Just Engaged? A Luxury Wedding Planner’s Guide to Planning a UK Wedding

Getting engaged is one of life’s most exciting milestones – and yet, for so many couples, the joy can quickly be overshadowed by a wave of decisions, questions and pressure.

What should we be doing first?
How long does wedding planning take?
Where do we even begin?

As a luxury wedding planner working with couples across the UK, I see this moment time and time again. Newly engaged couples feel an unspoken urgency to start planning immediately – booking venues, scrolling endlessly through inspiration and worrying they’re already behind.

Before you do anything else, take a breath. Wedding planning should never feel frantic, and the decisions you make in these early weeks will shape the entire experience ahead. If you’ve recently said “yes!”, here are the five most important things to focus on first – from someone who has guided countless couples through the process.

1. Actually Celebrate Your Engagement

It sounds obvious, but it’s the step most often skipped.

Your engagement comes with an almost immediate expectation to start planning. But this moment deserves to be savoured before it turns into a project.

Take time to celebrate together. Whether that’s a quiet weekend away, a celebratory dinner with family, or simply enjoying being engaged without an agenda, this pause matters. Wedding planning is an exciting journey, and grounding yourselves in why you’re doing this in the first place will serve you well throughout.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to observe what elements of your wedding feel most meaningful to you as a couple before external opinions inevitably enter the conversation.

2. Map Out Your Guest List

Guest numbers are one of the key decision-drivers in wedding planning. This will influence your venue options, budget allocation and the overall feel of your celebration, so make writing your guest list one of the first tasks on your list.

Before you fall in love with a location or a particular style of wedding, it’s important to have clarity on your approximate guest count. Is your vision an intimate gathering or a large-scale celebration? Are you inviting extended family, colleagues, children?

This doesn’t need to be finalised down to the last name immediately, but having a realistic working number will help you make informed decisions from the outset and avoid unnecessary compromises later on.

3. Set a Clear and Realistic Budget

Going into wedding planning without a budget is one of the quickest ways to create stress.

A clear budget allows you to plan intentionally, prioritise what matters most and make confident decisions. It also helps your suppliers guide you appropriately and suggest options that genuinely align with your expectations.

When setting your budget, consider:

• Your overall comfort level
• Any contributions from family
• Where you are happy to invest more, and where you are not

Luxury weddings are not defined by excess, but by considered choices. Starting with a well-planned budget gives you the freedom to create something truly meaningful without worry.

4. Decide on Your Non‑Negotiables as a Couple

Before involving anyone else, have an honest conversation with your fiancé about what truly matters to each of you.

Is it the guest experience?
Exceptional food and wine?
A particular location or time of year?
An elevated design aesthetic?

Identifying your individual and shared non‑negotiables early creates a strong foundation for every decision that follows. It also helps you stay aligned as a couple when opinions and advice begin to flow in from all directions.

There is no right or wrong answer here – only what feels most authentic to you.

5. Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner

Yes – I would say that!

But truly, involving a wedding planner at the very beginning of the process can be transformative. A luxury wedding planner does far more than manage logistics; they help you shape your vision, guide your early decisions and ensure the entire planning journey feels calm, supported and intentional.

From refining your brief and budget to recommending venues and trusted suppliers, early support often saves time, money and unnecessary stress. It also allows you to enjoy your engagement without feeling overwhelmed by the tasks still ahead of you.

For couples planning destination weddings, multi‑day celebrations or weddings involving guest travel, this early guidance is particularly valuable.

Wedding planning is an exciting, one-of-a-kind experience. The most memorable celebrations are those built with clarity and intention – starting from the moment you get engaged.

If you’re recently engaged and considering support with planning a wedding in the UK, I’d love to hear more about your plans and how I can help guide you through the process. You can explore my planning services here, or get in touch to begin the conversation.