Yet while there is truth in the aforementioned scenario, it doesn’t have to be the way. Many betrothed couples find the stress of planning a wedding almost unbearable even without relatives trying to interfere, and the end result is a poorer day for everyone.

The problems that relatives create can be endless. It can be from the Great Aunt you barely remember who insists on a tradition you don’t like just because it’s been in the family for generations, or the Uncle of the groom who doesn’t want to be seated next to his ex wife. It’s a difficult conundrum to play, and weddings are naturally fraught with emotion, all of which can escalate on the day without careful planning.

For it is careful planning that is the only thing that can save a couple on the run up to their wedding. Quite simply, remember that this is your day. It’s your one shot, hopefully the only wedding day you’ll ever have, and if your mother doesn’t like the choice of flowers then that is predominantly her problem. Make decisions quickly and firmly, and when they are made, stick to them.

It sounds simple, when of course it isn’t. Many brides decide to be forthright and stick to their guns, only to then find themselves the subject of what is essentially emotional blackmail from relatives and friends alike. In these cases, quite understandably, they crumble and start giving in to demands. Unfortunately, there is no sure fire method of ensuring you are not one of these brides. Just try and keep your head up, plough through and remember that even if some people have a problem with the order of the ceremony or indeed the flowers, in most cases when the day arrives and their demands have not been met, they’ll let it go. Then everyone can enjoy the day, and the preparation need not be a terrifying thing.

If you start with a base color that you like and work with complimentary colors to the other aspects of the wedding then you should be relatively safe in creating a harmonious and visually pleasing wedding ceremony.

With theme weddings a lot of the colors will be determined by the theme and to some people this can actually make it a lot easier with choices.

It is often a good idea to have a discussion with your photographer before finalizing your colors as these can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of your wedding photos.

A good photographer will be able to look at the venue, your own skin colors and that of your partner, your choices of clothing and flowers and any other factors that you have listed on your wedding checklist and give you a good idea of whether there will be anything that will have a detrimental effect on the photographs.

It is times like these that the advice of professionals is most welcome and can have a huge impact on so many other factors.

It is well worth investing the extra money if at all possible to get professional advice in these matters before you start spending the money on purchasing dresses flowers and so on.

If you were to hire a wedding planner they would coordinate all these various different aspects of the wedding and ensure that they will all tie in with one another for a harmonious event.

Don’t fret if you can’t afford this type of advice however because you can always copy other wedding arrangements where you find someone who has similar colors and preferences as your own.

Flowers can add the finishing touches to the reception tables and be a talking point for years to come.

They are the arrangements around the wedding cake and on the wedding cake table that can make almost any cake look impressive when designed and displayed correctly.

They can make your wedding photographs look bright and colorful and mirror your own personality.

Make sure that you look at all your options before deciding on your wedding bouquets and don’t be satisfied with what is available at your local florist if you’ve seen something elsewhere that you desire.

If you’re florist can’t deliver the arrangements that you want then look elsewhere as there are a lot of options available to you.

The big online flower retailers can get you almost anything you like even from other parts of the world if you so desire. It really is just a matter of finding what you want and paying for it.

Finances will dictate what you can afford in many instances but this is one area where you shouldn’t shortchange if possible.

You can get quotes from the various different flower suppliers and often you will be able to save money by getting all your flower arrangements from the one place.
It will certainly make the coordination of your wedding plans a lot easier.

Make sure that anyone you use has a good reputation and preferably find someone you know who has used the same supplier and can testify to the good service and quality of the flowers.

There are many options available so don’t be satisfied with anything other than the best for you.

If you can’t afford a professional to take a video then ask around your friends and family to see if any of them have video cameras that they would like to bring along to the wedding and capture your day on film.

You’d be surprised how many people have videos these days and how many will be only too willing to capture the moments for you.

If you can get a few people doing this then you can take the time after your wedding to edit them yourself or even pay a professionally to create one wedding video from the various copies that you can keep and possibly give or share with your friends and family.

With amateurs filming on their own video cameras you will often find that they capture different parts of the wedding that a professional might miss — those funny occasions that happen with certain members of the family that a professional would not think to film.

