Just got engaged? Congratulations on finding your soulmate, it really is a magical thing! Here are my 6 Engagement Tips you should do before anything else.

Think you’re about to get Engaged?! Read my tips to prepare yourself for this exciting time.

1. Breathe And Take It All In

Take some deep breaths and take a little time to enjoy the moment with the awesome fellow human next to you whom you decided to spend the rest of your life with.

You found your best friend, your adventure buddy, your future Husband/Wife. Leave the wedding planning alone for a little bit. Just be in the moment, trust me you’ll be thankful that you did later.

You will most likely feel dizzy with happiness and feel overwhelmed with feelings. You also won’t be able to stop staring at your ring and hand. I remember when I got engaged everything felt kind of fuzzy and blurry afterward. My happiness and shock actually clouded the moment! The best piece of advice I can give is…just try to take it all in.
What he is saying, where you are, the smells and the sounds. Everything. Take mental pictures and then real ones! Because you will want to remember this moment forever.

2. Celebrate

Go celebrate and enjoy being a fiance!

This is such a special time which will only happen once, enjoy it as much as you can. That fancy restaurant you’ve been meaning to check out? Go ahead and book it! Tell them that you’re celebrating your Engagement and you will most likely score some champagne or free dessert! Take a weekend trip, book a spa day or throw an Engagement party. Whatever celebrating means to you, do it! We took a weekend trip to Vegas and then a few weeks later a mountain getaway in Colorado. It was awesome!

3. Individually Tell Your Family and Best Friends First (No Social Media)

Once you get engaged your natural instinct will be to shout about it from the rooftops and most likely to share it on your social media straight away.

Don’t do it. Wait until you have individually told your closest family and friends. Whether that’s in person or over the phone.
You will feel their love and excitement and they will feel more special that you told them first. It’s a win, win situation and honestly one of my happiest memories of the whole engagement was telling my friends and family.

4. Don’t Ask Your Bridal Party Straight Away

You’re likely thinking but I already know who they will be?!

Well, it doesn’t matter. You need to figure out what kind of wedding you will have first before you ask anyone.
Is it going to be big or small and intimate? Is it going to be a destination wedding? Or maybe you just want to Elope with just the two of you and celebrate after? What is your budget? Who is going to pay for what for the bridal party? Yep, there really is that many questions (and more!) to think about.

So as hard as it may take a little time out, talk it out with your husband to be.

Think about all of your friendships. Who do you imagine still being in your life and loving dearly even when you’re old and grey? Who has been your personal champion and supported you no matter what through the years? If you decide to have a bridal party those people should be in it. Also, remember just because someone doesn’t make the list it doesn’t mean you don’t love them or cherish their friendship. You have to be really really picky and that’s hard. But it’s also ok. It’s your day, it’s your wedding and you should share it with the people closest to you.

This was something that was actually pretty hard for me to do. Luckily I’m blessed to have quite a few special girls in my life whom I love with all my heart and can call my best friends. I had an internal struggle when trying to make the decision of who I should ask and why. I have a lot of friends who mean the world to me but I couldn’t ask everyone and I realized that it’s ok for me not ask them. It doesn’t mean I don’t love them.

The takeaway from this is: Really think about who you want to stand next to you. You want the people who love you and will support you and be there for you. You want the people who you can call or text any time day or night if something happens and you know that they will be there for you even if they are thousands of miles away.

Here are my gorgeous girls on my wedding day.

5. Focus On What You And Your Fiance Want

All of a sudden you will start getting wedding advice (often unsolicited) left right and center.

This is something that people don’t usually tell you about getting Engaged. Some people might even have expectations of automatic invites even if you hadn’t spoken to them or seen them for years. Yes, I did have this happen to me. It’s so very awkward.

Please remember, that it is YOUR wedding, it is your day. It’s all about you and your love. Do things exactly how YOU have always wanted to, not your mom, grandma or high school friend. Those who really love you will understand, but even if they don’t…they will learn to live with it. You want it to be the best, most magical day of your life and it’s only going to be that way if you follow your heart and make it personal to you and your husband to be.

We had a small intimate destination wedding and coming up with the guest list was tough. I think some peoples feelings got a little hurt along the way but in the end, it was exactly what we always wanted and I wouldn’t change it for the world. As a compromise, we had two separate celebrations with our friends and family after the wedding so we still got to have our small dream wedding and celebrate with the people we love.

Ps. This is another reason to hold off from posting on social media until you had the chance to gather your own thoughts together.

6. Schedule An Engagement Shoot

This is a really exciting time in your life and you want to make sure you immortalize it.

You’ll be so glad to have those photos to look back on for the years to come.
If you find the right photographer it’s also really fun and a great way to spend some time being in the moment with the love of your life. You can forget about wedding planning, work, and everyday chores. You’ll likely leave your photo session feeling more in love than ever!

It’s also an amazing way to get comfortable in front of the camera. By the time your wedding day comes, you’ll be pros and feel more relaxed.
Have a photographer in mind? Booking an Engagement session is a great way to see if you like the photographers personality and style of working. I think that’s just as important as the photos! I strive for every single of my sessions to be a fun, relaxed experience. Imagine going on a date with a photographer friend tagging along, that’s how my shoots are. I usually meet my couples beforehand too I love getting to know every couple I shoot and learn about their love story.

Were my tips helpful? I sure hope so! If you ever want to talk all things weddings or have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at flowermouthphotography@gmail.com or you can message me directly on my Instagram!