The next thing you need to do is set a time and location for several events, the wedding rehearsal, the wedding ceremony itself and the reception.

The wedding rehearsal is usually held a day or two before the actual wedding and in many cases there is a small dinner afterwards. This doesn't have to be anything too fancy as it will only be the members of your wedding party. An early evening rehearsal is usually best.

As for the time of the ceremony, that all depends on what you have planned for afterwards. If you're planning on having a dinner at a hall then an early afternoon ceremony is probably best. You have to take into consideration how far from the ceremony location the dining hall is. If it's a long ride then be sure to leave extra time for your guests to arrive.

As for the reception, this can be pretty much anytime within limits of course. The dining hall may have other things booked before or after your reception or may have a set closing time. Not all halls are open all night. You probably don't want to have your reception too late because it is a good bet that your guests are going to be quite hungry by the time they get there.

The next thing you have to do is choose a professional photographer. Your wedding day is very special and you're going to want photos that you'll look back on for years to come. Choosing a bad photographer may not ruin the day itself, though it can if he's rude, clumsy and obnoxious, but it certainly can ruin a lot of the memories afterwards.

Next comes the task of shopping for a wedding gown. Remember that several fittings are probably going to be needed. During this time try not to gain or lose too much weight. If you are pregnant, then take this into consideration when ordering the gown and try to determine what size will be needed by the time the wedding day comes unless you have picked a date that is more than 9 months away, which you should have done. At least 1 year planning is strongly suggested.

After that you're going to have to get prices for flowers and music. Decide on the kind of flowers you want and also can afford based on the budget you have set. As for wedding bands, they're not cheap. The top ones cost a pretty penny. You may want to sacrifice a little bit of musicianship for economy.

The next item is to register with a gift registry and make your guests aware of who you're registered with. This will make their picking out gifts for you a lot easier and take the guesswork out of the process.

In the next article in this series we're going to pick up with selecting brides maids.