There are a lot of ways for an amateur to edit their own videos these days and you can add voice-over comments and many different things to the video as you are editing it.

You can actually have quite a lot of fun creating your video after the wedding as you remember the various aspects of your happy day.

With the price of video cameras having come down quite considerably in recent years you might even like to consider, finances allowing, buying a video camera for yourself that you can take away with you on honeymoon to capture those special moments too.

You can’t go back and do it again if you find that the photographs are not good enough.

As a backup measure get all your friends and family to bring their cameras as well because quite often with a lot of people taking photos you will find that some of them come up with excellent photos that you might like in preference to the professional photographers images.

When employing the services of a photographer try to find other people who have used that particular photographer at their wedding and find out whether or not they were completely satisfied with the work that was produced.

Look at their wedding album and see whether you like the arrangements and the quality of the photos for yourself as everyone has different quality standards and what might seem good for one person might not be good enough for you.

Make sure that the photographer has backup cameras in case anything goes wrong as even though this might seem very obvious it has happened on many occasions where photographers have had equipment failure on the wedding day with no alternative backup to save the day.

You don’t want to be the person who has to suffer that fate on your wedding day.

Always be prepared for anything and assume that nobody else is 100% prepared and by doing that you shouldn’t have any problems.

Take your time to interview any prospective photographers and make sure that you feel comfortable with the person you are dealing with as having a good understanding of one another’s needs will ensure that you get the best possible photos.

Check out the photographers particular style because they all have their preferences and these need to coincide with what you want.

You shouldn’t feel pressured whatsoever into wearing any specific style of wedding dress.

This is a time when you can express yourself in a manner that you can remember for the rest of your life.

Just as you have chosen your partner you should find a dress that you love and that you feel good wearing.

It is wise to get the advice of people who have some idea of dress sense and can help you choose a dress that is not only gorgeous but flattering for your particular body shape.

A dress that suits you will also make you feel a lot more comfortable

Getting professional help even in the form of a beauty consultation can make a huge difference to the way that you look on your wedding day and it is well worth investing some time and money on this aspect of your wedding even if you have to save money elsewhere and reduce costs on other aspects of the wedding plans.

The bride is the center of attention on the wedding day and it is more important than other factors such as the reception and decorations.

Getting in good shape and improving your nutrition in advance of your big day can also help you look a lot healthier and happier and help you to maintain a glowing look throughout the course of the day.

It can be a very tiring day with all the fuss and bustle so being in shape and well rested before the big event will make life a lot easier. Don’t stress out if you feel you aren’t in the shape that you would prefer to be in as that will just have a detrimental affect on the occasion – Just do the best you can in the time you have and then enjoy every moment of it without further concern.

Cheap wedding dresses that are good fitting and well styled can look a lot better than expensive wedding dresses that are inappropriate for your particular physique.

Do a lot of shopping around for deciding on your final wedding dress because you will be surprised at the amount of money you can save by making the right decisions and also you might find that you will get a dress that you feel a lot more comfortable from some of the shops that offer ready-made wedding dresses rather than getting one specifically made for you.

If your finances are particularly tight then you might even need to consider secondhand wedding dresses and while you might not like to think about this at the time the fact of the matter is that most of these have only ever being worn once so you are effectively getting a new dress for a price that is considerably less than the first person paid for it.

Many people have had the pleasure of wearing designer wedding dresses that might have only required a little bit of adjustment here or there for a fraction of the cost price that they would have to pay to get one made specifically for them.

And the best part of all is that nobody ever needs to know or will know how much or where you got your dress from.

It’s not about the cost of the dress but rather how it looks on you and how you feel in it on your special day.

After the wedding you can sell it on again to defray costs if you like too.

It is completely understandable that people about to get married experience a little fluttering of nerves, even if they are marrying their soul mate. Getting wed is a huge, life changing decision – both morally, emotionally and legally. It is tying yourself to someone else forever, quite literally for better or for worse. A lack of some apprehension at such a big commitment would almost me strange.

