1. Find a bridal shop you are comfortable in. Quite often you’ll know if the staff is on a par with you and if you are comfortable with what they are selling.  Talk to them and use their expertise; good staff will know straight away what your style is. 

2. There are no rules about shape and size.  Although a dress can be stunning it may also be completely unflattering.  However it is always your decision which dress you want to go for.  Quite often larger ladies feel comfortable in slinky sexy dresses but slimmer ladies like to be covered up; it’s a personal choice.

3. Have snippets saved.  Collect images from magazines as well as any ideas you have on the dress you want.  If you go to a bridal shop with a description like, ‘white, long’ then it could take forever.  Cut out pieces you like and show the bridal shop team how your hair and your make up will be or even prepare yourself for the fittings. 

4. Stop looking when you have made the decision.  Because there will always be something else that you like the look off – if you don’t call off the search at some point you could be looking forever (a bit like with your husband to be!).

5. Believe in your decision.  Many brides choose the blandest things possible; wedding dressings, wedding rings, engagement rings, wedding cakes, invitations because they are afraid that what they choose isn’t classic and will date.  The fact is, everything to an extent will date and that is not the most important thing.  It’s better though to choose something with character and something you absolutely love in that moment that have something bland for the sake of what other people think. 

6. The dress is wonderful and great, but it is only one thing, not the most important thing. Don’t forget that the dress is on you, you are the important things and not the dress.  So minor disruptions will occur and it’s not the end of the world.  Don’t choose something that will detract from you on the big day.

You should compile your guest list as soon as you have set a date.  Think about your budget and how much you want to spend per head.  Think about how big your families are and how many friends you have.  Then using this information choose your venue and the access if the price is right.  If everything is fine, then you will be able to ask about the maximum amount of people allowed in the venue.

When it comes to weddings, immediate families are necessary – that means mum, dad and siblings.  Then remember grandparents, aunts, cousins and uncles get priority over friends.  Then it’s your close best friends – the bridesmaids, the best man.  Then it will be family friends and people your family want to invite not to mention their guests; your siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins need to be able to bring a guest along.  Then there are work colleagues (who may also be friends) but don’t feel obliged to invite too many along.

If you have family who live away in a foreign country for example you may know that they won’t attend but the gesture of an invitation is still kind. 

If you are short on invitations and space do you need to let your guests bring a friend?  Generally if your guest is married or is in a civil partnership they should be allowed to bring their other half but not necessarily their children.  Someone who is not married but is in a long term relationship should be allowed to bring a guest; someone who is casually dating does not. 

Just be polite if you turn down children – let the people know it’s because of space or budgetary requirements.  Some people won’t be able e to get childcare or will be unwilling to leave their kids.

Some people will just not be able to turn up so have a reserve list of people to invite just in case.  You can also split them up so that some guests go to the ceremony and some to the reception, the ceremony being for closest friends and family and the reception for everyone else.

A great place to start when tying to choose a dress, apart form looking through all the wedding magazines is to choose a shape – that way you will narrow down your choices.

The classic wedding dress shape is the A-line.  The A-line is slimming and as you can imagine, lies like an ‘A’ shape.  A-lines can also be tiered or layered to add bulk to skinny girls or to add a fashionable edge; a lot of ruffled dresses are this shape. 

Then there is the empress line, think of Jane Austen style dresses, nipped in under the bust and flowing.  These dresses are great for flat chested girls as they add emphasis on the breasts and the flowing bottom hides big bums and hips; this is a great style if you are pregnant too. 

Then there is the princess dress; yes the classic meringue.  This style is not to be laughed at though; it screams of glamour and classic princess-ness; this gives a real sense of grandeur and suits all figures. 

The fishtail is another glamourous dress.  This one nips in at the waist and comes out at the bottom creating a fishtail shape.  The result is accentuated curves think Dita Von Teese!  This looks extremely luxurious and glamourous in white satin and looks great work with a fur bolero.  This looks best on slimmer, tall girls and it is also a difficult dress to walk on so bear this in mind.

