I'm Engaged! Now What Do I Do?

First: Tell your family. Your family really should know before all of your friends. Also, don't assume that your parents or siblings will spread the word to other family members. Remember to share your good news and excitement with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Second: With your intended, select a time line for your wedding day. Consider time to plan the wedding, the time of year you wish to get married, and avoid holidays and holiday weekends.

Third: Determine where you wish to have your wedding and check availability for your desired day. It's best if you have more than one date in mind because wedding venues can be booked a year in advance. Reserve your venue, and make sure you get it in writing so you don't find out the week of your wedding that the venue is double booked. You can always cancel a reservation, but you can't get something that someone else has already reserved. This is stress reliever number one.

Now, research books that include wedding planning schedules and find one that's right for you. These books are great for keeping you out of trouble for forgetting something important and there are a multitude of them out there. Check you library to peruse different ones before you buy and read customer reviews for the book(s) that you are considering purchasing. Next, start doing some research and determine your wedding budget. A simple wedding can be pulled off for around $3,000 - $5,000 and can go as high as the sky. The average cost of a wedding in 2007 was about $28,000. Price can be affected by what part of the country you live in. In the North, a wedding reception consists of a sit down dinner for all of your guest, in the South, a reception is typically finger foods, appetizers and is much less expensive. Find out about the etiquette for your region to help determine your budget. Once you have your ideal budget in mind, determine how much of it you and your intended can cover. Then, approach parents and ask if they can help with any of the costs, and what they would like to do. Some families may be willing to pitch in to the "wedding fund", others may want to pay for specific items like the reception, the flowers, etc. Once you know what assistance you can expect, you will know if you need to adjust your budget.

Next comes the fun stuff. And it should be fun. The bride should pick her dress. Plan to go on several shopping excursions, as you probably will not find your perfect dress at the first bridal shop you go to or on the first shopping trip you make. Be aware that the advantages of buying your dress from a bridal shop, while may be a little more expensive, offers some very valuable perks. The bridal store will likely help you pick your dress, will store it up to a year until your big day, and will handle all alterations. The same thing applies to bridesmaid dresses and the men's attire. The Bride's dress and the time of day that the wedding is held determines how formal the event will be and will set the tone for all of the other decisions you must make regarding wedding party attire, the mother's attire, the flowers, the decorations, the formality of your invitations and all the other little tidbits of your big day.

Start working on your guest list. Determining how many guests you will have determines how much you will be spending on favors, reception food, etc. The size of your wedding party can affect your budget as well. Consider gifts for the wedding party, lodging and travel for your attendants, flowers for the attendants, etc.

Once you have taken care of the business details, then all of the pretty, sentimental, personal touches you want to incorporate into your special day, will begin to fall into place for you.