Money is the number one thing that married couples fight about. But do you realize that the tension surrounding money begins long before the happy couple say 'I do?' Wedding costs can rapidly escalate out of control which is why it's so important to begin the planning by devising a realistic budget. And once you've got the numbers crunched, it's equally important that you both stick to the budget.

And while a wedding budget doesn't sound all that glamorous, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, planning your wedding without a budget is almost guaranteed to land you into serious financial debt. What's the key to success? As it will be throughout your marriage, open, honest, two-way communication is an absolute must.

Newly-engaged couples must talk about how each envisions his and her special day. Women work on the assumption that guys don't care about the details but that's not always true. It is, after all, the man's big day, too and he has a family to please as well.

Once the excitement of the engagement wears off, go somewhere quiet and talk about what's important to each of you in regards to your wedding day. Listening to your partner's opinion is as important as talking so be sure to do both. Then, make a list of what you both want (to arrive in a horse-drawn carriage, lobster, renaissance theme, color scheme, etc.) and what are absolute necessities (for example a photographer, caterer, rings, etc.). You're going to use this information when it's time to allocate your budget.

Once you both have an idea of what's important, it's time to crunch the numbers. You've got to determine how much money is available now (for example, in savings accounts, stocks/bonds, real estate, trust funds), how much you'll have to commit to saving from your regular income streams, and how much you can realistically expect others to kick in. Depending on how far out the actual wedding date is you may want to consider opening a higher-interest bearing account for the money so that it can earn interest.

When considering what others may be able to put towards the cause it's really important that you don't make unrealistic demands. Take whatever others are willing to contribute graciously and try not to belabor the issue. Getting angry or disappointed in the amounts you are being given isn't a very mature way of handling the situation.

When you know where the money's coming from and how much is coming, you'll know how much you'll be able to spend. Now make another list of all wedding-related expenses and allocate a dollar amount or the percentage you're willing to spend next to each item. This will help when you're actually contracting for these services. Remember that if you exceed your budgeted amount in one category, you'll have to scale back another so your budget will stay balanced. Because budgeting is so very important for most couples, you'll find that wedding budget worksheets, software and other tools are available everywhere, so go find one and start using it right now!

You found your soul mate; you said “yes” with all your heart; but now you have a big problem: you have never planned a wedding before. The best thing will be to hire a firm specialized in organizing weddings and other family events. But if you can't do that, don't panic! You can manage it anyway!

First of all you have to do some lists: the “to do” list, the guests list, the suppliers list, the potential receptions, photographers, bands and churches lists. And most important choose a date for the happy event and set a budget.

After you have done that, you have to book a restaurant for the celebration and a church for the religious ceremony. Then you have to decide on a pair of God parents (and ask them if they want to be on your side on such an event), the future bridesmaids, the flower girls and the ring bearer, the best man.

Don't forget that it is also very important to obtain a marriage license (that should still be available on your wedding day).

Take your time to choose the wedding rings, the bride's gown, veil, other accessories and   groom's suit. The invitations should be carefully selected, because they are the ones that give the first clue about the future wedding.

Talk to a business specialized in wedding decoration to help you create the perfect atmosphere at the church and at the party site.  Also be sure to check the reception menu and order your ideal wedding cake.

The videos and photos are meant to last for a life time! Take your time to have a look at the previous work of the chosen photographer, just to feel more confident in the quality of his/her work.

A wedding is a time of happiness and joy! The right music can create a perfect atmosphere. Maybe you can't please everybody, but a diversification will do no harm. And it would be better to practice with your mate the opening dance

The stag night is a tradition that goes all the way back to Ancient Greek times when the boys in Sparta gathered for a last blowout before one of their mates stepped off the abyss into married life. While we don't have the films from those early stag do's, we've got a hunch that not a lot has changed since then. The idea is to get piss-drunk, stuff your face with the best food you can get and get your fill of all the things you'll be missing once you tie the knot (read: all the other birds in the bush that you're trading in for the one in the hand).

The honor of planning the stag do traditionally falls to the best man - the fellow you can count on through thick and thin, rain and shine, night or day, drunk or sober.. the chap who knows where to find the strippers, booze bars and paintball courts. If that's you and you haven't the foggiest notion where to start, here's some handy tips to help get you started on the path to perdition - or at least the road to the boozy blast you know you can plot.

1. First things first. Know your mate. The stag do is meant to be HIS night of ignominy, not yours. Before you make arrangements to hire the 40 Salomes with seven veils between them, be sure it's the type of thing he'll appreciate.

2. Once you've got that part out of the way, it's time to start figuring out where to find those Salomes... or something like that. If you've chatted it out and decided that nothing will do for your mate but a full-blown stag weekend, you'll need to get right on the horn to start making arrangements. Stag weekends are big business, and many of the more popular activities and venues are booked up to six months in advance. Get those enquiries out, and be prepared to put down a few deposits to hold dates open.

