Unless you're planning a long engagement, once the fuss about your wedding announcement has died down you need to start thinking about just how and when you want to marry. No one is expecting you to sort out all the details in a matter of days, but you do need to think about a few basics if you're to have the wedding of your dreams. These are the main things to consider:
Decide on a wedding date
Do you see yourself as a summer bride or are you dreaming of a winter celebration with all the trimmings? The season will not only dictate the style of wedding you have, it will also have an effect on what is available. Summer is still the most popular time to get married and some venues are likely to be booked up several years in advance. If you do have a particular place in mind, you might have to be flexible and consider marrying at a different time of year. Other factors will also have a bearing on your choice of date: if you're inviting lots of people with children you might want to avoid choosing a date in the middle of the school summer holidays when many of your guests are likely to be away, and it's always a good idea to skip the Saturday of the FA Cup Final if you don't want your male guests to be wearing radio headphones during the ceremony!
Work out the wedding budget
It's very easy to get carried away when planning your dream wedding, and before you know it you've spent a small fortune. Before you commit yourself to anything, sit down with your fiancé and work out what you can afford to spend, what your priorities are and where you could cut costs if necessary. If either set of parents is contributing, it makes sense to involve them in the discussions too. The average wedding now costs nearly £20,000 but only you know what you can afford. Decide on a budget and then make sure you stick to it. If you over-spend in one area, work out how you can economise somewhere else.
Think about the wedding venue
Do you want a religious ceremony in a church/chapel/synagogue, or would you prefer a civil ceremony at either a register office or licensed premises? And where have you envisaged holding your reception? If both ceremony and reception are in the same place it will be easier to sort out a date, rather than having to liaise with two different places over availability. (You also won't have to worry about transport between the two.) The location of your venue - close to where you live or near your parents' home - will also have an impact on guests who may need to find overnight accommodation or make travel arrangements.
Compile a guest list
You don't need to have the names finalised but it does make sense to work out exactly how many friends and family you want to invite. The size of your guest list has a huge impact on where you can marry. If you've set your heart on tying the knot in the local village church near your parents' home but it only holds 50 you're going to have a rethink if a rough totting up of guests is running at 150. Likewise your choice of reception venue and the type of function you have will be determined by the number of guests - a sit-down do at your favourite hotel might be perfect for 80 but a cocktails-and-canapés party would accommodate 120.
Start looking at wedding dresses
Obviously you don't need to make a final decision on what you're going to wear right now, but it could take you a long time to find the wedding dress of your dreams so it makes sense to start your research now. Look through magazines and mark any dresses that catch your eye, then you can begin to narrow down your choices. Once you've got a better idea of what you want you can start making appointments to try on different styles. Allow yourself plenty of time to find the right one - you don't want to be panicked into making the wrong decision.
Photo Caroline Arber
