First… congratulations! Getting engaged is exciting, emotional, and a little overwhelming. Between well-meaning advice from family, endless TikToks, Pinterest boards, and wedding Facebook groups, it can feel like you’re supposed to have everything figured out immediately.
Here’s the truth: you don’t.
That’s exactly why having a planning team matters. We’re here to guide you through the process, help you make confident decisions, and take the pressure off so you can actually enjoy being engaged.
When you’re first starting your venue search and finding the experience that will reflect your love story, here are the only things you really need to focus on:
1. Your Budget (Think Ballpark, Not Perfection)
You don’t need an exact spreadsheet down to the dollar, and you definitely don’t need to have every category figured out yet.
What is helpful is having a comfortable range in mind.
Ask yourselves:
- What feels realistic and responsible for us?
- Are family members contributing?
- What number feels doable but not stressful?
That general range will:
- Help narrow down venues and options to be the right fit
- Keep recommendations aligned with what makes sense for you
- Prevent you from falling in love with things that aren’t a fit financially
Your budget isn’t a limitation – it’s a tool that helps your planning team guide you in the right direction.
2. Your Vibe (The Feeling You Want the Day to Have)
Before you worry about colors, fonts, or specific décor, zoom out and think about the overall feeling you want your wedding to have.
Ask yourselves:
- Do we want it to feel romantic and elegant?
- Light and airy?
- Natural and scenic?
- Elevated and timeless?
Your venue sets the tone for everything that follows from the flow of the day, to the guest experience, to how your photos will feel years from now.
If you can describe your wedding in a few adjectives, you’re already way ahead of the game.
3. Your Planning Style & Goals
Every couple is different and there’s no “right” way to plan a wedding.
Think about how you want the process itself to feel:
- Do you want to research and manage every moving piece (catering, rentals, vendors, timelines, décor)?
- Or would you prefer a more all-inclusive, guided experience?
- Do you want hands-on support throughout planning?
- Or do you have the time (and desire) to coordinate most things yourselves?
Be honest about your schedules, stress levels, and how you typically handle big projects together. The right planning approach will make the entire experience more enjoyable and far less overwhelming.
This is the part most couples will be very happy to hear.
You do not need to have these figured out at the beginning:
- Your exact color palette
- Invitation fonts
- Seating chart layouts
- Ceremony décor details
- The perfect hashtag
All of that comes later, and much more easily, once your venue, date, and planning structure are in place.
Right now, those details are just noise.
At the start of planning, your only real job is to:
- Set a general budget range
- Discover your overall vibe
- Decide what kind of planning experience you want
Everything else builds naturally from there, especially when you have a team helping guide the process. You don’t need to have everything decided right now. You just need to start in the right place and find the right people to support you throughout planning and on the day of. And we’re here to help you do exactly that. Want to find out how today?
Call Connecticut Wedding Group at (860) 347-7171 or email us at [email protected]!
