Just Got Engaged? Here’s What to Do Next (A St. John’s Wedding Planning Guide)
Congratulations! You said yes — now what?
The ring is on your finger, the Instagram post has been made, and the champagne has been popped. And now you’re sitting there thinking… okay, where do we actually start?
Wedding planning can feel overwhelming at first, especially in a city like St. John’s where the best venues, vendors, and dates book up fast — sometimes 18 months to two years in advance. But if you break it down into phases, it’s totally manageable. I promise.
Here’s a realistic, no-fluff guide to the first steps of planning your Newfoundland wedding — including when to tackle each one.
First Things First: Give Yourselves a Moment
Before you dive headfirst into Pinterest boards and venue tours, take a breath. Spend a few weeks or months just being engaged. Talk about the kind of day you actually want — big celebration or intimate gathering? Talk about what matters to you and why! Downtown St. John’s or further out? A formal dinner or something more laid-back like a cocktail reception or food trucks? Getting aligned on the feeling before you start booking things makes every decision after that so much easier.
The Wedding Planning Timeline: What to Do and When
🗓️ As Soon As You’re Engaged (0–1 Month)
These are the things that need to happen almost immediately — especially in a market like St. John’s, where good vendors book out well ahead of time.
- Set a rough budget. You don’t need every number figured out yet, but you need a ballpark. This will shape every decision that follows. A lot of couples set a budget out of thin air and then estimate what they think each vendor should cost with a balanced budget. Couples often under budget for things that are actually more important to them (a meaningful customized ceremony, beautiful photos or video to preserve it all), and over budget for things that don’t necessarily matter in the grand scheme (wedding favours, elaborate signing or decor)
- Make a preliminary guest list. Even an estimated headcount matters at this stage — it determines what venues are even an option. Also think accessibility and parking, often overlooked in initial plans.
- Start thinking about your ideal timeframe. What season do you want to get married? Do you have a specific year in mind? Summer weddings in Newfoundland book the fastest, so if that’s the dream, move quickly. Or consider a weekday or Sunday.
- Book your photographer. This one surprises people, but photography is one of the first things you should lock in — not one of the last. The best ones fill their calendars 12–24+ months out, and your wedding will only exist in fleeting memories without someone to document it. Some couples book us before the venue to benefit from our extensive experience with timeline planning and event flow. Venue timelines don’t always account for your experience and connection to your guests.
🗓️ 1–3 Months After Engagement
- Book your venue. This is the big one. St. John’s has some truly beautiful wedding venues — from the stunning waterfront and the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland or the Atrium at Memorial, to intimate spaces like Bannerman Brewing Co, The Well Room, or the Gypsy Tea Room. But they go fast, especially for summer and fall dates. Once you have a rough guest count and a photography booked, your venue should be next.
- Set your wedding date. Your venue will help solidify this — cross-reference with your photographer’s availability before signing anything.
- Begin researching other key vendors. Caterers (if not included with your venue), coordinators/planners, officiants, and videographers are next on the priority list.
- Book your engagement session. An engagement session with your photographer gives you a chance to get comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding day. By the time the big day comes, you’ll know how to move, how to stand, how to just be together without feeling awkward. It also gets you beautiful photos for save-the-dates and your wedding website.
🗓️ 3–6 Months After Engagement
- Book your remaining vendors. Hair and makeup artists, florists, DJs or bands — these also fill up quickly in St. John’s, particularly for peak season dates.
- Send save-the-dates. Especially important if you have guests traveling from off the island (and if you’re getting married in Newfoundland, you probably do). Lot’s of couples opt for digital invites and save the dates to make their wedding more sustainable (and bonus, it saves some money for other stuff)
- Start dress shopping. Wedding dresses typically take 4–8 months to arrive after ordering, plus alteration time — so earlier is better.
- Think about your wedding day timeline. Work with your photographer early on this one. Light changes dramatically throughout the day, and a good photographer will help you build a timeline that takes full advantage of the golden hour light or blue hour that makes Newfoundland photos so spectacular.
