Planning a wedding 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 a great deal of detail here, but we will give you a starting point and a checklist for the most important parts of wedding planning. There are several very good publications and guides on the market about wedding planning which you can buy, and these will provide you with a lot of detail together with space to write notes and keep important bits and pieces, and a small investment in one of these is strongly recommended. It also becomes a keepsake once the planning stage is over. One such wedding planning guide - The Wedding Planner by Antonia Swinson we sell ourselves, and you can see this by clicking on the link above.

What we have here is a very brief guide to the major elements you might want to consider when planning your wedding, 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 wedding 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 wedding is all about.

We also have a simple guide to the running order for a wedding

So here's a suggested list for planning your wedding - 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 church, registry office or other venue and reception venues, 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 marriage ceremony to discuss outline details and book the ceremony venue
• You might want to announce your wedding 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 parents or those that are paying! It's easy to step on toes here if you don't consult those that have an interest. 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 wedding is a major 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. Wedding Insurance is a very serious option to consider, and is not expensive - there are many large companies that provide wedding insurance - just look up wedding insurance on the internet
• Buy, order or make your wedding stationery - invitations, order of service, place cards, thank yous. The invitiations need to be sent out about two - three months before the wedding, so start preparation for this well in advance. We have a great range of pre-printed and printed to order wedding 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 wedding, 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 cameras is acceptable in the church or civil venue.
• Think about how you and your wedding party are going to get to the church and reception 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 the cake you want and order it
• Choose your bridesmaids, best man, ushers and page boys
• Decide on the colours you want to be used at your wedding, as they will influence many decisions
• Choose your wedding dress, and what your wedding attendants will wear, including whether the groom, best man and ushers 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 home, your wedding venue and your reception venue as required. Othe 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 honeymoon, and remember to book early if your destination is popular at that time of year. Organise passports, innoculations and visas early
• Sort out your wedding gift list
• Choose your wedding rings
• Book another short meeting with the celebrant for your wedding. Decide on the order of your service, what readings, hymns and music etc. are to be used, and discuss this with the celebrant. Decide whether you will have a printed order of service 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 take your dress home and return hire suits to the hirer for you.
• Buy gifts for your bridesmaids, best man, 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
• Remember that if you are changing your name you need to inform all those people and places that have you registered on their records with your existing name - including your passport - send it off early if you intend to travel in your married name and have booked tickets in your married name
• Book a hairdresser for yourself and your bridesmaids. 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 wedding 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
• Wedding Favours are a tradition that is very common in the UK these days, and if you do decide to have wedding favours we can supply favour boxes and organza bags together with wedding 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
• Make sure you've got all the accessories you need for the day - a handbag, a garter, a wedding ring pillow etc. - So Raise Your Glasses have some lovely options here
• 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 wedding 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 wedding 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 wedding and make sure that the key participants can attend - then your wedding day will go much more smoothly as people will know what they need to do
• Arrange the stag night and hen night, but not the night before the wedding!!
• Don't forget to write the speech
• Make sure you are packed for the honeymoon 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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