When people first think of their wedding day, they hopefully come up with that image of the happiest day of their lives. But the truth is that weddings don't just put themselves together. A lot of time and effort is put into the dress, the cake and making sure everyone is sitting at the appropriate table for the reception. Unless you have the money for a wedding planner to take care of all of the little details, it usually falls to the wedding couple and those closest to them to do everything from decorating the tent site to hand writing all of the place cards in gold pen.

One of the first big challenges for any couple is choosing the wedding location. While there are hundreds of wedding sites out there to choose from, it's likely that the couple both have opinions on the perfect place for them. Before you go out and start looking at actual locations, make a list of all of the things the site needs and those extras that you'd like if possible. Narrow down the possibilities by price before starting your foot search. It would be a shame to fall in love with a backyard garden or exquisite hall just to find out you can't afford it. Make sure that you're clear on whether they allow outside catering if you're not looking to do it in house, if it's in proximity to the location of the ceremony and if there are any hidden costs of extra features offered. Once you've made a shortlist, then you can start visiting the actual locations.

Once the location is secure, you want to make sure that you have all of the right people in place to get you through the day. You want everything to go smoothly for everyone involved and while it's likely you'll have people to step up to fill in the gaps if needed, it's nice if your guests can all just relax and enjoy the day as well. Make sure that you have chosen people to handle all facets of the food, from the rehearsal dinner through to cutting the cake, ushers to seat guests at the ceremony and wedding photographers who know where to get all of the best shots. Make sure if you're using friends and family for these jobs that they're not overextended. They want to be guests too and enjoy your day with you.

After that wedding on a mountain top or overlooking, it's time for the wedding couple to head to the airport for their honeymoon. But how do you settle on that perfect location? Some people like to take an adventure on an African safari while others like to spend the week lounging on a beach. Make sure that it's somewhere that appeals to both of you. If you met sailing the ocean wonders, maybe a sailing trip in the Mediterranean would be best. If you're young at heart, there is a growing population who chooses to honeymoon at theme parks like Disneyworld.

Your wedding should be one of the most memorable days of your life. Make it a day that you can just sit back and enjoy by taking care of all of the little details as early in the planning as possible. You don't want to be tired for the big day because you were up late folding the ceremony programs!

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