“Engaged 2 Planning” - Wedding Planning for DIY couples
The moment has finally arrived…my wedding planning course is officially live!
Now I know I’ve only talked about my wedding planning course a little bit recently (see here), but what you might not realize is this idea has been in process since 2016. Yes, you read that right, 2016, as in almost a decade ago - in other words…
2016 is when I first discovered online courses and the concept of running a virtual business. It was the year I purchased my first online course from, which happened to be right around the time I had my first baby (that’s a lot of firsts in 2016). At night between when this baby went to bed (around 7pm) and when baby got back up to “dream feed” (if you don’t have kids - google it - it’s a whole thing) at 10pm, I would stay up and work on learning about online business. While I was exhausted in a way only a new parent can be, I was energized by this idea of a virtual business.
Of course life gets in the way sometimes and causes delays and reprioritizing…since 2016 there have been multiple apartments/houses (6 to be exact), multiple jobs, and then baby #2 in 2018.
Note to viewers babies do not always sleep peacefully - do not be fooled!
When I finally launched GHD in 2019 (3 years after that first online course I took), I spent a year getting it up and running (building socials and my website, doing design giveaways online, having styled shoots, etc.). Then in March of 2020, I launched my first online offerings (4 years after taking that first course). In a cruel trick from the universe, a global pandemic hit at the EXACT same time and everyone was worried about well…not weddings.
Throwback to the original GHD Logo (circa 2019)
In 2021, I returned to the corporate world and shoved my design dreams in the back of my desk drawer (literally, my notebook for all my GHD plans was in my desk). For a while, I thought it was over - my dream would die a slow death (and gather lots of dust) in the back of my desk drawer.
If you’ve ever met me in real life, you know I’m not one who gives up or lets go easily (relentlessness is one of my most intense qualities - good and bad). Even in my corporate job, I always found ways to infuse design and event planning anywhere and everywhere I could, but I still missed wedding design. Turns out it’s pretty hard to fit color palettes and mood boards into the health care industry.
By December of 2023, I knew I just had to breathe life back into my wedding dreams - even if that meant doing it on the weekends or evenings while working full time. I rebuilt my website (from scratch), started a weekly newsletter (ps you can sign up for that here), launched my blog, and began creating all kinds of freebies (quizzes, guides, PDFs) to help support couples with their wedding planning and design. All those resources are free to you here!
By fall of 2024, it became very clear to me that for my virtual wedding business and dream of creating a course to ever be more than a “hobby”, I would need to be able to work on it full time.
Then came the doubt (“What if I fail?”), imposter syndrome (“Am I even a designer?”), and reality (“Can I even record a course while my house is undergoing major renovations?”). Oh doubt, hello dear friend.
Well the universe must have felt bad for being such a punk to me (to all of us) in 2020 and it created a very clear path for me to exit my corporate job and thus here we are.
It only took 9+ years from my original dream to get to this point and honestly I’m okay with that. While it didn’t go how I thought it would originally back in 2016, the journey to this dream has been the exact wild ride I needed.
That’s the thing about life, it always works out the way it’s supposed to in the end (even if it seems like absolutely NOTHING is adding up right on the way there).
Now that you know a little more about the journey I’ve been on to get to this exact moment, I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring you “Engaged 2 Planning”, the online course to help guide newly engaged couples navigate from their engagement into the wedding planning process.
This course guides couples through the 3 Key Wedding Planning Decisions they need to make first (before starting on any design elements of their wedding). These key decisions include: wedding size, wedding budget, and wedding date.
Since I’m such a design nut though, I included a bonus module in the course to help determine overall wedding vibe/style, color palettes, and mood board inspiration (including how to make your own wedding mood board!).
Features:
-120+ Minutes of Video Instruction
-14+ PDFs & resources including:
Wedding Budget Tracker
Money Mindset Activity
Mood Board Templates
Color Palette Concepts
Wedding Vibe Guide
Wedding Invitation Discount Code
AND MORE!
