Ok, I got the ring. Now what?
Your heart’s pounding, the champagne’s fizzing, and your phone just set a new record for notifications. Once the sparkle-drunk haze clears, reality taps you on the shoulder: Where do we start?
This is the exact game plan I slid across the table to my own brother (after he texted a mild panic attack). Follow these five luxe-but-logical moves and you’ll glide into full-service wedding planning like a pro—minus the overwhelm.
Photo: M28 Photography
My brother Joseph and new sister Shameka pictured after the long wedding process but an amazing wedding!
1. Choose Your Moment: Public vs. Private
Forget Aunt Linda’s group-chat committee—what fits you two?
Intimate souls: Dim the lights, cue Sade, scatter blooms in the living room. Voilà—private proposal perfection.
Life-of-the-party types: Turn game night into a grand surprise while your favorite people cheer (and record).
Whatever you choose, start your story authentically—and, yes, your Chicago wedding planner fully supports midnight taco bars if that’s your vibe.
2. Capture the Spark (Hire a Chicago Engagement Photographer)
Private proposal? Set your phone on portrait mode and fire off a selfie burst before calling Mom.
Public proposal? Assign a stealthy friend—or better, a professional Chicago engagement photographer—to play paparazzo. Grainy pics are so 2005; this moment deserves 4K glory. Surprise and grainy pictures.
3. Pause & Bask
Stop. Breathe. Sneak away for sixty seconds—hallway, coat-check closet, wherever—and just be. Swap grins, ugly-cry, do whatever feels right. Those memory bytes beat any hashtag.
Take in
the little moments like this…
4. The Three L’s: Logic · Listen · List
It’s business time—but the fun kind.
Logic: How much can you responsibly invest in your high-end Chicago wedding? Who’s contributing, and when?
Listen: Trade top-three priorities—judgment-free. Maybe it’s the Chicago Players band and a premium open bar; maybe it’s Erin Martin’s couture cake and a January date (hello, Chicago winter wedding venue deals).
List: Write it down. Non-negotiables left, “meh” items right. This will save your budget when Instagram whispers, “Add fireworks at midnight.”
Pro tip: Leave this meeting knowing 98 percent of your total spend and cash-flow timeline. You wouldn’t test-drive a Bentley without checking the price.
5. Book a Full-Service Chicago Wedding Planner (Early!)
Could you DIY? Sure. But you could also hand-sew your gown or distill your own bourbon—why? A seasoned planner curates venues, vets vendors, and shields you from TikTok trends that tank budgets.
Event Shoppe Chicago offers everything from start-to-finish design (napkin folds to after-party espresso martinis) to Final-Details Coordination. Book us early—even for “month-of” help—and you unlock unlimited email sanity checks from day one.
Myth-Buster Corner
Planner ≠ Magician: We can wrangle a missing groomsman; we cannot teleport the wedding party between two photo spots in 20 minutes of rush-hour traffic.
Cousin Val ≠ Planner: Guests can’t also work. Let family sip champagne instead of cueing the first dance from the bathroom line.
Ready to Plan a High-End Chicago Celebration?
If a proposal is brewing—or the ring’s already burning a hole in your pocket—schedule a 20-minute discovery call with our luxury Chicago wedding planning team. We’ll map the road from “Just engaged” to “Best. Day. Ever.”—minus the meltdowns.
Because your love deserves the luxury of expert planning—and you deserve to pop more champagne, not antacids. 🥂
Now that we’ve discussed the necessary stuff, let’s show off some of our favorite engagement photos. Be sure to schedule your 20 minute chat with Event Shoppe Chicago if you are preparing to propose or just got in engaged so we can get you on the road to start wedding planning.
