Once you have had time to celebrate your engagement, it can often be very daunting knowing where to start with planning your wedding and reception.

These are some of the key areas to focus on:

• Budget – When you start planning your wedding, it is important to work out how much you can afford to spend on each item and then stick to that budget. If family members are contributing to the cost, it is advisable to discuss with them at the outset what they can afford to contribute and which items they would like to pay for to avoid misunderstandings at a later stage.
• Cost saving – Once your budget is set, you can look at areas where you can save costs so you have enough money for the things you really want. For example, if you make your own invitations and wedding favours, you could save enough money to pay for the hire of a wedding car.
• Planning – The key to successful planning is to break down everything into small manageable tasks which are easy to complete. If you can easily tick things off your checklist as you do them, it will make you feel as though you are making progress, and by taking small steps you can easily accomplish all the big tasks that go with organising your wedding.
• Suppliers – It is likely you will be dealing with a number of suppliers for services such as catering, photography, cake making etc. Search for suppliers offering the services you require, narrow your list to 3-4 of the ones you like the look of, compare what they are offering (e.g. for price, product/service, examples of previous work) and then make a decision about which supplier offers you the best options. Make sure you agree everything with your suppliers in writing. If you (and the supplier) have all the details written down there is less scope for mistakes to be made.
• ‘Wedding Free’ Days – Planning a wedding can be very time consuming. Try to keep some evenings and weekends ‘wedding free’ in the run up to your wedding. Have a soak in the bath, go out for a walk or go to the cinema but ban all talk of menu choices, florists and dress fittings.

By Elizabeth Catherine Myers author of Planning a Wedding and Your Pocket Wedding Planner. Visit www.your-pocket-wedding-planner.co.uk