A MAJOR benefit of this course is the amount of time it saves newly engaged couples who are DIY-ing their wedding planning. From a fellow DIY bride to another, I KNOW exactly how overwhelming and time-consuming planning your own wedding can be. With this course, instead of scouring Instagram, Pinterest, wedding blogs and magazines, everything a couple needs to get started with wedding planning is “gathered here” (see what I did there?), all in one place, for easy access.
The course is a one time $47 payment. I’m putting that out there because I am a fan of transparency and I personally like knowing these sorts of things up front. So there you are, less than $50 bucks (pretty sure the bonus section alone is totally worth the cost of the entire course).
Sneak peak of the course BONUS materials
Not ready to spend the money, but still need help planning? I’ve got you covered. Check out my FREE resources page and snag your copy of the Ultimate wedding planning checklist.
If you’re not getting married, but know someone who is - be sure to share this link with them!
Have questions about the course? I’m here for it! Email me directly at gatheredheredesigns@gmail.com and we can set up time to chat, text, or email.
I am starting this New Year out on a mission to help support all those lovers who made it official during engagement season with getting the wedding planning journey started.
Cheers to your engagement, the wedding planning to come, and dreams realized! I hope to see you in the course soon!
The holidays are here & so are the proposals
Engagement season, from November to February, sees nearly 40% of U.S. proposals, with popular dates like Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day setting the stage for magical moments. This cozy, festive time is ideal for popping the question, with many couples involving family in their plans. Newly engaged? Check the upcoming mini-course to help you and your partner jumpstart wedding planning. Wishing you love and magic this engagement season!
Some of you might be counting down to the holiday season or eagerly awaiting the upcoming Super Bowl. Personally, I count down to something a little different…but with 100% the same enthusiasm - I countdown to engagement season!
November through February is what is referred to as “engagement season” or “proposal season” in the wedding industry. Basically from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day, proposals spread faster than a red wine stain on a white wedding dress. I LOVE engagement season and yes, I talk about it every year. See here for last year’s post about engagement season.
Around 40% of proposals in the US happen during this season. Now you might be wondering…
Why winter for proposals?
So why is winter the prime time for proposals? From my perspective, the season is basically tailor-made for romance. As Frank Sinatra croons, “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love…”
With holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day all packed into a few short months, there are endless opportunities for couples to pop the question in a setting that’s naturally festive and intimate. Between cozy gatherings with family, fireside cups of cocoa, and snow-dusted backdrops, winter has a way of adding magic to any moment—and what better a moment to propose? It’s also a good 6-10 months out from “wedding season”(more on wedding season here), giving couples plenty of time to plan their special day before those peak warm weather months.
The role family & friends in proposals
In addition to the festive atmosphere, family and friend involvement has become part of engagements. Since the holiday season is also a time when families and friends gather together, it provides plenty of opportunity for couples to share this milestone with those who mean the most to them. Not to be a cliche, but I too said “Yes!” during engagement season in January of 2010 (see here for more on that story).
According to industry surveys, nearly 2/3 of people proposing involve their parents/family/friends in their proposal in some way. Whether it’s asking for them to capture the moment on video (you can always just tie a video camera to a tree in the woods like my partner did) or planning a family-filled celebration afterward - the more the merrier!
Most popular engagement dates
Thinking of an engagement season proposal? Here are the most engagement season days for proposals:
Christmas Day (12/25) – Christmas magic is in the air, and so are proposals! A true favorite.
Valentine’s Day (2/14) – The ultimate day of love, making it a classic for popping the question.
Christmas Eve (12/24) – Nothing like an early Christmas present!
New Year’s Day (1/1) – A perfect time to pop the question and celebrate new beginnings.
New Year’s Eve (12/31) – The excitement of midnight creates a beautiful moment for a proposal and the ultimate New Year’s Eve kiss.
Day before Valentine’s Day (2/13) – For those who want to celebrate Valentine’s as a newly engaged couple.
December 17th – The Saturday before Christmas Eve is ideal for a family and/or friend -filled proposal.
December 10th – Two Saturdays before Christmas, giving couples time to savor the engagement without being over shadowed by the holiday bustle.
December 23rd – For couples wanting to celebrate Christmas as a newly engaged couple
Personally, I think it’s a bit odd November dates didn’t make the list. I would think more couples would want to enjoy the whole holiday season as newly engaged humans. Then again, trying to split the holidays amongst families BEFORE you’re officially married can definitely pose a challenge.