The prom dress is a funky, young style of dress.  This is strapless with a shorter finish, and a full netted bottom.  This is great for a summer wedding and for a young girl.  With a funky headpiece the feel is very 60s.  This can fit all kinds of figures too.

Then there is the sheath which is a simple, sleek fitting silk or satin dress.  It drapes beautifully and looks slinky but like a silk night dress it is forgiving to those with lumps and bumps.  This dress works best with waif-like women who don’t need the assistance of bras or big pants since everything will show up under this tight fitting number.

This depends on three things; the amount of money you have, the time you have and how many guests you have.  If you have 300 guests then making favours yourself could cost a lot anyway and consume a lot of your time.  If you are very busy and working up to the wedding then you may not have the time.  If you are on a budget then you may have to make the favours yourself.

If you decide to make the favour yourself then you need to first decide on what to give.  Easy choices include sweets and cakes; you can easily buy these from a store or bake it yourself.  You can give smelly items such as bath salts or bath soaks.  You can give small memorabilia such as a photograph of your day.

Then you need to decide how to present it.  The easiest and cheapest ways are to buy premade boxes or a storage cases that can be bought from places like WHsmith, Paperchase and Hobbycraft.  You can also buy these in bulk from eBay in a selection of colours.  To make them look prettier, add ribbon, glitter and beads to the packaging – style is everything!

You can also use netting, silk or some nice fabric.  Place your item inside the netting or material and bundle it up – use ribbon to tie it together or add some pretty card with your names and the date of your wedding on as a personal touch. 

Good edible items include chocolates, cake, mints, almonds, crèmes, jelly beans, flowers or seeds.  Non edible favours include soaps, pens, coins, photographs, notebooks, pot pourri, candles or a photo frame.

Keep everything in a theme.  What colour flowers will you have at your wedding, what colour are the bridesmaids’ dresses? Keeping everything coordinated adds a beautiful look.  Also think about your table arrangements and how the favours will look on the tablecloth.  If in doubt keep the colours simple with creams, reds and pinks or even yellow.

What are the benefits of a wedding planner?  Well, planning a wedding can become a full time job for one person.  Think about it; there’s the wedding dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the outfits for the mother of the bride, your father, his suit, his best man’s suit, the cake, the food, the invitations, the favours, the venue…and on and on.  A wedding planner has a book full of contact that she or he can call on and knows the best deals, and the best places for your needs.  Yes your mum and best friend can advise but beware of falling outs over differences in taste.  The wedding planner is not there to convey his or her own sense of style, they are there to absorb your tastes and translate it into a wedding setting. 

A good wedding planner is also extremely creative; he or she will normally be able to add a creative edge to your wedding by finding out what your loves are; they will know what kind of personal touches are noticed and appreciated by the guests. 

What a wedding planner is extremely useful for is budgeting and keeping on schedule.  If you are a busy person then you will forget appointments sometimes; you may not realise how much time is necessary for say, printing invites, or how early you need to find a venue.  A wedding planner is paid by you to take care of all of this.

Also think about if you have help from your groom; not all men but some prefer to keep out of the palaver of wedding planning; now if you know your other half will be disinterested then the help of a planner could be idea.

But what about the cost?  Well, the prices vary greatly.  Some planners deal with people with lots of money to spend and are used to being given huge budgets.  If you can find someone who seems to offer a personalised service; ultimately the planner must gel with you and be able to make your life infinitely easier, listen to what you want and not cost you the earth.  For around £700 as a starting rate, a planner can help you with a schedule and suppliers, venues and invitations.  Sometimes for a higher fee they can become more involved and be there on the day for you.  A good planner can save you money because they have a relationship with the people who will provide you services. 

Having said all of that, some brides love to have all the control and have particular taste that they want to deal with every facet of their wedding themselves.  If this is you then there’s no question; you are the wedding planner!

