So you’ve probably spent the last week staring at your left hand 80% of the time, right? And the other 20%, you’ve been day dreaming of what your wedding day will look like, who your bridesmaids will be, where you’ll honeymoon, how you’ll wear your hair, okay you get the point…
 
Congrats! Such a special time & life milestone! Soak up the excitement, all the good vibes, and emotions! Before you get carried away with all the pretty things (read: Pinterest) and thinking about what to do next, let’s make sure you can check off some boxes on your brand spankin’ new to-do list.
 
A few things you’ve probably already done or if you haven’t, stop here & go take care of these tasks first!

1. call your parents & close friends
2. post to Instagram, Facebook & litter everyone’s newsfeeds
3. get a manicure. people are going to be oohing & aahing at your hands

 
All set ? Let’s move on to the more “serious” stuff. But nothing is all that serious; planning your wedding should be fun with only a few peaks of stress. Promise.

1. Get your ring insured. Seriously, right now. It’s not expensive if you add it on to an existing insurance policy meaning if you have home owner’s or renter’s insurance, you can tack it on. If you don’t, ask your parents if you can add it to their policy (this is called a “rider”)
2. Get your ring sized. Go to the jeweler where it was purchased or one nearby that you know and trust. You don’t want that slipping and sliding.
3. Think about when & where you want your big day to take place. What vibe & theme are you two most attracted to? What season? Do you like the industrial look? Barn/rustic? Glamorous? Modern? Traditional? Outdoor, indoor, beach?
4. Go down an Instagram rabbit hole. Yes, you read that correctly. We’re all guilty of it.  Search hashtags like #michiganwedding, #nycwedding, #chicagowedding or wherever you are or want to have your wedding. Start looking at photos to get ideas of venues and what not. Hey – you may even stumble across some vendors you love too! Jot them down.
5. Start looking at venues Once you establish when and what city you want your wedding to take place in, repeat step #4 but this time enter the venue name as the “Location.”
6. Determine a budget. I know, I know – we all loathe that word. But bite the bullet and just do it. Sit down together and come up with a reasonable amount that you can contribute as a couple and then ask both of your parents to have a chat about what they can contribute, if anything. Hope for the best but expect the worst.
7. Research wedding planners / day of coordinators Before you get in over your head and your planning to-do list accumulates, reach out to planners and get an idea of what they do, their cost, etc. They can be a tremendous help when your head is spinning.
8. Decide if you want to have an engagement party or not. Not a must but a fun addition to the engagement phase. If you opt out of this, plan a special celebratory dinner, brunch, get together with your families if you can.
9. Have fun! If you’re not, you’re taking this too seriously and you’ll only turn into a big bridezilla before you know it. Don’t rush anything and enjoy each step of the process.
10. B R E A T H E

"To The Nines? I don't get it..." So I heard this here & there when I finally landed on a name for this lovely little LLC of mine. Some were perplexed and didn't understand the meaning behind it. Well, I gave it right back to them and said, "Wait you've never heard the phrase 'to the nines'? Like all done up? Not ringing a bell?" I quickly realized it is not a widely used idiom like I thought it was in my world. Even better. I love being different. I thought I would take a minute since you might be sitting there scratching your head and give you the dish. 

Quick history 101 lesson:
1. One theory (and probably the most popular) is that the 99th Wiltshire Regiment, known as The Nines, was renowned for its smart and sharp appearance. Other Regiments in that day & age aspired to be like "the nines." 

2. Another theory has it that tailors used nine yards of material to make a suit (or, according to some sources, a shirt). The more material you had, the more praise you received, although nine yards seems like a lot for a top. 

3. The "whole nine yards" is a colloquial phrase meaning "everything, the whole lot" or when used as an adjective, "all the way." This is also said to be tied to "to the nines," meaning to perfection. 

There we have it. You learn something new every day , right? When I toss the term into a sentence, it's typically as an adjective, explaining an appearance or event as "to the nines." I chose this as my company's name because I want to instill the notion that any occasion we work on will be extraordinary & your version of perfection. I wanted to set the expectation before you even landed on my Instagram or website. 

Did you know what "to the nines" meant ? What's an idiom you use on the regular?