Just Engaged Over Christmas? What to Do Next (Without Losing the Magic, or Your Mind)

January 7, 2026

Engagements, Helpful Tips

If you were just engaged over Christmas you’re living in a special time – I got engaged in November 2017, and the festive season was so special. Family around, all celebrating you. Slower days showing everyone your new ring, it’s so fun.

And then January arrives.

Suddenly everyone is asking questions. Dates. Venues. Budgets. Guest lists. You might feel stoked, overwhelmed, or both all at once. That is totally normal.

Whether you’re planning a short engagement to get married in 2026 or already eyeing up a 2027 wedding (2028 even!?), this guide will help you enjoy being engaged while also getting on with planning, calmly and confidently.

A Gen Z Indian couple getting engaged over Christmas at Canterbury Cathedral

TL;DR

Enjoy this season. As a father of two, time moves FAST.
Then start planning sooner than you think.
Book the big things early, especially the things most important to you. Stay flexible with the rest, and remember the wedding is about how it feels to you, not how you think others should feel.

Contents

Enjoy the fact you were just engaged over Christmas (Before You Turn It Into a Project)

Before spreadsheets, Pinterest boards, or group chats, pause.

You are engaged. Enjoy that season!
This moment in the here and now deserves space.

Tell people whenever you like.
Voice notes, FaceTimes, pub parties.
Let yourselves feel excited without needing a plan just yet.

Engagement is not a waiting room (6-7 year engagements aren’t the one IMO) but it is part of your story. Too many couples rush through it trying to be “productive”.

You do not get this chapter back, how I miss mine sometimes!

Enjoy it properly.

Indian man on one knee getting engaged

Decide What Kind of Engagement You Want

There is no correct engagement length. Some couples, like me and my wife, went from engaged to married in a few months. Others plan for a year, two years, or longer and get married in 2026 or 2027.

Both are valid, just ask yourselves:

  • Do we want marriage asap or breathing room?
  • Do we want a summer or winter wedding?
  • Are there life plans happening alongside this?
  • When are our friends weddings?

If you want a shorter engagement, you will need to move quickly.
If you want a longer one, you still need to start early. I’ve had to pass on a couple of 2027 weddings already as they clashed with multi-day weddings.

Engaged in Cambridge

Start Planning Early (Even If You’re Getting Married in 2027)

This is the bit couples underestimate.

If you got engaged over Christmas 2024 and want a 2026 or 2027 wedding, now is still the right time to start.

Why?

Venues book up fast.
Good photographers who don’t overbook themselves, book up even faster.
And you want choice, not leftovers, if you’re going for high-end / luxury suppliers.

Planning early does not mean locking everything down. It means securing the foundations so you can relax later and plan the extra bits.

Think of it as future-proofing your peace.

Book the Big Things First

You do not need to plan everything at once.

Focus on the pillars:

  • Planner (and you can relax on all fronts)
  • Photographer

Or if you’re DIYing it:

  • Venue(s)
  • Photographer
  • Rings
  • Caterer

These decisions shape everything else.

Once they are in place, the rest feels lighter.

As a wedding photographer, I see this constantly. Couples who book me earlier feel calmer. Couples who wait often feel rushed and compromised.

This is not about pressure but about protecting your experience, so get in contact with the photographer you want.

Photography Tip (From Someone Who Sees It All)

Choose a photographer whose work feels like you and who you feel like you will get on with.

This is me, Tom Keenan, a Kent based wedding photographer specialising in the luxury wedding sphere with an editorial documentary style.

Your wedding is not just how it looks, but how it feels.

Do you want relaxed moments or structured posing?
Do you want warmth, honesty, and movement?
Do you want to feel looked after?

Your photographer is with you more than almost anyone else on the day. That relationship matters.

Especially for Gen Z couples, this is about trust, not tradition.

Budget Without the Stress

Budgets can feel awkward. They do not need to.

Sit down early.
Talk honestly.
Decide what matters most.

If you have a planner, they will help you SO much here.

Spend more where it impacts how the day feels.
Save where it does not.

There is no prize for spending the least or the most.
There is only the experience you create.

A longer engagement can help spread costs. A shorter one can focus priorities quickly. Both work if you are aligned.

Ignore the Noise (And the Trends)

You will see a lot online.

Perfect timelines.
Matching aesthetics.
Rules about what you “should” do.

Most of it is not for you. Although, embrace the fashion of your time.

But remember friends:

Trends move fast.
Meaning lasts.

Focus on:

  • People you love
  • A setting that feels right
  • Space to be present

The best weddings are rarely the most complicated.

They are the most intentional.

engagement on the beach in Kent

Give Yourselves Permission to Do It Your Way

Gen Z couples are already changing weddings for the better.

Less performance.
More authenticity.
More emotion.
Less pressure to impress.

Lean into that.

You do not need a huge guest list.
You do not need a twelve-hour schedule.
You do not need to explain your choices.

If you want a long engagement, enjoy the slow build.
If you want to be married this year, trust your instincts.

Both are equally valid.

editorial portrait of newly engaged couple

Final Thoughts for Couples Newly Engaged Over Christmas

This season matters.

Enjoy being engaged. Good and proper.
Then get on with planning, gently and intentionally.

Start earlier than you think.
Book the people who matter most.
Let the rest fall into place.

Your wedding is not a content exercise.
It is a human one.

And however long your engagement lasts, it deserves to feel just as meaningful as the day itself.

If you want help choosing the right photographer, venue, or simply understanding how the day might feel, that conversation can come later.

For now, enjoy this bit.

Then when you’re ready, get in contact.