Your wedding should be the happiest day of your life, not a frightening remembrance of the past. The difference between a successful wedding and a disaster greatly depends on planning. Successful planning the various details of your special day is crucial. You should worry about not only the large details such as the wedding gown but about the smaller ones such as your wedding favors.

Once you determined what method you'd like to use to announce your engagement or wedding, you should start researching the details. For example, if you'd like to announce your wedding in a newspaper, you should find out about the procedure to submit your ad. It is usually best to call the newspaper or visit their Web site for more detailed information about wedding announcements. By the time you are ready to place your add you should have the following information available:

* your wedding date,

* wedding location,

* the bride's maiden name,

* your parents' names and where they live,

* where you will live when you are married.

Depending on how much space is allocated by the newspaper, you might include some additional information such as:

- names of your bridesmaids or made of honor and their cities of residence,

- your honeymoon destination,

- information about the bride's and groom's place of birth,

- education such as schools attended and place of employment or business.

Hopefully, your wedding day will be a smooth affair, but you should be prepared for emergencies on your special day. Your made of honor should be sure to have the following small but significant items available for emergencies:

- Band-Aids,

- clear nail polish,

- needle and thread,

- painkiller,

- a complete list of phone numbers of all the involved parties such as caterers and vendors.

Planning your wedding is a huge undertaking, and you deserve a break. When you feel stressed by planning your wedding, try to relax with some of your favorite music or read a good book. Put your feet up and just relax. Just closing your eyes, meditating can be a revitalizing experience. Clearing your mind can be a great stress reducer.

Your wedding reception is one of the most important components of your wedding day, so don't mess it up with a cash bar. Cash bars are a sure sign of bad taste. Don't do it. Inviting people to your wedding and then asking them to pay for their drinks is impolite. If cost is an issue, invite less people or make other arrangements. If you are on a budget, you might provide a limited selection of alcohol.

If wedding planning is not your favorite pass time or you just don't have time or afraid you might miss something important for your wedding day, you may want to consider hiring a professional wedding consultant. A wedding consultant can make the wedding planning process not only easier, but also perhaps more fun. After all, your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life.