Your wedding day should be an once-in-a-lifetime experience. That is why every soon-to-be-bride should know the secrets to the perfect wedding day.

One thing is for sure: planning a wedding is not easy, and it needs time, money, and a little patience to achieve perfection. Here are some tips which can help you achieve that perfect wedding day:

    Set your budget. Before anything else, you and your mate must first determine your budget for the wedding. This will help define your wedding's venue, number of guests, style and material of the bridal gown, etc.


For instance, if you have a huge budget, you may want a horse-drawn carriage with a coachman rather than a regular wedding car with a chauffeur. You may get a custom-made gown rather than a store-bought one.

Or you may decide to save it all up and splurge on the honeymoon. It's all up to you - but certainly, you and your partner must agree on how much you are spending on this wedding before you start making any other plans.


Why? Because money is the number one reason for divorce in the UK. Agreeing upon your wedding budget could be you and your future mate's first exercise in planning your finances.

    Write your guest list. Start with the mandatory guests, i.e. your family and your partner's, then move on to extended family, personal friends, and family friends - not necessarily in that order of priority.


You should keep your guest list under wraps for as long as possible, because the moment it gets out, that list is bound to grow, and your budget will be harder to control.

    Choose your location. It's traditional to hold weddings at churches, chapels, or other places of worship, but some couples prefer other places such as gardens, beaches, even underwater.


Very important: make sure the venue you pick is accessible to the guests you plan to invite.

You will also have to consider your mate's preferences and situation. You may want a beach wedding with ten guests, but if your mate comes from a very conservative family with years of tradition installed in their history, you may have to sacrifice your small, quiet wedding dreams for something a little more extravagant, with a wedding car driven by a chauffeur and a big reception.

    Get a caterer. Some families like to cook for their wedding guests. But then your family will end up receiving all the workload - not a good way to enjoy this special day in your life.


When choosing a caterer, make sure you do not just decide based on the taste of their food. Ask how they handle extra guests, and what services they provide other than the food: Will they set the reception area? Will they provide the flatware? Clean up?

You may think these services come naturally with a catering service, but it never hurts to ask.

Also, it would be wise to know your guest list before your pick your menu. If you end up with a guest list that includes vegetarians, Orthodox Jews or Muslims, recovering alcoholics, or Aunt Martha, who sneezes uncontrollably every time she sees a canapé, you would have to make significant adjustments in your food and beverage list.

    Find the dress. Although most women have been designing their wedding dresses since they were little girls, it does not hurt to look at other designs, just to make sure you do not miss out on anything.

    Bring a trusted friend with you when you do your search. They should be able to give you an honest assessment as to whether or not your dream dress makes you look fat.


Do not rely on your future groom to do this for you. This is cruel and un-necessary torture you will be subjecting him to.

Avoid fads. If everyone is wearing V-necked long-sleeved lace dresses, find something else even if you think that dress looks dreamy. When you get out of that white wedding car, the last thing you want is for everyone to say "That dress looks familiar." You want them to say, "She looks beautiful."