Congratulations, you're getting married! There is no other day in your life that compares with your wedding day. Sure, there are other big events in life that you'll always remember such as graduations, the birth of a child, or holidays of a lifetime, but it's your wedding day that you've probably fantasised about from a young age.
If you've been dreaming about your big day since the dawn of time, or even if you're getting hitched last minute, your wedding is a special and momentous occasion.
Ofer Yatziv of Better Venues knows full well that planning your perfect wedding day can be both fun and exciting. But it's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the different options out there and knowing where to start can be a huge challenge.
I asked Ofer to share with us a few tips in this 'Top 10' guide to help with organising a stress free wedding to remember.
1. Be organised
Before starting anything, making a checklist to keep track of what needs to be done and what's been completed is the key. Getting organised with a month-by-month, wedding plan checklist, means that each month's checklist will be your new best friend.
2. Budget Basics
Almost all weddings go over budget, it's a known fact. Think about how much you can afford to spend be it £1000 or £100,000, you can be sure to find wedding venues and services suitable to your budget. A great tip is to put 20% of the total funds in reserve for emergencies, so that you won't be ripping your hair out when you don't enough money for the cake.
3. Create a Pinterest
Pinterest is the ultimate wedding online scrapbook and the 'go to' place for bridal inspiration; it might as well be renamed 'Weddingterest'. Friends and families can even share the creative load and 'pin' their own ideas for your big day.
4. Get Expert Advice
Hiring a professional wedding coordinator isn't actually a bad idea. It may seem a little over the top, but they can help you with every step of the way and you won't even have to lift a finger.
5. Take a break
Take a break every now and then - planning your wedding is supposed to be fun. If you're feeling upset by it, just take some time off. Try not to stress even when it seems impossible - you're only human so put your feet up until you're ready to get back on the horse again.
6. Spread the planning
Take the load off and share the duties, you don't have to plan everything by yourself or you'll be going Bridezilla mode in no time. And don't forget to include your groom, as it's his wedding day too!
7. Timing
It's all about timing; don't leave everything until the last minute. Make sure you have enough time to sort everything out for the big day. Set time aside and choose one day of the week to focus on planning wedding details.
8. Remember why you're planning a wedding
Don't get so involved about planning your wedding day so that it makes you forget what this special day means. This is the beginning of your life together. Make this time exciting and don't lose sight of what's important.
9. There's no pleasing everyone
You simply cannot make everyone happy and trying to accommodate others will make the organisation process ten times harder. Don't forget this is your day, make it about you.
10. Don't sweat the little things
It's pretty much impossible to have the perfect wedding. Something is bound to go wrong and not everything goes swimmingly, so don't fret about it too much. Go with the flow and what will be will be. Plus, you can laugh about any mishaps for years to come.