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You just got engaged—congrats! We know that you’re feeling all sorts of emotions, from surprise and excitement to pure joy. As the shock starts to wear off and the reality of having a wedding to plan sinks in, It can be overwhelming to know where to start. The wedding planning process can be long and multifaceted, but we’re here to help with the first few thing you can do soon after you say “I do”.
We’ve broken it down to five steps to get the ball rolling. From having great nails for that first ring selfie to setting up your dream wedding website style, these to-dos are a fun way to start getting hyped for your big day (even if it’s many months away). We can already hear the wedding bells ringing.
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Before you post that first engagement ring selfie, you want to make sure your nails are on fleek. When in a pinch, press-on nails give you a perfect manicure in minutes, with no appointments or dry time required. We love Static Nails reusable press-ons because they come in variety of lengths, shapes, and shades.
Price at the time of publish: $20
Invest in Ring Insurance: BriteCo
The last thing you want to think about is anything bad happening to your new engagement ring—that’s exactly why you need ring insurance. Today there are many companies that offer plans protecting against damage or theft. BriteCo offers a wide range of coverage, including theft, robbery, accidental damage, mysterious disappearance, and some natural disasters, like hurricanes and earthquakes. Plans also covers some preventive ring maintenance, like prong re-tipping, bent or broken prong repair, and stone tightening. With premiums for engagement rings about 3% below average, it’s a small price to pay for some major protection.
Price at the time of publish: 0.5-1.5% of the ring’s total value
Build a Wedding Website: Minted
In today’s digital age, a wedding website helps you plan for the big day and gives your guests all the important information they need, like how to get there and where to stay. Even before you have all the details down, you can start building your wedding website with Minted’s free templates. They have over 100 smartphone-friendly designs, and you can always switch to another template without losing any information. Once you’ve chosen your design, you can customize save the dates and invites to match.
Price at the time of publish: Free+
Start a Registry: Zola
Even without your wedding dress or venue figured out, it’s fun to start creating your registry. You can register for pretty much anything on Zola, including gifts, cash, honeymoons, and charities. The site also makes shopping easier for your guests, since they can checkout directly through Zola rather than being taken to a third-party site.
Like Minted, Zola also offers wedding websites, save the dates, and invitations, so it’s a great option if you want to keep everything in one place.
Price at the time of publish: Free+
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Once you have the basic details of your wedding down—like the date, venue, and guest list—it’s time to send out save the dates. Not only will this inform your guests to mark their calendars, but it also gives them a taste of your wedding theme. We love this minimalistic, customizable design from Minted, and the site offers plenty of other designs that can coordinate with your wedding website. Don’t know where to start? Take the style quiz to nail down your vibe.
Price at the time of publish: $150+
Why Trust Brides
Emily Cieslak is an Assistant Commerce Editor, covering weddings, fashion and, beauty. Before joining Brides, she worked on wedding content at The Knot.