The Step-By-Step Guide to What to Do After Getting Engaged

Firstly, congratulations on your engagement!

You will likely be buzzing with excitement and keen to get stuck in and make some plans! We get it, we’ve been working with Christchurch wedding clients for over 10 years and we understand the excitement and the overwhelm that can come with it.

We’ve set out some practical advice on where to start below, but first and foremost make sure you keep in mind that this is YOUR day, it is only as complicated as you want to make it and keep realistic expectations.

Step One: Budget

We begin with the less enjoyable but crucial aspect of planning any event—setting a realistic budget. This step influences all others, so take time to think it through.

Our cients often contact us with grand visions but may not have thought through their budget. To secure vendors and design your day, we need to know your budget for each aspect. Have a transparent conversation with all parties involved, detailing their comfortable contributions. Whether you are both paying or family members are generously helping, be respectful and tread lightly. If accepting financial support, discuss the level of control they intend to have (as this may dampen the mood later when you find out they want to invite 10 of their friends)! If uncomfortable with outside input, consider lowering your budget but increasing your independence.

After deciding on a total, adjust your expectations accordingly. No matter the budget's scope, we'll help you prioritise and make your day incredible!

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Step Two: Guests

As a close second in importance to your budget, the effects of your guest count trickle into almost all other planning decisions. Simply put, the more guests you invite, the less you can spend on each guest. If your people matter most and you wouldn’t dream of leaving anyone out, you’ll have to be okay with sacrificing in other areas. If you want a really elevated and thoughtful experience for each person in attendance, then you might not get to invite those outside of your more immediate circle. Both options lead to great parties, so it’s up to each of you as to what matters the most!

Once you’re engaged, make a list of everyone you can’t imagine celebrating this day without. Don’t lose sleep over not inviting an old friend that you’ve lost touch with just because they invited you to their wedding several years ago. A great way to look at this is whether you’ve seen them in the last year, and how likely you will be to see them in the year following. Or, as we’ve mentioned before – if a guest was going to cost you $300 for food and booze for the day, are you happy to work X amount of hours to have that person there? We know this is a brutal way of thinking of things, but it always puts it into perspective!

Step Three: Priorities

Establishing your priorities together is crucial. You may find your fiancé desperately wants to get married in a vineyard, and the catering is super important to you, but perhaps as much as then. Talking through what each other wants gives you a great foundation to start making those exciting plans.

This also may not be easy – you may find your ideas wildly different to each other and that’s OK – but compromising together and researching ideas and vendors is important in this planning phase.

Step Four: Date

When it comes to securing a date, you may have a special date in mind but do be flexible. You may find your perfect venue and it very well may be booked – so have a few dates up your sleeve for any preferred vendors that are high on your priority list.

Some other things to consider is the time of year due to weather, location and guest attendance. For example, if you are considering having your wedding on a week day where guests will need to take time off work commitments or you’re wanting a destination wedding, then align your expectations that guests may have obligations they can’t easily organise and making sure you’ve given them plenty of notice to organise themselves (at least 6+ months).

Similarly, if you are planning on getting married around public holidays or other major events, these dates will be busier than others and so your vendor choices can be more limited and if there are public holidays on either side of your wedding date this will impact pricing for vendors who would need to work on those days (e.g. floral designers, caterers, any hire that is being delivered or collecting on those days). These are all things to consider carefully as they can impact the ease of your planning and your budget.

View more of Tegan and Steven’s wedding here. Photography by Sarah Clements Photography.

Step Five: Venue

There are so many different types of wedding venues in Canterbury – you are spoilt for choice! From vineyards, to barns and woolsheds, to marquee wedding sites you sure do have the pick of the bunch!

A few considerations are –

Venue Capacity

Look at maximum capacities for your venue choices and compare to your own guest list. Avoid choosing a venue that is too large for a smaller guest list, as it may feel empty, and likewise, avoid overcrowding by exceeding the venue's capacity. Having an estimate of your guest count helps with table arrangements and optimising available space.

Location

How close it is to the airport and any nearby accommodation? Is the venue on a paved, or gravel road? These may seem small details, but considering the location for guests aswell as the access is important should there be a weather event that washes out a small bridge or gravel road, or if access is difficult for more elderly or disabled guests.

For those more remote locations, researching transportation for your guests may be something you want to consider also.

Wet Weather Plan

If you're planning an outdoor wedding, ask about backup options in case of inclement weather. Make sure the venue has suitable indoor spaces or backup plans to ensure a seamless celebration should you need that Plan B!

Step Six: Styling + Colour Palette

Choosing a style for your wedding will help you to focus your planning and make the process more fun. It will give direction when making decisions about decor, florals, catering and even your cake design. Styling is more about the aesthetics of your day – it is about the overall feeling you want and that magic you’re creating for yourselves and your guests.

Create your Pinterest board, or start saving images on Instagram. Finding your overall style can be daunting initially, but as Christchurch wedding stylists we can easily pinpoint your overall style when chatting to you and seeing images that inspire you. We highly recommend booking in a consultation with us to go over your ideas, and we can then put all of it together for you, working with your budget and making this part of your planning much more fun and much simpler with us holding your hand and working through those nitty gritty details!

View more of Tegan and Steven’s wedding here. Photography by Sarah Clements Photography.

Next Steps

If you need some guidance, no matter where you are at in your wedding planning journey a Wedding Planning Consultation is the perfect next step! These consultations are either at our premises in Christchurch, over the phone or on Zoom. It’s 60 minutes where we guide you, offering valuable insights and assistance so you leave feeling empowered with the tools you need and easy next steps!

It’s so exciting once you’re engaged, and I hope this serves as a great roadmap to your wedding planning journey! We love creating special moments for your wedding, and we encourage you to go follow us on social media and ask any questions you have there.