Photography Credit: Amelia Lyon, via 100 Layer Cake

When you first get engaged it’s very hard to know where to start. My biggest tip would be to think small and prioritise your planning into stages. There are some aspects of the wedding that need to be planned far in advance like the venue (which can often get booked over a year in advance), the dress (bridal shops usually need 6-8 months to make and fit your dress) and the photographer (again, the good ones (or ahem cheaper ones) can be booked up to and over a year in advance – especially during the busy season.)

Whereas other aspects can be left to a bit later – accessories, stationery (although I would still recommend 4-6 months especially if you are going the bespoke route) flowers, favours, cars, rings etc. Give yourself time to research these properly and decide what you really want before you part with your hard earned cash. Scour blogs and tear pages out of magazines to get an idea of how you envisage these details looking on the day.

Choosing where to put your advertising budget is as personal a decision as your branding. Associating yourself with the right blogs, magazines and media outlets can be the make or break of a business. Advertising is not a ‘one size fits all’ process and putting your business in front of the wrong eyes will do nothing but be detrimental to your future earnings.

For example a company that wants to specialise in traditional weddings should not advertise with a Rock n roll Bride. The readers that my website will drive to this company are unlikely to convert into enquires or bookings.