The First 5 Things to Do Right After You Get Engaged

You just got engaged and suddenly everyone has advice.

Venues, dates, colors, budgets. But before the planning begins, there’s something far more important to do.

In this guide, you’ll find five intentional steps every couple should take right after getting engaged, along with a bonus planning resource at the end for couples who want practical, stress-saving guidance as they move forward.

This short season sets the tone for everything that follows, not just your wedding, but your marriage. These five steps help you slow down, reconnect, and begin with intention.

1. Pause & Celebrate - Intentionally

Before timelines and to-do lists take over, give yourselves permission to pause.

Celebrate in a way that feels true to you. Whether that’s a quiet dinner, a weekend away, or a slow morning at home. Talk about how it happened, what surprised you, and what this season feels like right now.

✨ This moment deserves to be felt not rushed.

Try This:
Share one thing you never want to forget about your engagement.

2. Talk About Your Vision (Before the Details)

Before venues and vendors, talk about meaning.

What do you want your wedding to feel like?
What matters most to you as a couple?

When vision comes first, decisions feel clearer and outside noise gets quieter.

Try This:
Finish this sentence together:
“At the end of our wedding day, we want to feel…”

3. Define Your Non-Negotiables

Every couple has a few things that truly matter. Identify them early.

Choose your top three priorities and let them guide every decision that follows. This protects what’s important and reduces overwhelm.

✨ Not every beautiful idea belongs in your wedding.

Try This:
Write down your top three priorities and promise to revisit them before big decisions.

4. Create a Ritual of Connection

Wedding planning can quickly replace quality time. Decide now how you’ll stay connected.

This might look like weekly check-ins, intentional date nights, or setting aside time to reflect together without distractions.

✨ Your relationship deserves space to breathe.

Try This:
Choose one small ritual you can commit to during your engagement.

5. Preserve This Chapter

Engagement goes faster than you expect. Capture it.

Write down how this season feels. The excitement, the questions, the growth. One day, you’ll want to remember who you were before the wedding day arrived.

✨ This is part of your love story, too.

Try This:
Write a short note to your future selves about this season.

Why We Believe in Writing It Down

At Annay & Co., we believe love stories deserve to be preserved, not rushed through.

That belief inspired Two Hearts – A Love Story, a guided journal created to help couples slow down, reflect, and stay connected through engagement and beyond.

Want the Practical Wedding Planning Steps Couples Miss?

While the steps above help you build a meaningful foundation, there’s also the practical side of planning that can feel overwhelming.

We created a free downloadable guide that includes:

• A bonus section with real, tactical wedding planning moves

• Ways to avoid decision fatigue

• Simple boundaries that protect your relationship during planning

✨ These are the steps couples often wish they’d taken sooner.

 Download the Free Engagement Guide Below with a Bonus Guide!

Whether you’re newly engaged or just starting to plan, remember this:

A beautiful wedding starts with a connected couple and the strongest marriages begin with intention.