Photo: JIWA Photography
You just said ‘yes’ to your boyfriend and that gorgeous engagement ring. Then, reality hits – what should you do next? Take a breather; we have some tips to share!
Pause and enjoy the moment
Getting engaged is such a celebratory moment, and I’m sure you can’t wait to share this wonderful piece of news with your parents, besties, and on your social media platforms. But once you have done so, it is time to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Being engaged is an elevated relationship status, and you should take the time to enjoy it. Don’t be caught up in noise of others and let them tell you what you should be doing. Enjoy this “honeymoon” period, and when you and your fiancé are ready, start discussing about your wedding.
Pick a wedding date
When you are ready to begin discussing about your wedding plans, the first question you would probably ask is, when do you want to get married. The wedding date is one of the most significant dates in your entire life. As such, some people are more particular in choosing the perfect date.
Usually, couples go for meaningful dates such as their dating or engagement anniversary, or it can be an auspicious date specially picked by a geomancer based on your lunar birth dates.
Decide the scale of your wedding
Once you have decided on the date, you will need to decide how big you want your wedding to be before you start scouting for the wedding venue.
While most couples prefer to have a small, and close-knitted celebration, we cannot ignore the fact that a wedding is a celebration for the entire families. Our parents’ opinion needs to be taken into consideration.
Conflict may arise during the discussion with your parents. It is, thus, important for you to share your perspectives with them so that they will understand you better, and vice versa. Many couples have come up with creative ways to make the wedding work for themselves and their parents, such as, having two separate celebrations for friends and family, or organising an after-party right after dinner.
Photo: Pexels
Money, money, money
Unfortunately, most of us did not grow up being taught how we should save up for our wedding. Getting engaged and planning for a wedding means you are moving on to next stages in life, and this includes getting a new home. These items require a large sum of money, and just by thinking of it can be extremely overwhelming. But fret not, we are here to share some financial tips.
Unlike paying for a flat or house, your wedding purchases can be spread out. For big ticket items like a banquet and bridal boutique package, paying in credit can be done. Instead, use the cash you have saved up for items such as getting a new home and renovation, which may incur high interest if you take a loan from the bank.
Here are some tips when it comes to using credit card for your wedding purchases:
1. Stagger your payment
When planning for your wedding, you can work out a timeline to decide when you should engage certain vendors. As most vendors require a 50% deposit to confirm the booking, you can stagger your payment by deciding when you would like to engage them by creating a timeline to monitor your expenses.
2. Maximise your credit card benefits
Getting married is the best time to chalk up cashbacks, rebates and air miles, especially for big ticket items like banquet and bridal boutique package. You can also explore a monthly payment scheme if you are planning to hold your wedding reception in a hotel.
3. Clear your monthly credit card debt
Utilising a credit card to help with your wedding expenses should bring you financial gains rather than liabilities. To prevent hefty interest charges, always pay off your credit card debt in full and on time.
4. Remember to redeem your credit card perks
After making payments, make sure that you diligently check, and redeem your rebates and air miles before they expire.
Start planning your wedding
Now that you have thought through these essential points, you are ready to go full steam with wedding planning! If the scale of your wedding is rather big, do take into consideration if you have the time and energy to manage your own wedding, or prefer to hire a wedding planner to assist you. Wedding planners often offer different packages that suits your needs, from full wedding planning to actual day coordination. Do make arrangement to speak to some of them to see how they can help you out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cheryl waited a year-and-half from her engagement to tying the knot. “We wanted to have our wedding on a particular date, a preferred month, and on a weekend,” she disclosed. “This gives us more time to plan for the wedding as well!”
The former marketing and communications professional enjoyed planning her own wedding so much that she founded The Wedding Concepteur in 2014, and have planned weddings for prominent social media individuals such as fashion influencer Nellie Lim, and Bertilla Wong of The Closet Lover.