🗓️ 2–6 Months Out From The Wedding Date
- Send formal invitations (6–8 weeks before the wedding, much earlier for guests traveling home to NL). Once again, consider digital invites to save money and to make your event more sustainable.
- Finalize all vendor details and confirm tentative timelines with everyone.
- Plan your rehearsal dinner (if important) and coordinate any out-of-town logistics.
- Have a final meeting with your photographer to walk through the day on a call — who needs to be where, must-have shots, family groupings, and the full day-of timeline.
Why Your Photographer Should Be One of Your First Calls
Here’s the thing about wedding photos: they’re the only thing you’ll have left when the day is over. I can harp on this until the cows come home – but from the bottom of my heart, this is something that is truly important to everyone I speak to, regardless of budget. The flowers fade, the cake gets eaten, the dress goes into a bag. But your photos last forever — they get passed down, they get printed and framed, they end up in the hands of your kids one day. Memories fade and you often kind of black out on the day. Photo + Video are essential.
And yet, so many couples book their venue, caterer, florist, and DJ first — and then scramble to find a photographer as an afterthought. By that point, the photographers they loved are already booked.
The photographers who fill up first are the ones whose work makes you feel something. The ones who capture the real moments — the look between you two right after you say I do, the way your mom cried, the dancing that got a little out of hand by 10pm. That stuff doesn’t happen in posed portraits. It happens when you have a photographer who knows how to find it.
In St. John’s and across the Avalon Peninsula, our landscape gives us something most places don’t — dramatic coastlines, fog rolling in off the Atlantic, golden light filtering through spruce trees. A skilled photographer knows how to use all of it. You can also consider doing more adventurous portraits AFTER the wedding, a few days or weeks later and get dressed up again to take photos somewhere off the beaten path.
Get in touch if photos are super important to you! We even offer payment plans if it’s high priority but hard to budget for.
A Few Things Specific to Planning a St. John’s Wedding
- Weather is unpredictable — plan for it. Newfoundland is beautiful and wild, and the weather has its own opinions. Talk to your photographer and venue about backup plans, and don’t let a bit of fog or a moody sky stress you out — honestly, it often makes for the most stunning photos anyway.
- Give guests plenty of notice. A lot of people will be flying in, and flights to St. John’s can book up (and get expensive) quickly.
- Consider a shoulder season date. June, September, and early October can be absolutely gorgeous, slightly less competitive for bookings, and easier on guests’ travel costs than peak July/August.
- Don’t skip the engagement session. Newfoundland is a stunning backdrop — Signal Hill, Cape Spear, the Battery, the East Coast Trail. A pre-wedding session out in the wild is something you’ll treasure forever, separate from your wedding gallery entirely.
The Quick-Reference Checklist
Immediately (Month 1)
- Discuss vision, vibe, and rough budget as a couple
- Estimate guest count
- Book your wedding photographer
- Begin venue research
Months 1–3
- Book your venue + confirm date
- Cross-check venue date with photographer availability
- Book officiant
- Research videographers, caterers, florists
- Book engagement session
Months 3–6
- Book hair, makeup, DJ/band, florist
- Send save-the-dates
- Begin dress shopping
- Start building wedding day timeline with your photographer
Months 12–18
- Send formal invitations
- Finalize all vendor meetings
- Confirm day-of timeline with photographer
- Plan rehearsal dinner
- Enjoy being engaged — this part goes fast too
You’ve Got This
Wedding planning is a lot — but it’s also incredibly exciting. There is nothing quite like building a day that is completely, specifically yours, in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Take it one step at a time, lean on your vendors (that’s what we’re here for), and don’t forget to actually enjoy the engagement season while it lasts.
If you’re newly engaged and starting to think about photography for your St. John’s wedding, I’d love to chat.
Heather is a St. John’s wedding and lifestyle photographer with 15+ years of experience and 350+ weddings photographed across Newfoundland and beyond. She specializes in candid, documentary-style wedding photography that captures real moments — not just pretty ones.
