so, you’re engaged. now what?
First: do absolutely nothing for a minute
You are allowed to be engaged before becoming a project manager. Have the champagne. Tell the people you love. Stare at your hand in inappropriate lighting. There is no prize for booking a florist 48 hours after the proposal.
When you are ready to plan, start with decisions that unlock other decisions. Not napkin colours. Not bridesmaid fonts. The foundations.
Planning already? We made something for you.
Our ridiculously detailed 18-page Wedding No-Forgetting List covers the tiny details, questions and wedding-day logistics you really don’t want to forget.
You’ll find it at the end of this article.
She said Yes !
1. Decide what kind of wedding you actually want
Before budgets and guest lists, have one slightly dangerous conversation: what would make this wedding feel brilliant to us?
Do you want a long dinner in the countryside? A black-tie party in Paris? Fifty people and very good wine? Two hundred people dancing until 4 a.m.? A civil ceremony followed by lunch? There is no correct format. But there is an expensive way to discover six months later that you have been planning somebody else’s idea of a wedding.
2. Talk money before falling in love with a venue
Romance survives a spreadsheet. In fact, it often benefits from one. Decide who is contributing, what amount genuinely feels comfortable, and whether that number includes everything: outfits, stationery, transport, accommodation, brunch, beauty, gifts and all the tiny things that mysteriously become four figures.
Keep a contingency from day one. Weddings are very talented at producing costs nobody mentioned in the first meeting.
3. Build the first version of the guest list
You do not need final names yet, but you need a realistic number. A wedding for 70 and a wedding for 170 are not the same event with more chairs. Guest count changes the venue, budget, catering, transport and atmosphere.
Create three columns if necessary: absolutely, probably, and only if we suddenly inherit a château.
4. Choose your priorities — only three
Pick the three things you care about most. Food, music, photography. Venue, fashion, flowers. Guest experience, wine, design. Whatever they are, name them.
This becomes your filter later. If flowers are not in the top three, perhaps you do not need to triple the floral budget because you saw one spectacular ceremony arch at midnight on Instagram.
5. Find the venue and date
Now you can start looking seriously. Ask about capacity, curfew, exclusivity, accommodation, wet-weather plans, furniture, catering restrictions and what is actually included in the quoted price.
Do not choose only with your eyes. A gorgeous venue with impossible logistics can become a very beautiful headache.
6. Book the suppliers who can only be in one place at a time
Photographers, planners, certain musicians and highly sought-after beauty artists can book far ahead. Once your venue and date are secure, identify the people whose work matters most to you and enquire early.
After that, build the wedding in layers. You do not need to book twelve suppliers in one week.
From venue, catering and photography to stationery, guest lists, ceremony details, transport, beauty, emergency kit and wedding-day logistics, this complete wedding to-do list covers the tiny details most couples don’t think about until the last minute. 30 sections. Hundreds of details. Zero 2 a.m. panic.
7. Create one planning home
One spreadsheet, one folder, one shared planning system. Contracts, deposits, guest information, supplier contacts and deadlines should not live across screenshots, WhatsApp messages and the Notes app titled 'WEDDING IMPORTANT NEW'.
Future you deserves better.
And then?
Then you begin the lovely part: giving the day a personality. Food (allergies), flowers, music, paper, clothes, cocktails, speeches, tiny details. But now those choices sit on solid foundations.
The best-planned wedding should never feel over-planned. It should simply feel easy when you are inside it.
By Saint Léo