Engagement Season

The holidays are prime time for new engagements. In fact, over 33% of proposals happen between Thanksgiving and New Years. For those of you that found that little box with a sparkling diamond in your stocking or brought in the New Year with a diamond gracing your ring finger – CONGRATULATIONS! You are now officially a bride-to-be.  And for those of you that weren’t so lucky, share this infographic from HeartsonFire.com with your significant other as a subtle hint. J

For those brides-to-be, you probably can’t wait to get started planning. But before you start to wreck havoc on the wedding magazines, books and Recycledbride.com here are a few things to keep in mind:

1.     Enjoy. Take some time and enjoy being engaged before you start jumping into dresses, venues, centerpieces and flowers. Once your start, it’s hard to stop.

2.     Don’t buy anything. Well, not right away anyway. You might find great vases that you think will be perfect for your centerpieces and even better they are on sale. So you can’t pass them up, right? Wrong. More than likely, you don’t have a clear vision for your wedding yet, you probably haven’t looked at inspiration photos and most importantly, you probably don’t have any idea what the layout of the room is or how big your tables are. You might think you are saving money or checking things off your list, but in the long run you will probably spend more money because the items that you thought were a must have at the beginning, will find their way to Goodwill because they don’t fit with your vision.

3.     When’s the big day? You’ve probably already been asked, when’s the big date? Don’t feel pressured to pick a date right away even though everyone will ask you. Your wedding date will be with you forever, so keep this in mind when you make your decision.

4.     Bridal party. You may know who you want to stand up with you, but choose carefully and wait until closer to the wedding to do so. Many brides end up regretting their bridal party choices because they chose to soon.

Last but not least, have fun and enjoy this special time of your lives!