valley & company advice :: tips for the newly engaged

Whether it’s the nostalgia and romance of the winter months or the desire after a busy summer to settle down and pop the question, the holiday season is traditionally known as engagement season. There’s something so magical and enchanting about this time of year both for the festivities and the intimacy that is ever-present. So it’s no surprise that this becomes an exciting time to propose.

For many years we have penned ideas for our old blog and for magazines and other blogs about what to do, or not to do when you become newly engaged. While there certainly are no rules when it comes to this exciting time, we know that reading some sort of etiquette guideline can be of high importance!

-Savor the moment! While this might seem like a clear thought, we’re talking about truly savoring your engagement and enjoying the moment to yourselves before it becomes common knowledge. Jot down in a journal how it happened, what s/he said, and what the setting was.

-Take a breath before you announce your happy news to the world. It might seem like a knee-jerk reaction to immediately post to social media (which we love to see!), but pause for just a moment before you do so in case you mistakenly forgot about sharing the good news with a few friends or someone else who you would want to tell in person or over the phone.

-Dream up ideas about what your ultimate wedding would look and feel like. While you may have some initial benchmark for the festivities, this is your official green light to begin unfolding and discovering your story. Think about the time of year, possible locations, and the overall ambiance and experience you want to create for yourselves and for your guests. Chances are you’ll be asked when, where? by family and friends over the holidays, so having a loose concept in mind can add to those fun holiday conversations to come! Alternately, if you have absolutely not idea, that’s entirely okay! Your response can be oh, we are so excited to start planning, but we’ve chosen to simply relax over the holidays and start planning come January!

Photos: Kerry Jeanne Photography for Valley & Company Events

-Consider your wedding party and who else may have a special role in the big day. Surely your best friends will be eager to accept their supporting cast role

-Insure your ring! Talk to your insurance carrier about getting your engagement ring added to your policy.

-Have fun! Perhaps the most important thing to remember about getting into wedding planning is that it should be positively fun and enjoyable. Planning can certainly be with some logistical challenges, but remember that your wedding is your own story and the process should reflect that.

Tell us, what was the first thing that you did when you became engaged? We were engaged on Oahu while vacationing with a big group of friends, so we all headed into Honolulu for a celebratory dinner – after calling our families, naturally!

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