CONGRATS! YOU’RE ENGAGED!! This is one of the most exciting times in your relationship, but what exactly should you be doing in this stage of life? You’ll likely want to start planning your wedding or your elopement, but what else? That’s what this article is here to help answer! Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of documenting some incredible weddings, elopements, and engagements as a photographer in Chicago, and through talking with my couples I’ve come up with my top 10 suggestions on what you should do after you get engaged. Let’s go through them together!

1. Celebrate with Those You Love

Yes planning your wedding or your elopement is incredibly important, but so is this stage in life! Your engagement is such a special time in your relationship and your lives together. It’s the point where you’ve found your person, and you’ve decided that you’re ready to take the next steps in spending the rest of your lives together. That DESERVES celebration, especially with your friends and family! After you get engaged, take some time to actually enjoy yourselves and celebrate this moment with those you love. Invite friends and/or family out for casual drinks at places like Gilt Bar, The Alderman, or a brewery in Chicago and tell them the exciting news! 

2. Take Some Time to Yourselves

Not only should you be celebrating this with those you love, but you should also take some time to enjoy yourselves as just the two of you! Have some fun together, whether you want to go out on a date night, spend a night cuddled up on the couch, or just be more present with one another throughout the next couple of weeks. You don’t necessarily have to jump right into wedding planning just yet, take some time for yourselves and enjoy this moment!

3.  Start a Photo Album the Year of Your Wedding

As you celebrate this wonderful time in life, something fun I strongly encourage you to do is start a photo album for the year of your wedding! Not only should you celebrate after you get engaged, but you should also document this time so you can look back and relive it for years to come. Print some photos from your engagement session, and make a point to document the wedding planning period itself.

If you’re not sure if you’ll remember to actually document the planning process, a trick you can try is ordering a few disposable cameras to use. I find that couples who don’t usually take many photos on their phones are more likely to do so with a disposable camera or two on hand!

4. Daydream About Your Wedding Together

Something fun you can (and should) do before you get into the thick of your wedding planning is start daydreaming and visualizing it together! After your engagement, be sure to set aside some time here and there to talk about your wedding day dreams. When you think about your wedding day, what comes to mind? What size is the celebration? What is the vibe? Are you planning to celebrate in Chicago, or do you want a destination wedding/elopement? Do you have a specific style of venue in mind? What season is it in your daydreams? Talk about it ALL, and have fun as you do so! The great thing about weddings these days is that couples have more freedom than ever to create the experience THEY want, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box with your daydreaming!

5. Set a Budget

Maybe not the most fun thing to do after you get engaged, but easily one of the most important, is setting a budget for your wedding or elopement. It’s no secret that weddings in Chicago are more expensive than other locations in the US, so planning out your budget is even more important here! Luckily I have an article breaking down the average cost of a wedding in Chicago which you should look through to give you an idea of what to expect.

From there, talk with one another about your budget logistics. Are you paying for the wedding yourselves, or are your parents/other family members helping out? Knowing this will help to give you a clear picture of what your wedding budget should look like. 

6. Start Looking into Wedding Venues

One part of the wedding planning process that is simultaneously exciting and stressful is looking for your wedding venue! It’s exciting to daydream and start finding the venue that could be the spot where you celebrate one of the best days of your lives together, but actually making the decision can be a little stressful to say the least. Part of this is just due to the sheer amount of phenomenal options you’ll come across, especially in Chicago! That’s why tip #4 is SO important, as without a clear vision of what you want your wedding day to look and feel like it’s going to be much harder to find the right venue.

Once you do know the style, look, and feel of the venue you want you’ll be able to start narrowing down your search. As I mentioned, Chicago is home to some truly amazing wedding venues, many of which I’ve written about on my blog. Check out my venue features on Walden Chicago, the Voco Hotel, and Fairlie to see some examples of the incredible spaces the Windy City has to offer!

7. Choose a Date!

In addition to choosing where you’ll have your wedding, one of the important things you’ll have to do after getting engaged is deciding when to have your wedding! The specific date will likely come down to your chosen venue’s availability, but you can and should start thinking about what season to have your wedding in. Have you been dreaming of a summer wedding with time outdoors, or is a wedding in a winter wonderland more your speed? It’s important to think about the season that fits you best, as it’ll help in guiding you towards your chosen venue as well as the layout of your wedding day overall! Know that with more popular times like the summer and fall here in Chicago you’ll want to reach out to your venue and vendors early in order to make sure you’re able to book them for your date.

8. Book Your Photographer (Me!)

Speaking of booking your vendors, one of the first ones that you’ll want to book is your photographer! I say this because many photographers (myself included) love to help their couples through the planning process of their wedding day! I also encourage this as I’m a huge advocate for having your wedding photographer take your engagement photos. I’d LOVE to document your wedding day and your engagement session, so if you’re wanting to learn more about me, my process, and my package options check out this article.

9. Continue Planning Your Wedding

We’ve already talked quite a bit about the different aspects of planning a wedding in Chicago, but believe me there is a LOT more! From deciding on your guest list, to ironing out your wedding timeline, scheduling tastings, the list goes on and on. As you enjoy this time as a newly engaged couple, be sure to also work together as you tackle all these different parts of the planning process. I also have a guide with tips on how to plan a wedding in Chicago that I recommend you read through in addition to the other resources I’ve included throughout this article!

10. Have SO Much Fun!

It’s so easy to lose yourselves in the planning process of your wedding, which to be fair is pretty exciting as your wedding day is sure to be one of THE best days ever. I cannot stress enough though the importance of trying to be present and actually enjoying this time in your lives, hence why I’ve made sure to note to do so three separate times throughout this article! Celebrate, eat, drink, and be merry, because soon enough you WILL be married! Even if your wedding date is a long way out, this stage of life flies by, so try and make the most of it while you’re here!

Those are 10 tips for what you should do after you get engaged! Make sure you check out some of the other resources I’ve listed throughout this piece as there’s a lot to help you through this stage in your relationship. Finally, if you’re looking to have me document your wedding or elopement be sure to send me an inquiry through my contact page!