with perks that you’ll actually use. Click here to read more about wedding-worthy credit cards. All of your deposits and wedding expenses will add up over time, resulting in a large payout. Just be sure to pay off each month so that you’re not incurring even more fees on top of your wedding expenses. Keeping all of your wedding expenses on one card is an easier way to manage your budget and keep track of everything.

3. Put together your projected guest list so you can have a sense of the size and scope of the wedding. Click here for some tips if your list is large and you’re considering a B list!

4. Set a wedding budget. Click here for tips on how to pay for it all!

5. Narrow down your wedding date by either picking a date that’s special to you…or consulting with your place of worship for an open date…or by finding an open date at your dream venue. This can be the largest puzzle to tackle at first. But before you set a date, you need an approximate guest count and budget. For more about this entire process, click here.

6. Set up a separate email address to keep all of your wedding correspondence in one place. Once you start talking to wedding vendors, you’ll receive a lot of emails, so this is an easy way to manage it all.

7. Put together a Pinterest board to see the style. But don’t go OVERBOARD. Click here to read these tips so that you don’t require a Pintervention…LOL! Haven’t started your board yet? Click here for some of ours!

8. Invite your bridal party. Click here for some clever ways to ask if they’ll be in your wedding!

9. Get a massage to help you relax and enjoy the process (with your fiancé). Click here for some more great ways to de-stress! And one more article on ways to de-stress! Bridal Brain is definitely a THING, so be sure to read about it here and find ways to combat it!

10. Be realistic about your goals and expectations. Read a few of our “Know Before You Go” articles on venue shopping, dress shopping and hiring a photographer.