Wedding planning

Planning a wedding is tough work - the flowers, the photography, the venue, the outfits, the invitations... the list of tasks goes on and on.

It has been reported that the time it takes to organise the average wedding equates to a fulltime job for six months.

Each bride and groom-to-be wants every detail of their day to be perfect - from the colour of the ribbon in the bridesmaid’s hair to the colour of the flowers in the bride’s bouquet.

It is the most important day of a couple’s life, so everything has to be just so.

No matter if you a planning a big white wedding or a ‘no-nonsense’ ceremony, there is still plenty to organise and at times it can seem overwhelming.

Many couples choose to employ a wedding planner to take away some of the stress. They will be able to advise you on the choices available, and point out ideas you may not have considered.

Wedding planners may also have exclusive access to some venues or services.

They will take on the donkey work of making your dream wedding a reality.

The first, most important, step is to set your budget. It is hard to make any decisions without knowing how much you have to spend.

Also decide early on if your wedding will have a theme. It is normal to have a colour theme for flowers and bridesmaids, but sometimes guests are requested to dress inkeeping with the theme.

You could also choose a historical theme, such as medieval or 1920s, or a country theme, such as oriental dress or Moroccan style.

Wedding planner Anna Jackson of A Touch of Klass says: “My job is wonderful, I have made some great friends as I really bond with the bride, although grooms are fast becoming more and more involved in arrangements in recent times.

“The biggest hurdle is often the dress. In the bridal wear world the dresses are always bigger sizes - so if you’re a size 12 the dress that fits you will probably be a size 16. It’s sometimes difficult to explain to bride-to-bes that they are still the same size, the dresses are just very, very small sizes. I’ve had to cut out so many labels on dresses for the bride once it’s been ordered. They don’t want anyone to see the size.”

Even something as seemingly straightforward as the invitations involves a lot of decisions. Will you send out save-the-date cards first? Will you send a menu or information sheet with the invitations? Will you send a reply card or stamped addressed envelope?

Also decide who will be invited to the ceremony, the wedding breakfast, and the evening event if you have one.

Ensure you include a deadline date for people to reply – and the method of how they should reply. It is not unreasonable to ask for replies within a week. // "My Wedding Planner"