Planning a Civil Partnership is a huge task and needs both time and thought to get it right, and most people need a little help, so a guide of the basics is a great place to start. We can't go into great detail here, but we will give you the basics for planning your celebration. 

What we have here is a very brief guide to the major elements you might want to consider when planning your partnership, as a starting point on your journey towards your special day. We will be happy to help if you want more advice or information.

First, decide who is going to be involved in the planning. Is it just yourselves, your parents and those of your partner, your family and friends or whom? Remember, the more people and views involved, the more difficult you will find it to get agreement and to satisfy everyone. Make decisions early and make it clear who will make them and you can avoid a tremendous amount of stress. Your special day, and the lead up to it should be fun, enjoyable, and a part of the spiritual and personal happiness that your commitment to each other is all about.

So here's a suggested list for planning your special day - it is roughly in order but of course you need to decide when things get done. It's not exclusive - it's just trying to point out the major things that have to be thought about - you still need to decide the details.

• Fix a budget and decide who will organize and identify who will pay for what - and make sure that the payers agree!! 
• Check the availability of ceremony venue and reception venue, and then fix a date
• Book the venues well in advance - some reception venues require a lot of notice and get very heavily booked up 
• Arrange a meeting with the person who will perform the ceremony to discuss outline details and book the ceremony venue
• You might want to announce your forthcoming partnership in advance, particularly to those you are sure you will invite, so they don't book anything else at the same time - the easiest way is "Save the date" cards - So Raise Your Glasses can supply these
• Book a caterer if the venue doesn't do their own catering - and discuss both food and wine to ensure they can meet your requirements and meet your budget
• ALL THE ABOVE NEEDS TO BE DONE AT LEAST SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE - although for certain venues you will need to plan significantly further in advance than this
• Draw up a guest list and ensure you consult carefully with those that have a special interest in you! It's easy to step on toes here if you don't consult. Don't forget your budget whilst doing this!
• Once you've agreed your guest list keep it as a record - invitations sent, replies received, numbers accepted etc.
• A ceremony of this kind can be a mjor expense, and if disaster were to strike - you broke a leg just before the big day and had to postpone - you could lose a lot of money. Insurance is a very serious option to consider, and is not expensive - there are many large companies that provide such insurance - just look up wedding insurance on the internet or consult an insurance broker 
• Buy, order or make your stationery - invitations, order of service, place cards, thank yous - whatever you feel you will need. The invitiations need to be sent out about two - three months before the ceremony, so start preparation for this well in advance. We have a great range of pre-printed and printed to order stationery for you to choose from
• Make sure you keep your invitation list up to date and tick off those that are coming when the replies arrive. Check carefully that you know exactly who is coming and who is not. You'll need this for numbers, table plans etc.
• It's a good idea to find out about local hotels, guest houses etc., as some people may travel a long way to attend your ceremony, or simply prefer not to travel after the reception. Details of accommodation should be sent with the invitations, as should a map of the venue for both the ceremony and the reception.
• Book musicians, band and/or disco for both the ceremony and the reception if you require them
• Select a photographer and, if desired, a videographer. Don't forget to check whether use of video and other cameras is acceptable at the ceremony venue.
• Think about how you and your party are going to get from home to the venue and book the cars, or alternative transport. It's also worth thinking about how you will travel away from the reception at the end of the day if you are planning to stay overnight somewhere special and arrange this too.
• Decide on a cake if you want this and order it
• Choose your attendants and helpers for the day
• Decide on the colour you want to use for decoration on the day, as this may influence many decisions
• Choose your outfits, and what your attendants will wear, including whether gentlemen will wear morning suits, lounge suits etc. Order the suits if you need to hire them. Make sure you get the members of your party properly measured for their clothes - nothing worse than a best man that can't get into his suit!!
• Choose your decorations -  flowers are a great favourite of course and if you plan to have flowers talk to your florist and arrange for them to be delivered to your venues as required. Other decoration options that look really great include balloons, petals, table confetti etc. Decide what you want and either buy it or book it. Don't leave yourself with too much to do on the day, or even the day before. Get help!
• Think about your holiday, and remember to book early if your destination is popular at that time of year. Organise passports, innoculations and visas early
• Sort out your gift list
• Choose your rings
• Book another short meeting with the celebrant. Decide on the order of your ceremony, what readings and music etc. are to be used, and discuss this with the celebrant. Decide whether you will have a printed order of ceremony and decide how much detail it will contain.
• Choose what you and your partner are going to wear to leave if you are going away from the reception, and remember to organise someone to return hire suits etc. to the hirer for you.
• Buy gifts for your bridesmaids, best man or woman, ushers, pageboy etc. and you may want to do the same for your parents to say thankyou for their help. So Raise Your Glasses has a great range of gifts for all your helpers
• Book a hairdresser if you need one. Many will come to your house on the day to make life easier for you
• Think about your table decorations and whether you want to provide favours for your guests. There are many ways to decorate the tables as well as flowers and these can include centrepieces, flower petals, balloons, wedding bubbles and much more, all of which So Raise Your Glasses can supply
• Favours are a tradition that is very common in the UK these days, and if you do decide to have favours we can supply favour boxes and organza bags together with favour confectionery to suit all tastes and colour themes
• Prepare a seating plan and give this task some time and thought. Making sure you put people in the right place, where they will be comfortable and get on with those placed next to them can be quite a trial!
• It's quite important to draw up a table plan that will help people to find their table easily - and then prepare place cards - there are a wide range available, but you do need someone with great writing to write all the names on the place cards
• Give your ushers tasks for the day, and make sure it covers all that you need to have organised - like parking, where people will sit, directions to the reception venue, getting the guest book signed etc., and often it can be valuable to give your ushers written instructions so that they can't go wrong.
• About 2-3 weeks before the day confirm all the arrangements with the venue and the caterer, with the entertainment and the transport, the florist etc., and make sure that the caterer retains flexibility just in case your final numbers change at the last minute
• Book a rehearsal for the ceremony and make sure that the key participants can attend - then your special day will go much more smoothly as people will know what they need to do
• Don't forget to write the speech
• Make sure you are packed for the holiday well ahead of the day itself, particularly if you are going away straight afterwards
• Enjoy the preparation and have a great day!

You may find some of the help and services you need from the links we have to providers of wedding services around the country

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