Ensure that the main elements of your wedding are planned well in advance; avoid the disappointment of a venue being unavailable by considering getting married on a day other than a Saturday. This could have the added benefit of being less expensive, thus leaving more money to spend on other items. Have a notebook or diary specifically for use in connection with your wedding so that all of your suppliers’ details and all of the relevant timescales are readily to hand. There are lots of magazines and websites that can help you to plan the timing of the different elements, but there are some key questions that you need to ask right at the beginning.

• Where will the wedding take place?
• What time of year do you want to get married, bearing in mind any honeymoon arrangements that you will be making?
• How many guests will you be expecting to attend?
• What is your total budget?

Once these key elements have been discussed you can move on to the other services that will make sure that you have the day of your dreams, a beautiful dress, stunning flowers, delicious cake and fantastic company.

About the author: The UK Wedding Shows has more than 25 years experience in the wedding industry, organising wedding exhibitions throughout the UK and having contact with thousands of brides and suppliers.

The key to having your perfect wedding day is to plan ahead and allow yourself some flexibility in your budget in case you find that special something that will make your day unique. Everyone remembers their wedding day and you can make the memories even more special by having the personal touch. Speaking to different suppliers, seeking personal recommendations and looking at testimonials from other brides are all ways for a couple to ensure that they get exactly what they wish for on their special day. If you don’t know where to start and feel overwhelmed by the choice of wedding services on offer, consider visiting a wedding exhibition for inspiration and to help you focus on the things that you are really drawn to, apart from each other of course! It may be a good idea to combine a wedding show with a visit to relatives who may be playing a key role at your wedding as they may be able to suggest things that you had not thought of. The internet can be a fantastic resource when planning your wedding and Wedding Directories can open up a world of choice for the bride and groom who are looking for something unique whether it is unusual transport options, fantastic flowers or a wedding album you will treasure for the rest of your lives. Talk to other people who will tell you their wedding story and most of all talk to each other about what will make your perfect day.

About the author: The UK Wedding Shows has more than 25 years experience in the wedding industry, organising wedding exhibitions throughout the UK and having contact with thousands of brides and suppliers.

Its easy to get so caught up in wedding plans that you loose sight of the real reason your getting married. Me and Luke are very happy together but lately I’ve been so caught up with wedding plans we haven’t been spending as much time together.

The past few months have been tough we’ve moving jobs and family stresses, the wedding has been a welcomed distraction. Its just hit home that its only 6 months to go and we need to start thinking about all the small details so when I’m not working I’m looking through wedding things and doing budgets.

I have felt as though I’ve neglected Luke a bit as I am preoccupied with guest lists and room plans. Last night we went on a date, its our first date in ages. We arranged to do a monthly date night ages ago but it never really got started for one reason or another. But now we have the same pay day we’ve started this again and last night was our first date.

It was really good to take time out from the norm and show each other how much we care. Its easy to get in a rut and just do the same old so it was nice to dress up and go out together. We went for a few drinks at Knutsford Wine bar and then for a meal at the Belle Epoque. We had considered the Belle Epoque as a wedding venue and had a look round but we decided it was a bit small for us. Although I really loved the purple walls and ornate decor.

I think it is important for couples to make time for each other and our date night is going to be a regular thing.

The average cost of a Wedding is about £11,000, this is no mean feat and I sometimes wonder if this kind of money would be better spent on a deposit for a house or something that the couple will see contribute to more than what is essentially just a big party. The fees for the ceremony are less than £500 on average, and registration is about £50 a couple so where does the rest of the money go?

Firstly the one of the biggest spends for most couples is the dress, this can cost anything from £100 to £5,000 for a designer wedding dress, this cost does not always include alterations to make it the perfect fit. I am not spending £5,000 on my dress but I still need to keep money aside for the alterations, this won’t be done until the last few weeks and I’ll be on a strict diet and wii fit excercise regime leading up to the wedding to make sure I look my best.

The most expensive factors to consider in the wedding is the reception and wedding breakfast, at half a bottle of wine per head and champagne the drinks alone can get quite expensive. The wedding breakfast usually consists of a 3 course menu and for up to 100 guests this is very expensive, so anyone who is not invited to the wedding breakfast please don’t take offense we’re just skint.  For the wedding breakfast you are usually looking at an average of £100 a head, so for 100 guests you’ve spent £10,000 already.

The wedding party/reception afterward usually includes a buffet which can be anything from £10 to £50 per head depending on your deal and you have to look at the entertainment, which could be a band or a DJ each costing from £500 for the night going up to nearly £3,000.

There are various traditions over who pays for what, it is either down to the brides parents or the bridesmaids to pay for the bridesmaids dresses. I still haven’t decided on the dresses for my bridesmaids and flower girls but as I have 5 bridesmaids it will probably get expensive.

So we’ve covered the wedding dress the wedding breakfast, buffet and party, and bridemaids dresses and these costs alone are totaling up. You can get deals and if you get married this year you can get recession busting discounts, but you need to be prepared that these costs alone will be substantial. There are other costs not even mentioned like tux hire for the groom and groomsmen, flowers, photographers, wedding favours etc.

We are very lucky that my Mother has generously offered to pay for most of it and me and Luke are trying to get extra money for little extras like the entertainment and flowers. The best thing to do is plan your money carefully, I usually use an xcel spreadsheet to list everything I need then over estimate the budget and set money aside to allow for hidden costs or something you may not have thought about.