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You’re Engaged! Now what?

by | Feb 18, 2025 | Headshots

Congratulations on your engagement!
You’re engaged! Now what?

First, take some time to enjoy this stage in your life before doing any wedding planning.

How did the proposal happen?

Share your story with your friends and family. The memory of the proposal will make you happy and telling it to your loved ones will make them happy for you!

A happy Black couple with blurred smiling faces in the background has their hands against one another, so that the bride to be's engagement ring is prominent. Her hand has tattoos and she is wearing a jean jacket. He is cropped at the nose and is wearing a white, hoodie with green sleeves, a green hood, and a beige front pocket.

There are creative ways to show off your engagement ring, like with a photo of the two of you in the background!

There are two photos. In the photo on the left, a blonde white woman in a long, flowing emerald green dress past her feet, receives a kiss on her right cheek from a South Asian man in a traditional white sherwani kerta. In the photo on the right, the man is wearing a ruby red suit, looking lovingly at his fiancée who is wearing a black dress with colourful flowers to her knees. The CN tower in the background.

Downtown Toronto Engagement Photos with the CN Tower in the background.

Insure your engagement ring!

Trust me on this. I (Danielle) have been married for 20 years and last year, my diamond fell out of my ring. Fortunately, it was insured. Also, get your diamond checked by a jeweler every year to make sure that it is not going to fall out. Sometimes the prongs come loose.

One hand on top of another with a blue gemstone engagement ring on top of a matching blue dress

Insure your engagement ring!

Would you like an indoor ceremony or an outdoor ceremony?

Moment just after the bride walked down the aisle, showing the backs of the bride and groom with the flowing wedding veil, the guests on either side of them, and the minister and bridal party in the background

Indoor ceremony at the Albany Club in Toronto.

Indoor wedding Ceremony at the Albany Club, with the bride and groom looking at the minister laughing. The maid of honour is to the left in a long violet dress and the best man is on the right, dressed in a kilt with a hat.

Indoor Ceremony at the Albany Club in Toronto. To see more photos from that wedding, click here: link

A big white wedding tent surrounded by a forest

Tent for an outdoor wedding ceremony at Cox Creek Cellars in Guelph.

Outdoor wedding ceremony. Bride reading her vows to groom, with three groomsmen laughing in background, as groom happily grins.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at Cox Creek Cellars in Guelph. To see more photos from this wedding click here: link

What season would you like to have your wedding in?

Most people don’t think of getting married in the winter, but it has some advantages as venues will often offer discounts for off-season weddings, guests are happy to have something fun to do when the weather isn’t usually great, and if the weather is ok, it’s a nice surprise. You will also be able to go on your honeymoon at a time that you are more likely to want to leave Toronto. Spring weddings can have pretty flowers, but it rains more frequently. Summer weddings usually have the best weather, though some of those summer days can be hotter than expected, and the same applies to the fall.

Two side by side photos of a newly married couple. The bride is wearing a white dress and laughing while the groom holds her tightly and smiles at her. He is wearing a suit with a blue tie. They are in front of a gigantic Christmas tree decorated with silver balls and snow flakes.

Toronto City Hall Winter Wedding

Gay Jamaican couple in matching blue suits with bright pink shirts and blue bow ties sitting on a bench. One groom is slightly behind the other, hugging him, while they both look at the camera. They are wearing crowns. There are poinsettias and blurred out Christmas lights in the background.

Toronto City Hall December Wedding. This wedding made it into The Wedding Ring!

Two side by side wedding photos from a spring wedding. Groom just up as bride holds his hand, while they walk through a forest in the photo on the left. Bride and groom kissing in front of a store called The Birds and the Bees in the photo on the right.

Sometimes spring also brings a spring in one’s step!

Two side by side vertical photos of a bride and groom outside on a sunny day in a downtown park. The bride is wearing a long white dress with a long veil and the groom is wearing a suit, with his jacket open and a tie. There are flowers on the grass in the foreground and stores and restaurants behind them.

The flowers were starting to bloom in time for this spring wedding.

Bride dressed in blue dress with white flowers in her hair grabbing groom's face and kissing him deeply while he has his hands around her waist, just after they got married. There is a fan in the background because it is so hot outside!

George restaurant was prepared for this near-summer wedding with a fan!

