It’s a very exciting time, your wedding day. And to make it extra special, you will want all of your closest friends and family around you.

The best way to ensure that you have all of your special friends and family around you is by incorporating them into the day. For example, you will ask the groom’s best friend if he will be the best man. You will ask the bride’s closest friend to be the maid of honour and the rest of her friends to be bridesmaids.

But there are other roles that your friends and family can take on to be part of your big day.

It’s difficult to decide on which wedding dress you want to wear for the big day. There are so many different styles but you need to find one that completely suits you and the wedding that you want.
A 50s style wedding dress can make a stunning alternative to the more traditional styles. These dresses are really flattering and are also really pretty.

It’s important that you choose a wedding dress that suits your figure as well as your personality and you should always choose something that you feel comfortable but gorgeous in. That way, you will be setting the right tone for your wedding day.

There are lots of people involved in your wedding. Everyone has their own role, and lots of people are there to help you.

Organising a wedding can be stressful and there is so much to sort out. But don’t let it get on top of you, because you could let others help. For example, you could get someone to send your wedding invites out for you. Often best men or the bridesmaids can help with this.

There are other things that you can get help with too and having people doing some of the jobs for you can make all the difference.

Getting married is really exciting, but you must make sure that you plan your wedding well in advance so that you have a stress free day.

There is so much to organise; dress, venue, balloons, food, disco, entertainment, ushers, bridesmaids, cake, table plan, wedding ceremony, vows, speeches, outfits, cars, flowers, photographer, drinks, music, accommodation, honeymoon, thank you presents, wedding invites, thank you cards, guest books, make up, hair, suits, wedding favours, RSVP cards.

The list is endless. And you need to make sure you sort all of these things out well in advance so that your day runs as smoothly as possible.

It’s important that you let your guests know when your wedding will be as soon as possible.

Even though you might not be planning a huge wedding day, you still need to give plenty of notice so that your guests can ensure that they are free on your special day.

It is at around this time of year that people start to book holidays, so you will want to avoid them booking their holiday on your special wedding date.

Ensure that you give your guests plenty of notice so that you can enjoy your wedding day with all of your friends and family.

It’s very easy to become a Bridezilla. But this is something that must be avoided at all costs. If you become a Bridezilla, you could be making more trouble for yourself than you ever expected.

By being demanding, controlling and a general nightmare, you might find that you start having arguments and falling out with those closest to you, when really, this should be the happiest time of your life.

You need to stay calm, keep things in perspective and stay organised if you want to get your wedding organised effectively.

No one wants a Bridezilla. And by being one, you might ruin the most exciting time of your life. So keep the temper at bay and enjoy organising your wedding.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to wedding lists. Some people think that they are a good idea because it means that people know exactly what to get you, while others think that it’s just a bit cheeky to demand presents.

While a wedding list will ensure that you don’t get the same gift 20 times over and it will also guarantee that you won’t have to put up with a horrible dinner service from your tasteless uncle, it also forces people into buying a gift and spending money (when they may have already forked out just to be at your big day).

Strong arguments for both sides; what do you think?

Getting married isn’t all about splashing the cash. In fact, some couples would argue that so long as they are both there, it doesn’t matter where or how they get married.

But there is a balance between the two options of big white wedding and basic registry office; but it does require a lot of planning and careful budgeting.

Some people manage to organise a beautiful wedding with all of their close friends and family at the fraction of the cost of bigger weddings. Just plan ahead and carefully make your decisions to have the most perfect wedding that you will both enjoy.

Meeting someone, getting to know them, getting together, falling in love, deciding to get married, engagement, planning the wedding, then the wedding, then the happily ever after.

This is the standard relationship patter, deviations happen occuring to individuals, but (for the majority) this is what people want and expect.

So what happens when your carefully (and expensive) plans start to fall apart?
Do you keep at it and hope it will come together eventually?
Or do yo ucut your losses and run, hoping to find it again but with a more reliable source?

I personally, would cut and run. If you’re on the marriage trail, and your partner starts to indicate, in any way, that they do not view it in the same way you do, then obviously it’s not the right path for you to take together.

Why am I rambling about this?

Well, a friend of mine has been with her boyfriend/fiance for nearly 3 years now - they rented together, and they were approved a joint morgeage (they were going to buy after the wedding - lucky thing considering! read on to find out why…), they had similar friends but had happy nights out/in with other friends, so on and so forth. They seemed to work.

Then two weeks before the wedding (which would have been in March), she found him in bed with another woman - her bridesmaid in fact!

Did she go nuts, yes.

Did he bbeg forgiveness, kinda.

Did she forgive him and the bridesmaid? YES!!

Damn silly thing to do. She forgave them both, pretended it never happened, and skipped happily off down the aisle, her Daddy paying for everything.

The night before the wedding, he called it off - and she still wonders why!!!

I can honestly say, this is an extreme situation - but who the hell would forgive their partner for this kind of betrayal? And the excuse that “we were getting married in two weeks, I can’t cancel it now!” - erm, yes you can! And should! He’s cheating on you now, that won’t change just because you get a ring on him.

Marriage is not an easy decision, it is a lifelong commitment, and if the run up to it isn’t going smoothly, then perhaps the marriage itself won’t either.
Be honest, get out when you can, and when you should.

When picking the flowers for your wedding, simply having a wander through a flower shop and looking for inspiration, is not always a good idea. You may see plenty of flowers that fit in with the colour scheme of your big day, but does the bud tell the right story?

What I mean by this is that every flower has it’s own associated meaning. So when you are picking a yellow carnation for it’s simple but pretty colour, do you realise you are saying “you have disappointed me”?

Nope? Didn’t think so!

I was looking into the different meanings and saying as my Grandad told me about the yellow carnations (he’s a keen gardener, and my Grandma was a fan of all things “associated” - i.e. the meaning of stones, birthdays, names, etc).

I though the info was pretty good, so I’ve listed a brief few below - hope they help!

Carnation White - Innocence / Pure love
Carnation Yellow - You have disappointed me
Eucalyptus - Protection
Gladiolus - Generosity / Strength of character
Heather white/pink - Good luck
Holly - Good will
Iris - Wisdom / Eloquence
Ivy - Friendship / affection
Jasmine - Grace/ Elegance
Jonquil - Love me / Desire
Lavender - Devotion
Lilac - First love
Lily (Calla) - Beauty
Lily (White) - Purity
Lily of the Valley - Sweetness / Humility
Orchid - Love / Beauty
Rose Red - I love you / Passion
Rose White - Eternal love / Heavenly
Rose Yellow - Joy / Friendship
Rose Pink - Perfect happiness
Sunflower - Loyalty
Sweet Pea - Goodbye / Blissful pleasure
Tulip General - Declaration of love
Tulip Red - Believe me
Tulip Yellow - Hopeless love
Violet - Modesty