YOU’RE ENGAGED — now what?

You’re ENGAGED! Now onto the wedding planning. But first, soak it in, be ENGAGED without all the crazy hoo-ha of wedding planning. And let’s be for real, wedding planning doesn’t HAVE TO BE crazy or chaotic.

First off: go download this checklist. Start there. It’s a comprehensive checklist that even includes drinking water on your wedding day — which you should really do, getting dehydrated is bad news, especially while trying to travel for your honeymoon!

So, in life when we make decisions there are always these hard lines, we cannot cross boundaries. Getting engaged, I’m sure you had to think about some of these in your relationship — now to apply that to your wedding. What are your wedding deal breakers? Make a list. This should be a shortlist — these are the NON-NEGOTIABLES of your wedding. For some, it’s about guest count or a first look or location… Others, it’s about who officiates it — it has to be XYZ person.. Write them out with your partner so you have an idea of what matters most. Everything does truly sort of fall into place once this list is ironed out.

Next, start thinking about locations and vibe. If you’ve ever looked for an excuse to Pinterest, HERE WE GO BABY. Break up the boards into categories: Ceremony, Photography, Reception Experience, Reception Decor. Now have at it! Once you feel fairly satisfied you’ve pulled together some images to start narrowing your choices, let’s talk about the different major types of venues/locations:

THE MAJOR WEDDING LOCATIONS:

• CITY WEDDINGS
• MOUNTAIN WEDDINGS
• BALLROOM WEDDINGS
• ISLAND/BEACH/LAKE WEDDINGS
• BARN WEDDINGS
• BACKYARD WEDDINGS

Before you get too deep: first ask yourself do you need to have the ceremony in a church and/or temple (or other religious facilities). If so, where? Does it matter if it’s your hometown church or can your hometown pastor come to get you married in Northern VT on a mountain?

Time of year is right up there with location… Let’s talk about time of year — and give some warnings:

• Spring is fabulous but can get a little rainy — always have a backup plan.
• Summer can mean baller sunsets and lots of light but also lots of sweat — be prepared for the heat!
• Fall means foliage up here in New England! But also hurricanes/rain — have a back up plan for outdoor ceremonies/portraits and the like.
• Winter is absolutely magical! Snow falling during portraits is like bliss! Be prepared for the weather however, and give you and your guests a few days to travel to the location.

Get back to that checklist and start following it at this point… We’ll have more for you soon. <3