Bride in white dress and long veil nearly touching noses with groom in a white suit, in front of a forest background

Sometimes, it is a perfect summer day!

Two side by side fall wedding photos. In the photo on the left, the bride and groom's heads are touching. It is a close-up photo of the two of them romantically holding each other and looking into each other's eyes. In the photo on the right, the groom is behind the bride, hugging her. Her full dress is showing. They are in front of a forest with yellow leaves.

Fall wedding at the Humber Arboretum

Two side by side photos of a bride and groom in the fall sunlight on a golf course in front of leafy green trees. The bride is wearing a long, white wedding dress and the groom is wearing a yellow and black kilt. In the photo on the left, they are about to kiss. In the photo on the right, he is hugging her from behind.

King’s Riding Golf Club Wedding. Scottish tradition meets Ontario golf club here: link

Book your wedding venue!

This has to be your next step in terms of booking, because you cannot book anything else until you have selected your wedding date and in order to select your date, you need to ensure the venue you want is available. Explore various ones. Go for some tastings. See what suits you as a couple. Do you want your reception at a banquet hall, a golf club, in a forest, under a tent? Think outside the box. Some couples have their receptions at old movie theatres, museums, hotels, or breweries.

King's Riding Golf Club main building. Large red brick building with a white porch at front and large circular driveway. The sky is blue and a bit cloudy. The venue has many chairs set up.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at King Riding Golf Club.

Two side by side photos of a bride and groom in the fall sunlight on a golf course in front of leafy green trees. The bride is wearing a long, white wedding dress and the groom is wearing a yellow and black kilt. In the photo on the left, they are about to kiss. In the photo on the right, he is hugging her from behind. King’s Riding Golf Club Wedding. Scottish tradition meets Ontario golf club here: https://www.rabbatphoto.com/kings-riding-golf-club-wedding/

Decide if you want a wedding planner.

They can help you make big decisions, stay on budget and alleviate stress. They will cost money, but sometimes their connections to other vendors can result in savings. Some venues come with a planner on the wedding day.

Book your wedding venue!

This has to be your next step in terms of booking, because you cannot book anything else until you have selected your wedding date and in order to select your date, you need to ensure the venue you want is available. Explore various ones. Go for some tastings. See what suits you as a couple. Do you want your reception at a banquet hall, a golf club, in a forest, under a tent? Think outside the box. Some couples have their receptions at old movie theatres, museums, hotels, or breweries.

King's Riding Golf Club main building. Large red brick building with a white porch at front and large circular driveway. The sky is blue and a bit cloudy. The venue has many chairs set up.

Outdoor wedding ceremony at King Riding Golf Club.

Select your photographer!

Have a look at photography styles. Do you want photojournalism and exclusively candid moments? Do you want lots of portraits? Do you want a combination of both? Booking an engagement session is always a good idea because this will help you get comfortable in front of the camera and with your photographer, and you will get great photos you can use for invitations, or in various ways at the wedding (e.g., a guest signing book).

Black and white photo of a couple touching heads and smiling at each other in an airplane cockpit.

Romance in a cockpit.

Choose your officiant!

Would you like a secular ceremony or a religious ceremony? Do you already have someone in mind to officiate your wedding? What traditions would you like to incorporate?

Couple laughing together while holding hands as they are getting married. Officiant smiling at them.

Happy wedding moment.

Invite your bridal party

Now that you’ve got the important dates nailed down, you can invite your bridal party to be part of the big day. You can ask them after you book the venue, since you will know the date, but friendships ebb and flow and you may find that after your engagement, some people get closer and others get farther away, so unless you’re really sure of who you want, it’s best to wait until a bit closer to the wedding date.

Creative composition of a bridal party with bridesmaids and groomsmen mixed together, back to back and the wedding couple to the right of the two couples on their left. There is one couple on their right.

Bridal party at La Maquette.

Choose the dress or whatever you plan to wear on your wedding day!

Bride's dress. Full length photo of bride with dress on left and half length photo of bride's pack as she opens the red window curtains to see through white ones.

Wedding dress.

Now you are ready to take care of the other details, like figuring out your guest list, selecting bonbonnieres, flowers, decorations, cake, etc. Fortunately, you have people who can help with this.

Now that you’re engaged, the fun can begin. Do your best to enjoy the planning and anticipation!