So You Are Engaged What is Next Arizona Wedding Photographer

So you are engaged??????

You’ve been waiting, wishing, watching for this day. So you are obviously over the moon and excited to start planning your dream wedding.  However now you just started planning and suddenly you are overwhelmed! Whether it be finding the perfect location to say I do, or picking the yummiest cake, or the best photographer. You are just drowning in choices! lol. It’s crazy how fast that switch can happen.

I simply want to give you some advice. It’s just a tiny bit of advice I have SO much more to give, but for today it’s just enough.

Breath.

We could all use a little more breath and presence in our lives, am I right?

Simply remember to breathe as you plan, and simply enjoy the moment in your life that you are engaged to the person of your dream! Your partner, or soulmate, your equal, your other half. Breath and enjoy each other and this time in your life. Nothing needs to rush. Nothing needs to blot out that joy. 

If you are so wrapped up in the process you might lose your excitement and momentum and burn out fast and end up resenting the engagement. You will be overwhelmed and unable to tackle the steps logically.

So just remember to do a little yoga, take deep breaths, go for walks, hold hands, and lots of hugging and words of encouragement for each other when attempting to figure out what’s next.

If you are not an organized planner…Hire a wedding planner.

All breathing aside, planning a giant event might just not be your strength. lol.

Some are naturally gifted at planning and organization. Some are not. That is okay. If you are NOT my advice to you would be your first step will be to hire a wedding planner! It is not money wasted. The time it will take you to research vendors and venues is crazy. But if you find a well-connected planner that has been in business for a long time where you are getting married, they will be able to answer SO many questions for you!  Set yourself up for success and staying present by hiring this planner to help you create your dream wedding, recommend professional and talented vendors, or simply be the expert and tell you what you may need to plan a wedding.

Take baby steps & get organized.

Maybe it’s simply not in your budget to hire a planner so you must go it alone….There are some really great planning guides for planning an event or wedding. There are apps & tools at your fingertips like never before. Research ones that work for you and start using them right away to stay organized. Simply creating a list and getting all your thoughts out on paper can be a good place to start.

A good list to start is all the things you need to consider & the money you have to consider it with. Figuring our your budgets going to be number one to figure out what is most important. Is it the venue? The food? The Photographer? Allot amounts of money towards those. You might want to research the local costs to figure out a budget in the first place. Depending on where you live you will get a pretty good idea quickly. For Phoenix Venues & food will be your biggest expense,(think $100-$200 a person) then your planner (think $1500-$4000) & photographer. (think $3000-$6000) Then things trickle down from there.  The average US wedding is $50k+

It seems like a lot but it is the biggest party/event you will throw in your life. You need to decide together how much you want to spend, where the money is coming from, and a payment plan if you decide to use credit at all.

Another great FREE tool at your expense that wasn’t around when I planned my wedding 11 years ago is Pinterest!  It’s an amazing platform. You can pin and tag all your favorite inspiration in once central place then research the vendors you need to accomplish it.

I am so jealous it didn’t exist when I planned my wedding. I did the old school magazine page tear-outs & a pretty accordion folder. lol. FYI I kept it! I still have that torn up folder in a memory box.

#teamawesome. You are not in this alone.

Another thing to remember is you are in this together. You and your partner and not alone in the planning. Even if one of you is more detail oriented, it takes two to tango! lol. It should be fun and exciting. Don’t let the details and decisions steal your joy. Sure planning a giant event isn’t carefree or easy, but it can be enjoyable.

Remember why you are getting married. Give the wedding day it’s proper place. It’s exciting, it’s memorable, it’s the start to your marriage.

You have heard it a million times, it’s the marriage that matters… But… the wedding is a celebration with all your dearest tribe to commemorate this occasion and say we are in this together! So it is important and special. Let it be joyful and fun, even in the planning.

So there you are. Tracy Ann’s words of wisdom. lol.

Just recap of today’s advice.

Breath.

Hire a planner &/or get organized & decide what’s important. All the give & takes in the budget.

Enjoy the process of planning your marriage celebration,

Do it together. Hand in hand tackle this wedding. It will grow you as a couple, teach you how to work as a team, and fall even more in love.

Another tip, of course as a wedding photographer, would be to absolutely do an engagement session. It helps me get to know you as a couple. To see how you interact and how to draw out your romance & personalities before the wedding day. This will allow you to relax and for me to know exactly how to pose & help you work together for the best possible photos.

Katie & Greg found me because Katie and I have been at the same church now for several years. She’s so sweet and has been following my work and supporting me. I love photographing clients that I know, it takes an element out of uncertainty. Although she doesn’t know me well she has an idea of my personality and she’s frequently volunteered in the kid’s room, which means she probably knows my son better than me! lol. Either way, it’s an easy fit to be apart of her wedding day. So when they got engaged one of the first things they did was set up a consult with me. I am thrilled that I was included in these first steps of planning.

Katie & Greg knew that photography would be the only element they would have to remember all the details and moments of the day. I am honored & thrilled to be there for them.

I simply cannot wait for their Easter Sunday wedding at the Arizona Grand! It’s just going to be beautiful.

Let’s enjoy their session!

Happy planning &  thanks for reading. I hope this post helped you breathe, have fun, and get organized.