Now that you're engaged and all your close friends and relatives are informed, it's time to begin the planning. The key to a successful wedding is in the planning.  By planning in detail and far in advance, you will save yourself from all the small things that go wrong at weddings.      A common mistake couples make is waiting four or five months before the wedding date, and then settling for less or paying more than they could have by planning a year in advance.  Even if you wait to the last minute, you may still find a vendor who is available for your wedding, but your choices will be limited and you will pay much more than if you had booked earlier.  Premium locations and vendors book first, no matter their price. Vendors which are reasonably priced and provide excellent service, book several years in advance.      Most engagements last for a period of one year or more.  The time from your engagement to your wedding will be the fastest in your life.  It is best to do all your planning within the first three months of your engagement, and at least nine months before the wedding.  This does not apply to weddings in October, April, May or June.  Due to the mild weather conditions, these are very popular months.  If you are having a Saturday wedding during one of these months, you should book all your vendors at least one year in advance.

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Once you have set your exact wedding date, buy a calendar or some form of wedding planner software.  Please refer to page 7 of Original Bride Magazine for a wedding planning timeline.  Set specific dates in which to accomplish certain tasks.  By setting an itinerary, you will find it easier to set appointments, set booking and payments schedules and to tell if you are on schedule.

WEDDING PLANNERS
Hiring a wedding planner can make life simpler.  Wedding planners have detailed knowledge of individual vendors and will guide you through the budgeting, planning, booking and the actual wedding day.  A skilled wedding planner will deal with any and all problems that arise and save you from having to worry about all the minor details.
     Plan the wedding as a couple, when possible.  Each of you should compile a preliminary guest list.  Once you have set the maximum number of guests you wish to invite, begin adding or removing names from the list accordingly.  The total number of guests you plan to invite will affect most of the decisions you will make.  You can expect 75% of all in-town guests to attend the wedding.  The largest financial factor, in your wedding budget, is the number of guests you invite.  Unless money is no option, you may need to do a little soul-searching when choosing who will attend.  Would you rather have a large number of wedding guests and reduce the quality of service; or a smaller, but higher quality wedding?
 

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DON'T FORGET THE GROOM Most grooms tend to let the bride do all of the wedding planning, but that takes away half the fun.  Planning the wedding should be fun, not tedious.  Don't forget it's not just your wedding, but also your fiancé's.  You should both sit down and set a basic itinerary, budget and who will be responsible for specific duties.  Couples who can survive planning a wedding together, tend to stay together. Find times during the week when you both can take some time off and visit vendors.  The internet, in conjunction with this magazine, can make the initial planning much easier.  Visit www.originalbride.com for a list of our featured vendors and their websites.

IT'S IN THE DETAILS
Make a detailed list of all tasks that need to be done.  Divide this list into sections with each person, who is assisting with the wedding, being assigned certain tasks on the list.  If your fiancé is more interested in a certain detail than you are, give them sole responsibility for planning that task.  A prime example of this is that the groom usually prefers to choose the tuxedos.  This task should be assigned solely to him, and the bride should choose all the details pertaining to her and the bridesmaids' attire.
     It is now time to view and select the locations and vendors for your wedding.  The worst way to find a location or vendor is to do so by price alone.  Don't sell yourself short on quality just to get a good price.  When most couples set their initial budget they don't always realize that paying just a little more can make a big difference in quality.  Don't pass on a vendor simply because they are a few hundred dollars more than your budget allows.  Before setting your budget, consult with your parents, grandparents and other relatives.  It is becoming more popular for friends and relatives to purchase gift certificates for services such as flowers, wedding attire and photography.  These certificates are given to the bride and groom as an additional wedding present.
     Consolidating your current debts with a debt management company may also free additional funds for your wedding.  Most wedding vendors also accept credit cards and installment payments.  The long standing tradition, of the bride's parents paying for most of the wedding, is no longer the norm.  The bride and groom are now paying for most of the wedding.  You should try to include family members who wish to help financially and participate in the wedding.  A popular way to cover the cost of the wedding is to divide the wedding costs equally into three sections.  The bride and groom, the bride's parents and the groom's parents each pay a third of the total cost.  In most cases, the bride and groom pay for the honeymoon themselves.  No matter who pays for what, it should be understood early in the planning stage, that the bride and groom will make all the final decisions.

FINALIZE EVERYTHING
When finalizing the booking of your select vendors, always clarify exact details and requirements during your consultations.  Require a signed contract stating dates, times, locations, the services and products they will be providing you, the totals with all fees and taxes, and that the payment schedule be itemized in detail on the contract.  Since you may be booking their service more then a year in advance, provide your vendors with a phone number and address that will not change.  If you move or change your phone number, this specifically applies to cell phones, please make sure to inform all your vendors in a timely manner.
     You should plan a final consultation with all your vendors no later than three weeks before the wedding, to finalize any additional details and to discuss any changes.  The costs of services offered by most vendors are not negotiable.  The time of year and the day of the week of your wedding will affect the price you are charged by most vendors.  Saturday night weddings are in the highest demand, and therefore, the most expensive.