If you are experiencing cold feet, it is not your mind trying to tell you you’re doing the wrong thing. It is the body’s natural defense, the fight or flight mechanism, that is kicking in – a natural instinct that warns us of danger. While there is no actual danger, the mind cannot help but panic a little over a commitment that is set to last a lifetime. After all, almost everything else we do in our lives is only set for a short time. Very rarely do we make decisions that are meant to last until the day we die; even most mortgages only run for 30 years.

The most important aspect of dealing with cold feet is to keep the feeling in perspective. Many brides find that, despite nerves in the week leading up to the wedding, they find themselves calm and serene on the day of their wedding. Cold feet allows a bride to get through her fears and worries, and then be free to enjoy the day itself. When you reach the day of the ceremony, there’s almost no going back – the decision has been made by then, which the vast majority of brides find comforting rather than disturbing.

If you are days away from your wedding and are feeling decidedly uneasy, just tell yourself this: you decided to get married for a reason. At some point, as a clear headed adult, you have made the decision to marry your boyfriend because you feel you are right together. Don’t let these last minute ticks of worry ruin the lead up to your wedding, as you will only do it once. This, of course, is the root of many of the fears themselves, so try and turn that positive into a negative. Tell yourself: I am only feeling like this because I know this marriage will last, and this is a decision that will last my lifetime. Suddenly, it won’t seem so bad anymore.

The way to have an open bar without appearing closed fisted with money is to do it sensibly. With each invitation, include a free drink token and one for any guest they may bring. This is a little more expensive than a purely cash bar, but it is an ideal compromise. Also ensure that there is a free mineral water available – if necessary just by purchasing bottles of water and glass jugs, and setting them on the tables before the meal commences – so that everyone can have a drink if they are genuinely thirsty. It is also worth while doing the same with orange juice, ostensibly for any children attending – but you will find that adult guests also indulge.

Another area of great expense to any wedding day are outfits for the attendants. It is somewhat dubious to ask bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, though it may be worth floating the idea past them with the incentive that they can choose their own style. If you really do want a uniform set of bridesmaids, however, it is unfair to expect each lady to contribute to something they only wear once. This means you will need to foot the bill.

This, however, is easily helped by the realization that you do not need to buy bridesmaid dresses from an actual wedding store. The mark up in wedding stores is big for bridesmaid dresses, as many brides automatically purchase their bridesmaid gowns from wherever they have found their own dress. You are paying for the convenience. A simple way to get around this issue is to look in high street stores for simple, flattering dresses; none of which need cost the earth. While it is unlikely you’ll find floor length gowns, shorter length dresses are more than acceptable for bridesmaids and do help create a more contemporary feel. Also, if you have a lot of attendants, it may be worth checking with the store to see if you can get a bulk discount.

Weddings are expensive, but by thinking outside of the box there is no reason why you cannot cut a quarter off your total budget. Be ready to hunt for bargains and snap up deals if you see them and just tell yourself this: at least you won’t be starting married life in mountains of debt.

If you are working to a tight budget then it might be necessary to rely on family and friends to take the photos of your wedding and if that is the case then make sure that you have several people taking the photos so you have a wider selection to choose from.

Where there are no professional photographers present you are going to have to rely on quantity to help you find the quality shots that you will be pleased with.

Fortunately these days most people seem to have access to digital cameras so it isn’t going to cost any more for them to take hundreds of photos and that will allow you a wider selection to choose from.

These digital cameras have very high resolutions with even medium priced ones offering almost professional quality prints and one other aspect of digital photography that will play into your favor is that fact that you can use these digital images and enhance and manipulate then with programs such as Photoshop to get a truly professional image.

It might even be well worth investing in a good digital camera yourself as you can get someone to use it for taking photos at your wedding and then you can then take it away on your honeymoon to capture all the images of that too.

They are a relatively small investment for the ongoing enjoyment that they can bring with the unlimited photos that you will be able to take.

There are even services available these days where professionals can take your digital images and upgrade them for you with digital imaging allowing you to only pay for the specific images that you have chosen as special.