Just Engaged? 10 Things That Can Wait!

Of course they were some of the first people you called after the proposal, but hold on before asking all your besties to be in your wedding party. Drama has a habit of popping up in the early stages of engagements, so wait for the initial "Oh my god -- you're-engaged!" phase to die down before asking your girls to be bridesmaids. A few weeks after your engagement, you'll have a better idea of who's excited to dive into wedding planning with you and who might have a better time at your wedding as a guest.

--Vi-An Nguyen

Browse through magazines and online galleries to your heart's content, but consider holding off before actually purchasing your wedding dress. After a few weeks of looking at blogs and trying on dresses, your taste might change in a surprising way (same goes for your accessories). But don't sit on the decision for too long -- you don't want to find yourself a month from the wedding date without a dress. We recommend buying your gown six to eight months before your wedding.

You'll want to figure out a rough estimate of your guest list so you can plan things like your budget and reception venue, but don't worry about deciding specific seating assignments yet. That can wait until after you've received your RSVPs and finalized your reception setup (venue, table sizes, etc.).

Your first-dance song -- and all of your wedding music -- is one of those details that you can tweak right up until your wedding day (especially if you're hiring a DJ). So there's no need to stress.

Your wedding party attire is one of the biggest, most impactful ways to carry out your overall wedding style. But, as with your wedding gown, it's likely that your theme or colors will evolve during your planning process. So save bridesmaid dress shopping for when you've decided on a final look and feel for your wedding (you don't want to have your maids buy one color or style and then later change your mind!).

More and more couples aren't jetting off on their honeymoons right after their wedding day, so it's okay if you need more time to plan carefully -- even if that means waiting a few weeks after your wedding to go. If you do want to leave for your honeymoon the day after your wedding, book your travel plans six to eight months in advance.

Book your florist early on (you'll want to pin down the best person, one whose overall style matches yours), but you don't actually have to specify what flowers you want until a few months -- or even a few weeks -- before your wedding. So start setting aside photos of wedding flowers that you love (and have a conversation with your florist about which blooms will be available for your wedding date), but don't worry about narrowing it all down just yet.

Tiny details, like your linens, table settings and escort cards, don't need to be dealt with until well after the bigger decisions, like your reception venue, are made. If you've got the itch to plan right now, focus on the fun stuff, like tasting appointments with your caterer and cake baker or choosing your wedding colors.

You might have already found the perfect chocolate wedding favors, but don't buy them just yet. Plan to make the purchase of anything edible as close to your wedding date (no more than a month in advance) as possible to get the freshest goodies for your guests.

You should be getting manicures and showing off your ring -- not getting paper cuts on your fingers from all the documents you're filling out. Changing your name, combining bank accounts, updating tax forms...that can all wait until after the wedding. For now, check out Your First 10 To-Dos after getting engaged.