I'm engaged, now what?!?!

Casita Chic is about to take yet another turn - I'm engaged! Within hours, seriously hours, people were asking "When's the date?" "Am I invited?" "Who's your Made of Honor?" ... All I wanted to say was "Whoa there, Nelly, I'm just enjoying a mimosa (okay 5) with my fiance. Cool it."

Everyone was making me feel so "behind" on planning, etc. that I decided to Google and Pinterest search 'What to do when you get engaged?' but I found those lists to be outdated. Going off of my experiences, here's the 2015 Guide to Getting Engaged!

1. Choose Your Answer. Not that it's anyone's business at all what your next steps are, but a coworker gave me the best one liner that I found myself using constantly. Here it is: "You know, we're really just enjoying the moment right now." 
2. Insure Your Ring. No ifs, ands or buts about it... Do this the second you receive the appraisal for your jeweler. I used Perfect Circle which was recommended by my jeweler, and it was so easy (not to mention only $140 for the year!)
3. Pick A Time of Year. No need to pin down a date. Just have an idea of time of year then that will help you gauge when you need to start planning - go ahead and share with parents and close friends for peace of mind.
4. Begin a Wedding Website. I used Wedding Wire and it was SO easy. Just add the details you know and want to share. Things I included: our names, a few photos, time frame (ex. spring 2015), about us, registry...

5. Register. I know, I know. It seems CRAZY early, but believe it or not, family and friends have most likely known this was coming and will want to shower you with love (and gifts). No need to complete every single registry. We just went online to Bed, Bath & Beyond which makes it insanely easy, and added a few low-cost items. (P.S. My fiance LOVED this part - assign this job to yours)
6. Start A Guest List & Budget. Only so you can have an idea of what size wedding you are looking at. This will completely drive your budget.
7. Schedule Engagement Photos. This is absolutely critical. In our case, we got engaged in May in Texas and I figured I'd take my sweet time figuring things out. Well, once I finally found my wedding photog she kindly reminded me that we were already experiencing highs of 90+ degrees in Dallas. Let's just say she had to do some serious work to not make us look sweaty!

My Engagement Go-Tos :: Jeweler Cook Diamonds // Ring Insurance Perfect Circle // Photographer Lauren Peele Photography // Wedding Website WeddingWire.com // Registry Bed, Bath & Beyond