3. One Month Ahead (Two if you're doing an overseas stag weekend) - run the guest list past your stag, even if you don't tell him that's what it is. It's only fair for him to actually LIKE the folks he's spending his last free party with. Then... send out the invites to give everyone plenty of time to make plans to attend the stag do.

4. Two weeks ahead - confirm all the reservations for your stag night, just to be on the safe side. While you're at it, either designate a driver for the night, or reserve a limo to do the honors. You want everyone at the wedding - not sitting in a lonely jail cell.

5. No matter how tempting it is, don't accept too much help from your buds. The more hands there are on the wheel, the more likely it is that someone will drop the ball - or something like that. You're most likely to get everything done and in place if you see to it yourself.

6. OR - get professional help. If you hire a professional tour organiser to put together the plans for your stag weekend, you can just see to it that everyone shows up with their embarrassing jokes and gags - and sit back to enjoy the best stag do you didn't have to plan.

Planning a wedding it not easy, and that is the simple truth. When planning your own wedding it seems like problems appear, and continue to appear. Sometimes this can be overwhelming to brides-to-be and the stress can be too much. There is always the option of hiring a wedding planner. You can just tell him or her exactly what your ideal wedding would be like and they will take care of everything.  But if you want the satisfaction of planning your wedding yourself there are some things that you should know before taking on this big task.

Planning a wedding can be made a lot easier with organization and a realistic plan and timetable. Organization is the most important aspect of planning a wedding. The amount of time it will take to plan this wedding will depend on what type of wedding you want to have. Also, how big of a wedding and the budget are factors into how long the period could be. Because problems could occur and unexpected delays could happen, it is wise to start the planning six to eight months before the wedding date.

A good tool to use in organizing the wedding and staying on task is to create a check list. The most important things to be done should be on the top and then the small details and easier things to get done should be near the bottom. Some things you can put on your checklist would be things like establish budget, guest list, book a location for reception, talk to minister and church to see if the church is available for your wedding, decide menu, flowers and flower arrangements, and wedding dress and tux.

Once you have taken care of the major details, you can move on to the smaller details. You should also get your family and friends involved in the planning. Sharing the tasks can make this process less stressful for the bride.

The key to planning a wedding is to give yourself plenty of time, and do things in order. Keep lists and stay ahead of the game and your wedding will be what you always imagined, and you will have the added sense of accomplishment in planning it yourself.

A wedding is a part of perhaps the most beautiful moments of a couple's life. And every couple strives to make this occasion as beautiful as they can. In order to enhance beauty of the occasion, what really come in handy are flowers.

Well, your guests would cherish the memory of mesmerizing floral arrangements in the wedding ambiance for long. Yes, a wedding celebration could be memorable if floral decoration is done aesthetically.

Usually, by wedding flowers we mean bridal bouquet, flower bouquets (to be placed on reception tables) and floral adornments for the wedding or reception party.

Nowadays, customized wedding ceremonies are on the block. An increasing number of couples want to enter into the wedlock in their own perceived style and fashion. Most often, they show earnest willingness for a unique theme wedding that they have dreamed for long. And flowers prove to be of great help in making their dream come true.

For unique floral arrangement, it is always preferred to seek help of a florist having expertise in wedding floral arrangements. With the help of the florist, you should try to choose the best possible flowers to suit your theme wedding. For bridal bouquet, it is always good to take a picture of bridal dress to the florist.

By making the florist acquainted with details of wedding including bridal dress, venue and ambiance, you can get best possible flower decorations in consonance with your theme wedding.

You can go for a floral arrangement that happens to be a combination of real and silk flowers. However, a complete real flower decoration is much sought after because of natural fragrance of flowers that creates an enchanting atmosphere.

Bridal bouquet must be chosen carefully as it happens to add elegance and charm to the bride. If you are going for theme wedding, you should keep your theme bridal gown in mind while choosing flowers for the bouquet that you would carry on the wedding. If bouquet doesn't go well with your bridal dress, your entire theme would be at stake. On the other hand, a bouquet that perfectly gels with the dress would give you a complete look.

While choosing flowers, you must not compromise on sobriety of the occasion. But, flower selection to great extent would depend on the kind of wedding that you are planning for yourself. If you are longing for an exuberant and informal wedding, you can suggest your florist to use flowers of vibrant colors as these colors depict fervor and vitality. For a traditional church wedding, it is recommended to do floral arrangements with white and sober color flowers.

You can make your wedding look very special with striking yet decent flower decorations. An artistically executed flower decoration would cast a magical spell on all present in your wedding.