20 Top Wedding Planning Ideas

1. Start planning as far in advance as possible. The more time you have, the more options you'll have. There are some couples who choose to plan years in ahead this would ensure that you get lots of time to put your dream day together. Keep in mind that some wedding venues are booked up along time in advance as well.

2. Hire a wedding planner! If you feel like you're struggling to keep everything together or if you just don't have enough time, then hiring a planner might be the best decision you make.

3. Make a list of all the people you would like to invite to your wedding and start collecting their contact details such as mobile numbers and email addresses. This will be very important when it comes time to send out your invitations and you would be able to keep track of who has and has not responded.

4. Come up with a budget and try to stick to it as closely as possible. This will be crucial in order to avoid any extra stress in the months leading up to your big day. Allocate a budget to each aspect of your wedding day, bear in mind some parts will be more expensive than others for example it is expected that the Wedding Venue would account for a large proportion of the budget followed by catering and photography.

5. Choose a date and book your Wedding Venue as soon as possible. This will secure the date and you can start planning the finer details. Send out "save the dates" to your guests so they can keep the date free and in the diary that this will ensure that you will have the majority of your guests in attendance, as they will have plenty of notice.

6. Choose a theme for your wedding and start collecting decorations and items that will match this theme. This can be really fun and it will help you stay organized throughout the planning process.

7. Start to compile a guest list, remember to invite close family and friends as they will want to share your special day with you. If you are struggling for names, ask your parents, siblings or best friends for help. once you have a rough list you need to work out how to whittle the list down by using a set of rules, you may want to not invite partners of those not married or not include children under the age of 18.

8. Choose your bridal party, this may seem like an obvious one but it is worth considering who you want by your side on the big day, They will need to be reliable and supportive and practical in keeping you calm when you need it so choose wisely! This should cover the Bridesmaids, Flower Girls, Groomsmen and Best Man you may want to decide to keep the number in the bridal party limited to avoid any hassle on the day.

9. Book your wedding venue, this is one of the most important decisions you will make in the planning process and can often dictate a lot of other choices you make so it is vital to choose the right one for you, Your venue should be somewhere that feels like ‘you’, whether that is a traditional country house or an urban loft space, Once you have chosen your venue start thinking about what type of wedding you want to have and what will suit the space.

10. Start looking for your wedding dress, this is often something that needs to be done in advance where dresses are being made to measure and alterations are being done. Don’t forget any bridal accessories, start trying them on and getting an idea of what you would like. This is a very important task and you don't want to leave it until the last minute.