“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!
A year end review…
Gathered Here Designs’ year-end review is a heartfelt look back at an exciting year of growth and creativity! From helping newly engaged couples with tons of free wedding planning tools to hitting 63k+ monthly Pinterest views, Amanda Jean shares how 2024 was a year to remember. She reflects on milestones like moving into a charming 1937 cottage, designing close to 200 custom pins, and launching dozens of free wedding planning resources. Plus, there’s a sneak peek at what’s next: a brand-new virtual wedding planning course for all the DIY couples out there. It’s inspiring, relatable, and full of love for weddings and community! 💕🎉
The end of the year brings up all kinds of feelings of nostalgia for me. There’s something about the end that makes you think of the beginning. For me 2024 has been a restart for Gathered Here Designs.
I know I’m bias, but I love the glitter detail on the GHD logo!
Originally GHD launched in 2019, then that beloved 2020 came and kicked all our butts. From 2021-2023, GHD was basically “on pause”. During the engagement season of last year, I was inspired to renew Gathered Here Designs with the goal of providing oodles or helpful FREE content to newly engaged couples online. By the end of the year, my goal was to complete building out a virtual wedding planning course to help support those newly engaged DIY couples who need just a little extra support with the planning process.
While my course recording is temporarily on pause due to this sore throat that just won’t quit, I’m confident I’ll be able to finish recording before that clock strikes midnight on 12/31.
Looking back on the year, I feel excited about what I have been able to create with Gathered Here Designs - SO. MUCH. CONTENT. It’s one of my favorite parts of the business is creating things that are helpful to those planning their wedding. I consider myself a content queen of sorts..
As we look forward to the New Year and all that 2025 has to bring, I wanted to share all the data and favorites from 2024.
GHD 2024 Data
63k+ monthly views on Pinterest
175+ custom designed pins on Pinterest
28 blog posts (if you count this one) - see my first blog post here from 12/29/23
17 Wedding Wednesday emails
3 wedding quizzes
10 landing pages
1 holiday coloring book (still time to purchase before Christmas - makes a great stocking stuffer!)
1 virtual course (almost completed - waitlist here)
Here are a few of my favorite things from 2024…
My favorite quiz is the first one I made all about finding your wedding style, though the wedding season quiz is a close second.
Take the wedding style quiz today!
My favorite landing page is this one, which is all about mood boards.
Mood boards are a great way to visualize your wedding design.
My mom, sister, and I at my cousin’s wedding in April.
PS if you’re not on my email list, be sure to sign up here. I share all kinds of personal details and photos that I do not include on the blog.
DON’T MISS OUT - SIGN UP FOR WEDDING WEDNESDAY EMAILS!!!
Somewhere in the midst of all that I was working full time until October 2024, raising 2 children, moving from a rental into a 1937 cottage, and began renovating said cottage. Looking at the all this makes me realize why I’m probably so tired haha.
Now while we’re on the nostalgia train, we may as well go waaaaayyyyy back to when I first fell in love with weddings, I was 5. Now talk about nostalgia…
Fun fact: I’ve only been in 2 weddings - one at age 5 and one at 26!
My 5 year old self is the one who keeps the passion of creativity alive, while my 20 year old DIY bride self helps know what tips and tricks are most helpful to share with newly engaged couples, and my current 30-something self is the one who makes it all come together.
Since next week is Christmas, you won’t be hearing from me. While I believe in hardwork, I also believe in rest and boundaries. I’ll be spending next week with my little family in Boise, doing things like a Christmas movie at the Egyptian Theatre and soaking in the hot springs.
As I reflect on the year and all it brought to be (both things I sought and a few surprises like buying a house and walking away from my full time job), I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be here with you to chat about all things weddings. Thank you for making this a year to remember!
In case you’re wondering what’s next…
A sneak peak into 2025
Switching email platforms
Launching wedding design course (more on that here)
Possibly offering 1:1 design sessions (we shall see!)
Don’t forget to watch my favorite go to New Year’s Eve movie that I talked about here. There’s so much New York in this movie, I could just BURST!!!
Happy holidays to you and yours, however you may choose to celebrate - I’ll see you back here in the New Year!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase a product through my link I can earn a small commission. This helps allow me the ability to keep providing you free weekly content (yay!).