1. Decide on the money you want to spend.  Obviously don’t get into debt for the sake of a ring – who wants to start married life in debt?  At the same time, save up a little so you have a reasonable amount to spend.  For each person that amount is different.

2. Decide on the setting.  Gold, Platinum or White Gold.  Diamonds are too valuable to set on Silver which tarnishes easily.  Some people prefer gold and a lot of people prefer a cool coloured metal.  You should be able to tell which you other half prefers.

3. Decide on the shape.  Traditionally most people go for a Brilliant, other known as a round shape.  This is known as a Brilliant because the circular shape has the most perfect dimensions for the best amount of shine or ‘fire’ – the thing that makes a diamond just glow.  If your other half is traditional and prefers classic things go for this.  Other popular shapes are the Marquise (like a cat eye shape), Princess (rectangular) or a Square.  Fancier cuts include the Asher, which is square but has a layered look inside and the cushion cut which is oval but has lots of different reflective segments cut away underneath.

4. The size of a diamond is every girls dream!  Many diamond rings for around £500 are around 0.5 carat.  Carats are the way that diamonds are weighted.  1 carat is a generous and stylish size and will cost an absolute minimum of around £1500 (if it has a decent clarity and cut).

5. Clarity is how clear or flawless a diamond is.  There are different grades for diamonds, flawless diamonds being the rarest and most costly.  Few diamonds on the high street are flawless – most have a rating of VSI or VSII which means they have very slight markings (not visible to the naked eye).  A diamond that is huge but has lots of marks inside will not have ‘fire’ and will look dull.

6. Look on the internet as well as the high street! The best deals can be found online especially from the US but don’t forget that you will need to pay tax on it once it arrives in the UK.  Sometimes though, it can still work out cheaper than buying it in the UK but make sure that its from a reputable company.

As time has passed, so have traditions and customs.  In the good old days, the bride’s family would give the groom’s family a dowry for taking in a woman, and they would also pay for all the wedding arrangements.  Nowadays, women stand on their own two feet and some traditions (in Western culture anyway!) no longer exists.  So how do you decide who pays for what without burdening others or causing offence?

There are no strict rules as to who should pay for what as there once was.  The bride and groom these days are often both working people and may be able to finance the whole event themselves.  

Traditionally there are some roles for people to assume – the parents of the bride, who traditionally pay for everything generally will cover the costs of the venue, the music, the flowers, food, invitations, cake, wedding dress etc. as well as a cash gift to the couple.  This varies greatly since many parents may not be together anymore and may not be in any financial place to provide all these things.  Obviously be a considerate bride and don’t put someone in a spot where they feel forced to pay.

Parents of the groom pay for a dinner before the event.  They may give a gift to the bride and groom.

The bride is supposed to pay for any party she has for the bridesmaids and a proportion of the dresses.  She is supposed to pay for the grooms present and wedding ring.  

The groom pays for the engagement ring and brides ring, and fees and legalities.  He should pay for the honey moon and gift (although these days it’s not unusual for the bride and groom to finance the honeymoon themselves).

The Bridesmaids will pay for a joint gift for the bride and also for their own shoes and bags, and a portion of the dresses. 

The best man will pay for his own suit and for a portion of the bachelor party.

None of these rules are set in stone of course; on one family is extremely rich then they may pay for everything and as mentioned before, the couple may be wealthy enough to afford to pay for the event without needing any support.  This may depend on the age of the couple and background.  Either way, do things the way you need to and don’t feel obliged or pressured.

The bridal bouquet you choose to carry should match the look of your wedding dress.  If you have a dramatic dress an equally gorgeous choices is a cascading bouquet of flowers (ideally roses) and some green foliage.  A cascading bouquet is full at the hands and trails like a waterfall, giving balance to a full dress.

Thick grand prix roses in pink, white or red also look wonderful as a bouquet; a dozen would suffice.  Mixing colours together can add a nice touch; especially if one of your flowers matches the colours of your bridesmaid’s dresses for example. 