What to do after the proposal?
So what happens after you say yes or after you pop the question? First things first - CELEBRATE!!! This is such a special time for you and your partner. Take a moment to enjoy it. Don’t let anyone push you into planning faster than you are ready. Chat with your partner and agree to how long you want to just soak in the engagement without discussing wedding plans. That way you’ll both be on the same page, when friends and family inundate you with “When’s the big day?” questions. Trust me, they’ll ask literally the moment after you tell them you’re engaged.
Once you’ve ridden the engagement high for as long as you agreed to, you might want some help with getting into wedding planning - that’s where I come in! Later this month, I’ll be launching my Engaged 2 Planning mini-course. This mini course will help guide you through the 3 key decisions you need to make in order to get your wedding planning off on the right foot.
The course will include slides, videos, and PDFs to help make your wedding planning journey easy. Know someone who is newly engaged? Be sure to share this post with them! They can sign up for the course waitlist through this link.
With so many moments designed to bring people together in the coming months, engagement season has become a beautiful reminder of how family, friends, and love come together to create unforgettable memories.
So, get ready for love to be in the air and social media to be full of engagement announcements because Engagement season has arrived, and with it, all the magic, excitement, and sparkle that comes with celebrating love.
Happy Engagement Season!!!
It’s that time of year…when the world gets engaged
Engagement season is here! Maybe it’s the twinkle lights or the cozy nights by the fireplace - there’s just something about the holiday magic that sparks proposals. Whether you’re newly engaged or getting engaged, I invite you to read more about my favorite season: engagement season.
There is something about this time of year. The gatherings, the music, the twinkle lights, the first snowfall, the cozy moments in front of the fire (or in my case, in front of the battery operated candles) - there’s just magic in the air.
From Thanksgiving into the New Year, there’s a joy, a hope, a sparkle. It’s no wonder this time of year sparks so many engagements! We all know it’s the holiday season, but did you know it’s also the peak engagement season in the U.S.? Engagement season? Yep, that’s a thing.
In the US, it’s reported that over 15% of couples getting engaged each year will get engaged in the month of December. Personally, I got engaged in January, still pretty close to that peak engagement month and it was in the snow (I told you…that winter magic!). My now spouse proposed to me during a snowshoe hike in the middle of the woods.
Allow me to share a little more about this experience…
In a not at all romantic twist, he told me mid-hike that he had to go to the bathroom and left me standing, alone, on a trail in the snowy woods. Several moments later, as I waited awkwardly on the trail solo, I heard, “Hey babe, come look at this!” Not something anyone wants to hear, when you think your partner is going to the bathroom in the woods (I cringe even writing this).
I followed the voice into the woods and found a path of red rose petals, where my partner was kneeling with a ring that was tied to a string hooked to his jacket ( just in case he accidentally dropped in the snow). He asked, I said yes, and the rest is history (14+ years of history!).
Engaged - January 2009
Maybe it’s the magic of the season combined with the snow that helps set the ideal scene for a proposal, or maybe that’s just my own experience. But seriously, engagements are running rampant right now.
In less than a week apart, I know two people who have gotten engaged. As Frank Sinatra first crooned in 1954, “It’s that time of year, when the world falls in love…” Whoa, was his right!
Whether you’re newly engaged this winter season or you’re mid wedding planning, Frank and I tip our hats to you as you celebrate this time as a couple.
I find most newly engaged couples end up feeling 1 of 3 ways:
1. There’s the warm fuzzy, mushy gushy love feels:
2. The BAM! I’m engaged-lookout-world feels:
And then, my personal favorite…
3. The super chill I got what I wanted, so I’m just going to sit here and chill because I have no idea what to do next feels:
However you may be feeling this engagement season, I invite you to soak it all in and feel all the feels. You’re engaged! And that really is something to enjoy.
If any of your feels are eager to jump into next steps in your engagement and wedding planning process, be sure to heck out this GHD page for some great free resources to support you in your wedding design process!
Happy engaging!
~Amanda Jean