Congratulations On Your Engagement!

Congratulations on your engagement. Our Special Moments Event Planning team is so excited that you found us and are considering hiring a professional wedding planner.

 

Engagement Season

According to the current wedding industry information, nearly 40% of all proposals happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. The largest numbers happen somewhere between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

So, we are right smack in the middle of engagement season. If our incoming calls and emails are any indication, this engagement season is not being affected by COVID-19.

However, the number of engagements might be one of the few things about engagement season not changing.

 

Special Moments Event Planning - Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach - wedding proposal - She Said YES - Engagement Story - down on one knee

 

Wedding Planning Looks A Little Different

While our Special Moments Event Planning offices are open for physically distant meetings, by appointment – we are meeting with huge numbers of couples virtually.

We’re starting to do more site visits with couples, but some Tampa Bay wedding venues have virtual tours available. We’re also happy to direct couples to blogs and photo galleries of weddings at the venues they are considering.

Usually, our first advice would be to breathe, relax being engaged, and get used to saying fiancé/fiancée instead of boyfriend/girlfriend.

However, planning in 2021, we need to hit the ground running.

 

What Makes 2021 Wedding Planning Different?

Many couples know friends or family members who postponed a 2020 wedding. Some may have postponed multiple times.

While we saw a good number of couples postponing into 2021, weddings will continue to look a little different in 2021- maybe a little smaller, and taking a good number of safety precautions. We’re really optimistic about the ability to host slightly larger events toward the end of the year.

The challenge is that many couples, looking to be safe, pushed back weddings into 2022. So, coupled with all of the recently engaged couples, 2022 is looking busy.

But here’s the challenge – some couples we spoke to are having a difficult time finding venues for their preferred wedding dates. With in-person corporate events completely halting in 2020 and moving cautiously forward in 2021, corporations started booking 2022 dates.

There are many great venues out there, but 2022 is not the time to let the process drag.

 

Starting The Wedding Planning Process

There are typically three significant parts of beginning the wedding planning process. For some couples, they might be slightly unpleasant, but you need to dive right in!

  1. Vision
  2. Budget
  3. Guest List

 

Your Wedding Vision

We’re pretty sure that discussions about what style and size wedding to have were not part of the dating process.

This is the foundation for every other decision you will be making down the road. Talk to your fiancé/ fiancée about what type of wedding the two of you might like.

Are you planning on coming to Florida for a destination wedding? Are we looking at a beach wedding or something in a historic venue with a more tropical garden feel? There are lots of options!

Part of your vision might include picking a ‘season.’ Unless you are planning on marrying on the day of your first date or engagement, pick a general time of year. If you both teach and summer is the best time for your wedding, the options might be different from other times of the year. Locking in on a specific can limit the venues available, and you might miss out on ‘the one’ by being flexible by a week or two.

Is it more about the party or more about great food and family coming together? What is the vibe you want? What elements do you want to include that reflect the two of you?

 

couple enjoying Coldstone Cremery ice cream at their wedding reception

 

Setting a Wedding Budget

This is the one-part people HATE, and it’s so necessary to get the ball rolling. Most people hate it because it often involves a conversation with parents. Regardless of how old we are, discussions with parents, especially about money, are challenging. The good news is your parents are probably ready for this conversation and have talked about a ‘number’ themselves.

Knowing who is contributing and how much will drive the third part – the guest list.

 

Who Makes The Guest List Cut?

Everything at weddings multiplies exponentially based on the number of guests. Not just 200 dinners, but the same amount of wedding cake and chairs and china. Yes, things like tablecloths, centerpieces, and invitations all grow with the number of wedding guests, too.

Wedding style, the venue you choose, and even whether you select a band or DJ all drive the wedding budget too. But the more wedding guests, the bigger the budget seems to grow. So honest, open conversations as a couple and everyone contributing financially to the wedding is a big first step.

Our Special Moments Event Planning team looks forward to working with you to plan your upcoming wedding. While some of this may sound overwhelming, we’ve walked numerous couples through the same process over the last sixteen years.

Congratulations, and we’re here for you!

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