When creating a centre piece, you have lots of options.  A traditional vase means you can have huge bouquets on the table.  You can also use a fish bowl and place a few exotic flowers inside, such as orchid heads, with some long grass twisted round the circumference of the bowl.   As a completely different idea, how about a small rose tree?  As a centrepiece, it is definitely a show stopper! 

Remember that you can always hide ugly stems with thick green leaves, dried leaves, grass or colourful fruit into the bottom of the vase (lime for example is a good choice).

Don’t forget the confetti!  Red rose petals are a romantic choice and placing them into home made paper cones (handed out to the guests as the bride and groom come out of the venue).  Hydrangea petals are a combination of pastel blues, whites and greens giving a soft effect that will look wonderful on photographs.  Dried petals make a colourful choice and they will also be very fragrant.

Whether you decide to buy the flowers and arrange them yourself or get a professional to do it, the most important thing Is to make something you are happy with that has impact.   Don’t forget you don’t have to spend a lot to achieve a great result.

Wedding rings tend to be shopped for by the couple unlike the engagement ring.  Women do tend to take the helm when choosing jewellery but it’s important that both parties are happy with the ring!

Consider the thickness that you want.  Some rings are very thick and chunky which looks good on men with big hands but no so great if you have delicate fingers. Most couples go for the same ring but in a different size.

Rings can come in silver, gold, platinum, white gold and more recently pallidium which is a scratch resistant metal.  Gold is a traditional choice but most people prefer the cool tones of platinum or white gold.  Silver is not recommended fro long term constant wear as it tarnishes very easily. 

Wedding rings can be very plain or they can have all kinds of embellishments.  Simple is a safe choice – the wedding ring isn’t a fashion accessory as such through the middle or some small diamonds.  Certain cultures will have different types of ring – in Asian culture yellow gold is popular and Celtic rings are a popular choice with Irish people.

You can also get rings engraved with your own message for the personal touch.  This is on the inside so it is a personal and private touch.

The Bride and grooms ring doesn’t have to match.  Sometimes the bride will get a simple band that is encrusted with diamonds and therefore matches the engagement ring.  These are usually sold as a set and are very popular in the US – you can get a better deal and price if you buy the band and diamond at the same time. The groom will then have a simple ring in the same metal as the bridge but without the diamonds. 

Finally comfort is very important. This means buying the right size and the right thickness so it doesn’t rub or feel uncomfortable.  A lightweight ring is preferable if you find wearing jewellery cumbersome.

The most common question people want to know is if its ok to return or exchange a wedding gift that has been bought off a gift list.  The answer is – yes.  Depending on your guests, many people will include the receipt or a gift receipt with the package so you can swap the item.  It is unlikely that you will be able to get cash for the item since many people pay by card anyway.  Also don’t forget – it is the thought that counts!  A gift chosen from the heart for your wedding day should be cherished if possible.

Some people wonder if it is polite to mention the gift list on an invitation.  Nowadays it is acceptable to mention your list but just make sure that you have things to suit all kind of budgets, (£20 price mark, £50 and £100+) from say candles to a full set of pans.  Have a selection of affordable gear; toasters, kettles, cushions, not just pages of expensive things.  Try not to select lots of frivolous items as it may seem indulgent; some companies will let you use the funds paid afterwards towards other items.

What about if you want things from different stores?  Well feel free to have gift lists for two places.  Simply include links to both stores for your guests to log on to – alternatively look up companies like www.thegiftlistcompany.com and www.marriagegiftlist.com which allow you to include items from any online stores so you can add anything you want to your guest list!  The services are also free and they will provide with an information card to send out.  Also have a look at dedicated gift companies such as www.weddingpresentsdirect.co.uk and www.nearlymarried.co.uk.

Also feel free to ask for a contribution towards a honeymoon and towards a charity if you feel you have everything you want.  Most of the large charities will allow guests to make donations in your name as a gift.