Planning your wedding? What to do first?

When you are planning your wedding, it is likely that you are overwhelmed with everything you need to think of. It is like planning a massive production with you as the star, and it can make people very stressed.

You will need to think about a photographer, rings, flowers, dresses, suits, table layouts, save the dates, invitations, table decorations, menu, celebrant, the band and other entertainment, choosing your groomsmen, bridesmaids, venue booking, cars, colour themes, seating plans decorations and about a million other things as well. A good way of managing this is to write out a timeline of what has to be done when as some of the things you might want can be done much nearer the time, and so prioritising is key.

BUDGET AND VISION Once you have discussed your vision with your partner and decided roughly what you are looking for (an outside wedding, a barn wedding, a high octane event wedding, an elopement, a quiet wedding in your garden, a small hotel, a bit lavish do abroad) you will first of all have to set your budget. Eek. Yes it is the most rubbish part - but make sure you know what you can afford and prioritise putting the largest part of the money towards what matters most to you both. For example there might be a specific outfit or an amazing themed style wedding that you want to prioritise, or it could be the music or something else. So you have talked about your vision and set your budget, next up is to look for a venue that fits your vision.

VENUE So do a bit of Googling, talk to friends who have used specific venues that fall within your budget and start contacting them. Many venues have wedding open days, but the in house wedding planners will always be glad to show you around. When you are looking you should go with your gut - choose the place that feels perfect, where you get on with the team and where it just 'feels' right. It will probably take a bit of time for you to find the right place and I would also suggest that you look at places that initially you felt were on the left field - you might be thinking about having a barn wedding, but go and looks at somewhere in the City centre for example as it might just tick your boxes and surprise you

CELEBRANT Once your venue is booked your next step should be to book your celebrant. Some venues rush their couples into booking a registrar, but if you want someone to really tell your love story and to celebrate you both then it is advisable to meet a few celebrants as well. A celebrant can offer a personalised ceremony that is really beautiful, it can be romantic, glamorous, down to earth - but most of all the ceremony will celebrate YOU in a way that a registrar is unable to, as they are stuck within very formulaic guidelines and timescale. If you are worried about the costs, did you know that a registrar will charge about £650 to come out to marry you, but if you choose a 2x2 registration at the local registry office you are literally signing a legal document (about £70) and then can go ahead and having the wedding ceremony that you really want.

WEDDING PARTY It is at this point that you might want to think about your wedding party and choose your Maid of Honour or Groomsmen and to allocate roles. This can be a very exciting moment and much can be made of it. Once you have done this you will have plenty of back up with your friends when it comes to managing all of the other organisation, such as save the dates or invitations for the guest list.

So those are the top four things you need to organise first. Funnily enough many couples leave buying their rings until the very last moment which is quite ironic as they will (hopefully) be wearing their rings for the rest of their lives. Try not to leave this too last minute as your ring might need to be adjusted to fit your engagement ring. Good luck to all engaged couples, chill don't stress and always make a list!