"The second you start announcing your engagement, the questions begin. 'When's the wedding? What are you thinking? Where will it be? When do you want to go dress shopping?' The best thing for you and your fiancé to do, first and foremost, is to communicate with each other before discussing details with others. There is the wedding and there is the partnership and they are very different things. If you take the time to chat through important bullet points with your fiancé from the get go it will save plenty of headache down the road. Get on the same page and focus on what is important to the two of you. How long do you want to be engaged? Where do you envision the wedding? Do you want to keep it small and/or simple or plan for the wedding of the century? Who is hosting? Talk to each other and then spread the news!" – Jolene Peterson, Laurel & Rose

"You have heard of the mini-moon the baby-moon and of course the honeymoon but we are hereby declaring our love for an 'engagement-moon.' Try to plan for a weekend, a day, or a night alone, in recently engaged bliss, with your partner. Some couples make a rule to avoid any wedding talk and just focus on each other during this getaway and others love to use it as a jumping off point into the world of wedding planning. Regardless of how you spend your precious hours as a newly engaged couple, try to make it about the two of you and spoil each other rotten." – Jolene Peterson, Laurel & Rose

"Look for your wedding dress online first! Start looking for your dream dress on online marketplaces like StillWhite.com, the largest in the world. It's worth checking, since you could find your dream designer wedding dress for around half the retail price!" – Bruno Szajer, StillWhite.com
 

"When choosing a wedding date, consider the season as that can dictate a lot of your decisions. If your dream venue is outdoors, make sure there’s a rain plan. Additionally, the season will determine which flowers you can and cannot use. This will also help you narrow down your color scheme choices to set the tone for your wedding." – Euri Wong, Bloominous

"Right after you get engaged, it’s most important to focus on the availability-sensitive vendors, such as the venue/caterer, the band, the planner & the photographer. That’s not to say that any other vendor is less important by any means; however these select few get booked up, and they’re generally booked on a 'first come, first served' basis. When it comes to booking your entertainment, think about the environment you’d like to create and the feel of the party and work with a team to select your talent accordingly. So much of the energy in the room comes from that dream 'soundtrack' so try to focus on the vibe and the rest will follow!" – the team at Bob Gail Music

"Finding the right vendors and venues can be a tough task. Especially when planning in a location you are unfamiliar with. Social media is a great tool that will not only help you explore out-of-the-box ideas for your wedding but can help connect you to vendors you may not have found otherwise. Look through Instagram posts + feeds to get a feel for a florists style, or a new catering concept. Check out beautiful venues in destinations you haven’t thought of or find that up-and-coming wedding dress designer that makes your jaw drop and sends you into a screenshot frenzy! The possibilities are endless." – Jessica Boskoff of Twenty Three Layers

"Time management is key. Don’t let your engaged life become consumed with wedding planning. Instead, dedicate one night a week where you and your partner can wedding plan without any distractions. Spend an hour or two tackling your list, and handle one category or task at a time. Efficiency and organization will minimize the stress of planning." – Erica Spencer of Erica Marie Events