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Planning your wedding is one of the most exciting times of you life, however the thought of it can also be one of the most daunting. Knowing where to start and what you should aim to do by when will ease you through the process and keep you feeling in control each step of the way.

When it comes to a wedding, everyone is different and every bride wants to make her day unique. It is therefore advisable to ensure that you get the essential items under control in order to leave yourself time for the finishing touches that really do make your day. Here we explain how and when to go about taking some of the important steps that lead to a fabulous day!

Set a Budget

Firstly plan your wedding budget making a pact with your other half that you will not exceed it. Do your homework beforehand so that you know what some of the more expensive items are likely to be and agree that if you want to go over budget on one item, you need to save money or another. Many wedding websites have handy budget calculators and hints and tips on how to save money on your big day. Some even offer discounts with wedding suppliers local to you, be sure to Google wedding planning and see what you can find! Once the budget is set, this is where the fun really begins as the next vital step is to find your venue.

Choose Your Venue

Choosing the right venue can sometimes be easy, though if there's nowhere that immediately springs to mind, this can take a little time and often a little patience from both parties! Decide what it is that is important about the venue, is it a fantastic view, the bridal suite, the customer service, the food or a combination of many factors? Start visiting venues with a notebook to hand and make sure that you ask as many questions as you need to. If you are getting married outside of your local area or simply need some help in finding venues, again use wedding websites with venue directories or magazines to direct you to some fabulous local venues.

Word of mouth can be of great help here, so be sure to ask around friends, family and anyone else you can get your hands on! Remember to also check out websites where guests can review and rate hotels as this will sometimes impossible valuable information both good and bad. Aim to secure your venue with at least 18 – 24 months to go as you will find that events are often booked up years in advance so some flexibility with your dates will help here. If you are having a church wedding, be sure to check the dates with the church before paying a deposit at the venue and vice versa.

Wedding Insurance

Before you start spending on the essentials for your day, consider wedding insurance. For a reliably small cost of around on average thirty pounds this usually covers you for eventualities such as illness or injury or one of your suppliers giving you down or gone, going bust. Unfortunately, in the current credit crunch climate, the latter is something to think about. You are sure to have researched your suppliers before you book them, however you will not have had the opportunity to see their bank account so it makes sense to consider your options. If insurance is for you then many websites offer price comparisons so check these out and find the best deal.

The Wedding Dress

Now that you have your venue and you have considered insurance, you will no doubt be itching to finalise other arrangements. The wedding dress needs to be chosen well in advance and something that the bride to be certainly will need no reminders about! Be aware though that some designers have waiting lists of over twelve months so as a minimum try to order your dress twelve months in advance. If you see a dress that you love in a magazine then Google the bridal gown designer and then simply search for your local stockist. Again some wedding planning websites will have already done this for you so check out those with a wedding dress directory.

Photographers, Rings & Cars

At around the same time, consider the wedding cars, the photographer and the rings. These are all important and in most cases essential items that can take some time to find. For this reason, you should start looking early, if possible aim to have the wedding rings, photographer and cars chosen with around eighteen months to go. If you are struggling for ideas or not sure who comes recommended in your area, ask around and check the wedding forums, these are a great place to share ideas and experiences with other brides to be. Take care when booking your photographer, wedding photographs are with you forever and after from the dress have been described as the single most important factor so make sure you are happy with your chosen supplier!

Color Co-ordination

You can now start thinking about the bridesmaids dresses, the Groom his Best man and the Ushers and the venue decoration as these items tend to go hand in hand in order that the colors chosen compliment each other and the bridesmaid dress color usually sets the color scheme . Once you have decided on this color, it is kindly if you are able to take a swatch of the bridesmaid fabric color as this can be used to co-ordinate venue decoration such as seat covers or even flowers. If you are set on your flowers co-ordinating and do not want to compromise on shade, it is worth knowing that florists are now able to spray flowers in almost any color under the sun and fairly cheaply as well! At this time you should also get your invitations ordered as again, these are often chosen to compliment the color scheme of the bridal party.

The Guest List

With the invitations in progress, you can now move on to the guest list! You will have an idea of ​​your approximate ideal number of guests, so now all you have to do is get to this number! Compromise is important here but after all, this is your day and your day alone so do not be swayed by the opposing opinions of other family members if possible. Aim to have your guest list finalized and be ready to send invitations with around nine months to go. If you have chosen to get married on a day other than a Saturday it is worth sending out Save The Date cards or magnets 12 months or more in advance.

Now that you know rough how many guests you will have on the big day, and have ordered your invitations, you can look at finalizing any numbers for the venue dresser for items such as seat covers and favors and arranging items such as chocolate or drinks fountains and the all important wedding entertainment. Do not forget to actually send your invoices at this point as well and to ensure that your RSVP date fits in with the deadline for finalizing numbers with your venue or any deadline that you have been given by suppliers.

Just Six Months To Go

The last 6 months or so before the wedding tends to be a time for dealing with the nice to have extras or less urgent items such as table plans and place settings, final decisions about the food and the wine and of course the dress and suit fittings . Remember to set aside time to get together an emergency box for the bride to be on the morning of the wedding and to include both fun items such as champagne as well as practical things such as spare hair pins and tissues!

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Source by Nicola Nelson