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You’re Engaged! Now What? Three First Steps for Newly Engaged Couples

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If you found this blog post because you got engaged over the holiday season, congrats!  Christmas and New Year’s Eve is a super popular time for proposals – it makes a great gift and symbolizes a new start, so there’s no better time of year, in my opinion.  Although I may be biased since I was a Christmastime engager myself.

So if you’re newly engaged, you may be feeling all the things right now.  There are a gazillion decisions to make and it can get overwhelming very quickly.  So take a deep breath tackle these three steps before you do anything else.

1.  Talk money.  I’m sorry to pull you down from your lovey-dovey, fantasy high, but DO THIS FIRST.  The reality is, weddings cost money, but how much YOURS will cost is completely up to you and your partner.  So talk about this before you dive into wedding blogs and Pinterest (I know, this advice is probably coming a little late). How much are you both comfortable spending on your wedding celebration?  How much money can you realistically save?  Will anyone else be helping financially?  As unromantic as it is, it’s smart to talk about budget before you get your heart set on that private fireworks show that one couple had in Martha Stewart Weddings.

2.  Talk logistics.  Irregardless of budget, it’s a good idea to discuss the type of event you want to have.  Obviously it’s easiest if one of you has a specific idea in mind and the other one doesn’t care what happens as long as there’s an open bar.  And sometimes this is the case (and if so you are very, very lucky).  But what if you have always dreamed of a huge elegant party but your partner has always visioned a small elopement? Get this discussion out of the way early and get your wedding day expectations on the same track before you go any farther.

3. Talk about the future.  Yep, there is life after your wedding. Probably a long, loooooong life.  Believe it or not, a lot of brides forget about the distant future when a big fat rock is slipped on their finger.  I call this Bridal Blindness.  Before you get too deep into planning, sit down with your partner and have a long talk about where you see yourselves in 5 years, 10 years, 30 years, 50 years.  What are your goals and dreams?  How do you want to save and spend your money?  What are your thoughts on kids, and religion, and politics?  Where do you stand regarding Honey Boo Boo?  THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.

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Wedding planning should be fun and exciting, so get this yucky stuff out of the way first and make sure you and your partner are on the same page, or at least in same book, before you move on to color palettes and signature cocktails.

Image from Microsoft Office Images

About Mindy

Mindy Marzec is a life-long Disney fan who grew up in Los Angeles. She started This Fairy Tale Life to share Disneyland travel tips for adults. When not at Disneyland, you can find Mindy at home snuggling with her cats and re-watching Thor: Ragnarok for the billionth time.