It is often said that those that do not plan, plan to fail. So it is with wedding planning. Never mind indifferent relatives, or a hard to please father in law. There are some items on a wedding planning list that must be planned ahead a minimum of six to eighteen months ahead. To repeat that - 6 to 18 months ahead. You know have between 180 to 540 days to plan and execute these vital wedding planning functions.

First and foremost of all your initial responsibilities as a newly engaged couple is to inform your families as well as close friends of your decision. In a traditional manner, the couple will tell or inform the bride's family first. Depending on preferences and custom the groom may ask the bride's father himself for the father's permission or blessing first. Or it may be to both of the bride's parents or even extended family. The next step is to inform the groom's families.

If the families have not met previously or been introduced, traditionally the groom's family arranges a get to together. In addition someone close to the couple will often throw an engagement party. The bride's parents often take responsibility for arranging the engagement party.

Once you make the wedding engagement official, it is best to decide tentatively with both families on the approximate date and a tentative venue of the wedding. The tentative venue - may be a geographic location, an actual physical location or both. Believe or not you now have to all agree on a rough estimate of the number of guests that will attend. Have fun. Involving parents in this process can be a most difficult and tiresome process of negotiations. In the end you may have to lay down the law or throw down the gauntlet. It will seem that every favor done to the parents in the parents will have to be repaid and reciprocated. Somewhere it will have to end. There always be someone who in the process will not be invited to the wedding.

You will have to consult the officiant before choosing a firm date and time for the ceremony. Some faiths put restrictions on the date in the calendar ( for example no weddings are allowed during the lent period, on the time of day ( Jewish weddings on a Saturday can only be performed strictly one hour after the sunset of the Jewish Sabbath.. If you wish to compose your own vows, talk to the officiant: some will not allow this. Others may be of great assistance - even helping you directly.

If you do not belong to a religious congregation, but want to be marred in a house of worship, you may have to do your homework and shop around. Some houses of worship will not conduct marriages on couples who are not of their faith or of their congregation while other will. Some will, but will either ask for you and your fianc? to attend a number of classes and as well join the institution and / or donate. It all comes come to hard research, questions and sincere follow through.

In terms of the costs and budgets for the whole event as well as specific cost centers such as wedding reception, clothes and honeymoon things have certainly changed over time. It used to be that the bride's parents paid for the whole shot. Now that young couple's often marry later in life, after their education and now have an income of their own costs and costs payments are more fluid. The parents may pay for the wedding and reception while the couple may pay for their honeymoon. The parents may have a certain limit - and the couple tops up the luxuries. It all comes down to mutual agreement and communication. Who pays for what? To what limit is the budget, if extras are desired - then who pays for the upgrades.

The groundwork is no laid and initial consultations and negotiations so to speak are in laid and in order. You next steps are to make your actual wedding date booking and reserve the actual wedding venue. There will be no shortage of task to prepare, book and follow through for your wedding day. Remember that your wedding day will always be your "Day in the Sun".