Just engaged? Congratulations, what should you do next?!

Congratulations you’ve said YES!  You are now engaged to be married and we are guessing that the next 48 hours might feel like a total whirlwind and even after that you might still be in a bit of shock and of course you can’t stop staring at your hand!

At Hayne House, we understand that even though you might have been thinking about this moment for years, the wedding bells, now ringing-in-your-ears-moment, has put you in a surprisingly glorious spin.

So, we thought we would write a helpful essential reading for recently engaged couples, as we want you to capture and savour this moment – one of the most fun and exciting times you have together.

The team at Hayne House have therefore put together a list of top ten tens tips before you post your ring on Instagram and blast the news across your social media channels as we want your announcement of your engagement, this once in a lifetime moment, to go just right, making it as perfect and exciting as possible!

Top ten tips when you have just said “Yes”:

1. Call Home.
   Don’t forget to ring and send a message the most important people in your lives like your family, best friends etc – why because you its’s always nice for them to hear it from you direct, and that way you get to hear their squeals of joy!
2. Go live on social media!
   Once you have enjoyed telling your family and close friends write a caption together ready to GO-LIVE on social media, with a ring selfie. You might want something cute, sweet and or funny, here are a few ideas;
   • ‘We are all loved up’
   • ‘YES, we are going to get hitched’
   • ‘I said Yes!’
   • ‘Wow, my right hand feels sooooo very heavy’
   • ‘Wifey to be!’
   • ‘Hubby to be!’
   • ‘Pop the champagne’
   • ‘Pop the bubbly, it’s all happening here!
   • ‘Spot the difference?’
   • ‘Pinching myself’
   • ‘The easiest Yes I’ve ever said’
   • ‘I said, yes, yes, YES’
   • ‘Pass the tissues, I said YES!’
   • ‘Life just got a bit more sparkly’
   • ‘Ringing in the New Year!’
   • ‘Engaged sure does have a good ‘ring’ to it’
   • and simply our favourite #WereEngagedToBeMarried’

3. Prepare a one liner statement for when your family and friends call, message etc. Inevitably, despite just announcing your engagement surprisingly everyone is going to ask you, have you made plans – of course not!
   We recommend answering with something like;“We are so excited at the moment, our feet haven’t touches the ground so we haven’t booked anything yet, but we just know we want something casual, with a green vibe, modern and bright, but open to ideas!” – that way you give and idea of what you are planning without making any solid commitments, and you might get a great recommendation!

4. Book an engagement shoot.
   Book an engagement shoot with a photographer that you have perhaps been stalking on Instagram, or someone a friend recommends – that way if you love the photos you know you will be in good hands on your wedding day!

5. Celebrate your engagement.
   Round up your friends for some celebration drinks or plan an engagement party…. we know a wonderful venue that can take up to 150 for an evening ‘bash’!
6. Talk dates and what’s important to you.
   This might include:

• how quickly you want to get married, do you want a last minute wedding?
• do you want a destination wedding, for instance if you live in Canada or Australia do you want to marry at one of your parents’ home e.g. in Kent, England?
• do you want, a spring, summer, autumn or a glorious winter wedding?
• do you want a long or short engagement, as again this is going to be one of the questions pretty much everyone is going to ask you– if you want a longer engagement then we recommend:
• don’t choose a wedding date but choose a year, a month and a preferred day of the week, that way when you find your perfect wedding venue you can be a bit more flexible about which date which helps if they get booked up fast
• don’t forget to ask the most important people in your lives if any particular date clashes with e.g. Grandmas 90^th birthday party?
• guest numbers and discuss whether you want guests to bring children?

7. And breathe. If you want a long engagement, take a breather and take your foot off the pedal, but you can still do a bit of wedding venue search in the background!
8. Research venues online together. Use online platforms like Instagram, Hitched, Bridebook, Coco Weddings and look at blogs such as Whimsical Wonderland Weddings to find your perfect venue.  Think of words for Google search engines that resonates with you, like:

• green vibe, eco-chic and sustainable wedding venue
• modern wedding venue
• contemporary wedding venue
• elegant wedding venue
• exclusive use wedding venue

Then fill out the venues online form,  we recommend you add your preferred day of the week, preferred month and year rather than an actual date.

9. Choose around three to four wedding venues and book a show around.
Our recommendation is visit wedding venues on your own (don’t take parents to first visits), but do take a list of questions.  We recommend that put together a list of questions that should include things like:

• do you have a wet weather continency?
• how flexible is the venue e.g. do we have to follow the venues set times?
• what time is last orders?
• what are the food options, for Instance could you include a grazing station for your evening guests?
• what is included in the venues wedding packages?
• what is the payment procedure if you want to book?
• does the price quoted include VAT?

10. Book your perfect wedding venue.
Once you have booked your perfect wedding venue then it’s time to start designing and sending out Your Save The Date invites – but that’s a whole other part of planning a wedding!

So before your start your ‘Wedding To Do’ List, or even start to plan your wedding , go on enjoy, and again massive congratulations from the team here at Hayne House, we can’t wait to show you around our fabulous Orangery and help you plan your big day!