Wedding planning truly is an art and that's why many brides pay someone to organise every last detail, right down to writing the wedding invitations! Some brides even take a year off work to plan their big day! This is pretty extreme and not really necessary, but some brides feel they need this time to alleviate some of the pressure and stress. In fact, wedding planning can be a most enjoyable experience if handled the correct way.

Firstly, you must appreciate that organising a wedding is hard work and needs to be carefully prepared. Buy yourself a book or folder - this will become your bible of all things weddingy for the next year or so. Keep all your ideas, magazine cuttings, deadlines, phone numbers and wedding invitation replies in this, your wedding planning folder.

Once a date has been agreed, you need to get a dress chosen and ordered. It is worth noting that some wedding dresses can take up to 15 months! Now you must make a list of all the things that have to be done for your wedding, for example:

Have wedding cake made and decorated

Send out wedding invitations

Book photographer

Book church

Decide on honeymoon

Order wedding favours

Choose flowers

Take out wedding insurance

Agree on groomsmen and bridesmaids

Decide which items are immediate [e.g. things that need to be prepared in advance, such as ordering the wedding invitations or booking the church]. Then, draw up a 12-month schedule and insert each job into a month. Of course, the more immediate actions will need to be addressed in the first few months, whereas ordering wedding favours may wait until later on.

It would be a good idea to make a copy for your fiance and for your bridal party. Involving others in your wedding planning will make them feel more included as well as taking pressure off yourself. For example, you may put your chief bridesmaid in charge of wedding invitations - ordering them, writing them and sending them out.

Next you should agree a budget. Very few brides actually stick to their budget but you should put some ideas down on paper and try to keep to your original quote as best you can. Include payment deadlines in your schedule so you know which payments are going out of your account each month. This way, you can spread your bills and not be hit all at once.

If you keep up with your schedule and remain organised each month, wedding planning can be great fun - as it should be. By completing small tasks regularly you won't feel out of control or stressed and everything should fall into place. Good luck!

(c) World of Wedding Favours