So you got the guy and the ring, now what?

I’m sure you’re super excited and probably even overwhelmed but here are 10 things you should do after you get engaged.

Call Your Family (and close friends).

I know you want to post a pic of your ring with a cryptic caption like “So this just happened,” but please don’t.

The last thing you want is for your social media un-savvy grandmother to find out that you are engaged via Facebook.

Take a breath. I know you are excited but please call the following people:

• Parents
• Siblings
• Grandparents
• Best friends

Go in order and at least give each person a call. If they don’t answer that’s ok. Shoot them a text so you are in the clear and they don’t find out when the rest of the world does. You can thank me later.

Now go ahead and post your ring selfie! Congrats girl!

Get a Manicure

Your left hand will be on display for the next few weeks (and the rest of your life). Stay cute sis and get your nails done. The last thing you want is for someone to grab your left hand to see your new rock only to also see old-chipped nail polish.

At the least, file your nails and remove old polish. But a cute french tip manicure is always a good look.

Get Your Ring Resized

Our men try, but sometimes the ring still doesn’t quite fit. If you find that your ring is sliding (or your ring is too tight) take it back to the jeweler and get it resized. Usually it’s a quick fix but it’s better than losing your ring completely!

Insure Your Ring

Since we are on the subject of your new hand jewel. Make sure you get your ring insured. I got engaged in July and the following February my pearl popped out. Luckily my ring was insured and it was repaired for free!

The jewelry company told me that if my ring wasn’t insured it would have cost me a minimum of $250 to get it replaced. I’ll definitely say the insurance was worth it. Not to mention I get free ring cleanings forever!

Create a Pinterest Board

This was probably the most fun part of my wedding process. Planning out and creating the vision for my big day. At first it was pretty overwhelming but Pinterest made it super easy for me to create a virtual mood board for my special day!

In case you have been living under a rock, Pinterest is a web-based vision board on steroids. You can save (commonly known as “Pin”) things that interest you on virtual “boards” that can be viewed at a later date or shared with friends, family, or even your wedding planner.

Pinterest is a great place to search for ideas and inspiration. I highly recommend signing up for an account and playing around with it. I’m sure you’ll be addicted for life!

These next few things are in no particular order but they all should be done soon after you get engaged!

Set a Wedding Budget

This is probably the least exciting part about wedding planning. Weddings can be as low as $100 (courthouse wedding) to as high as $100,000 (luxury or destination wedding). That being said, it is important to know upfront what you are WILLING to pay for your big day. This will give you some perspective as you continue on your wedding planning process.

If you need help setting a budget check out this blog post.

Start Your Guest List

Your guest list will help you determine if your budget is realistic. It’s ok to not invite your 3rd cousin to your wedding if you guys aren’t close. Never invite someone out of obligation.

Decide on how many guests you would like at your wedding. Write a list of all the people you want to invite from both you and your fiance family. Then make some decisions as to who will get the final invite. This is another tough part about wedding planning but it’s necessary.

Set a Date(s)

When it comes to your wedding date you may have to be flexible depending on how soon you are getting married. The earlier you can set a date the better chance you have at being able to book all the vendors you need for that date.

Also, as soon as you tell people you are engaged the first question they ask is “When is the big day?” It’s good to have a rough idea of dates just so you don’t have to keep blowing off that pesky question.

Hire a Wedding Planner (or ask for help)

It’s not mandatory that you have a wedding planner but it makes you day run a lot smoother if you at least have a day of coordinator.

If your budget doesn’t allow this ask a close family member to serve as your wedding planner for your big day.

The last thing you want is to be stuck having to pay vendors or help set up on your big day because you don’t have any help.

You can thank me for this later as well.

Take Engagement Photos

As a photographer I am surprised that I have waited to include this on the list. The truth is that a hiring a photographer should be one of the first things you spend money on.

Your cake and food gets eaten, decorations get thrown away, your photos last FOREVER.

As soon as you can, research photographers (I travel) and see if they are available on your date(s) and quickly book an engagement session.

The engagement session gives you an opportunity to meet in person and get a feel for your photographer.

Also, you are more excited about the wedding planning process when you FIRST get engaged. This is when you have the highest energy so get pictures taken at this time before the wedding planning process becomes “stressful.”

Hope these 10 things help you feel even more excited about saying “yes!” This time is all about you so ENJOY IT!

XOXOXO Kay