T H E P L A N N I N G P R O C E S S

Planning a wedding can feel daunting and overwhelming, but it really doesn't need to be! Here's some advice from real brides who have faced the challenge of organising a wedding and have worked out the secret to pulling it off with style!

"The less stress the better. Don't sweat the small things everything will work out. Even if it doesn't, who cares! You will be married." - Kristine and Nathan, see their art gallery wedding here.

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"Talk to each other and decide what is going to make you both happy not others, its your day and you want to look back on it and say it was everything you both wanted." - Emma and Jonny, see their destination wedding in Fiji here.

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"I had (absolutely... everything) written on an excel sheet I could view on the computer and on my mobile. It was amazing having everything with me at all times. As soon as someone asked a question, I knew the answer. Was also a great way of keeping track of money, and how much is owed at all times (... for those of us who are controlling)." - Kiarne and Ayden, see their rustic country wedding here.

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"Read your vows regularly in the month leading up to the wedding. It was a wonderful thing to be in the present saying the words while looking into each other's eyes. Without the need for prompting or looking down to read from paper." - Belinda and Timothy, see their elegant equestrian wedding here.

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"Follow up all your bookings 3 or 4 months out to make sure they are correct, have been taken or haven't been cancelled without your knowledge. We had the final one happen on one of the batches we hired and we would never have known had Mel not phoned to check." - Maleny and Phil, see their bayside wedding here.

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"Do it early and be organised. The more organised you are the earlier on the easier the lead up and the day will be. We planned everything early on and it ensured there were no last minute rushes or stress in the lead up to or on the day." - Emma and Matt, see their urban glam wedding here.

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"Remind yourselves what the celebration is really about... your love. It's so easy to become incredibly stressed so it's important to stop and think about what all this planning is for. Talking to friends and family will help with this. My mum was a huge support throughout my most stressful (and crying) moments." - Anna and Jacob, see their timeless Hunter Valley wedding here.

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"Don't take it too seriously. The day is about the two of you getting married, it's not about whether the bridesmaids dresses are maroon vs. burgundy. No matter what you're going to have an amazing day so try not to stress about the little things." - Kirsten and Cael, see their romantic Hunter Valley wedding here.

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"Stay true to what you love. Make decisions together as a couple and as early as possible to avoid getting stressed out later!" - Steph and Alex, see their pretty pastel wedding here.

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"Don't go into it with your Pinterest secret board already filled with million dollar ideas that you aren't ready to compromise on! Compromise is a huge part of marriage, and it starts in the planning! It will save you a lot of heartache, frustration, and spending outside of your means!

Have a resolve not to stress! It's not worth it! We chose not to let stress overcome us, but have fun and see opportunities in every moment." - Shannon and Chris, see their sparkly and stylish wedding here.

"If you aren't naturally organised or very, very good at planning.....HIRE A COORDINATOR! I'm an executive assistant by trade and I pride myself on being pretty good at event planning. Although I planned my entire wedding without a coordinator, I did hire a "day of" coordinator to deal with all the details and minor glitches on my special day. I wouldn't recommend any bride to go without a coordinator on her big day." - Tanyala and Antaeus, see their timeless Chicago wedding here.

"Also, take the time to work out; it is the greatest stress reliever you will find even if it's only 30-45 minutes a day." - Bethany and Jadan, see their fairytale wedding here.

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"Don't settle on the first quote; look into your options and ask for discounts when you think you can. If you're not scared of a bit of DIY go for it. Just make sure you have places to store it prior as you lose your living spaces and spare rooms for while." - Ailsa and Phil, see their chic seaside wedding here.

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"Delegate! It's too much for one person to do! And don't tell your husband the real cost of everything! Haha." - Nikki and Andrew, see their modern floral wedding here.

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"Control the controllable and plan rationally over emotionally. Relinquish avoidable stress over the things you can't alter and you'll discover that ultimately they don't matter." - Erin and Chis, see their summery outdoor wedding here.

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"Even if you have the ideal of the perfect wedding in your head, don't get upset if it doesn't go according to plan. Be relaxed and chilled during the planning stages, no one enjoys a bridezilla. And always remember... it could rain." - Jo and Marc, see their rustic Tahitian wedding here.

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"Your wedding day should be all about you and your significant other. So many couples plan their wedding according to what everyone else wants...and what will make everyone else happy. This day should be about celebrating your love and nothing else!" - Olivia and Andrew, see their winter wonderland wedding here.

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Use suppliers you are 100% comfortable with and that understand your vision for the day... You will speak to them more (in the lead up to your wedding) then your groom." - Ariane and Joseph, see their black and white wedding here.

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"I think planning early is helpful, however, it is also nice to leave room for changes and be open to things you didn't envision for your wedding as it could pleasantly surprise you. Excel spreadsheets were my best friend during the planning process where I kept run sheets of expenses/budget and of the program for the wedding day. I also started a Pinterest board to collect ideas and inspiration. My married friends were a wealth of knowledge and provided me with tips and recommendations about which suppliers to use. My biggest tip is to include and encourage your husband-to-be to get involved in the planning process, as the day is meant to reflect you both. Justin might have dozed off when I talked about flowers, but there were many aspects of the wedding where he contributed with practical and creative ideas." - Cindy and Justin, see their sentimental and stylish wedding here.

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"Enjoy the planning of the wedding together. A wedding is such a reflection of both of your personalities so have fun with all the little details together. We loved printing and collating the invitations together and how our families were involved throughout the whole process." - Debbie and Andrew, see their Australian outback wedding here.

"Pick a few key elements of your wedding that matter most to you both and focus on making those aspects incredible and then be flexible with other elements. We divided the important jobs between ourselves fairly equally and then delegated where we could." - Melinda and Brenton, see their chic city wedding here.

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"I tried to spread out the planning so that I wasn't stressing about every detail all at once. I would give myself a few weeks to plan one aspect, before moving on to the next. It kept it from getting too overwhelming!" - Gabrielle and Rob, see their Jersey Shore wedding here.

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"If you can afford it, have everything that your heart desires. Avoid bank loans and save up instead. Glen and I walked away from our wedding completely debt free, and it was such a great feeling. Don't skimp on the important things and take into account the comfort of your guests. Give yourself adequate time to plan everything, and run your ideas by your experienced vendors whenever possible." - Nadia and Glen, see their lavish wedding here.

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"Don't sweat the small stuff. You can get consumed in trivial details that really don't matter. Your guests won't even notice how many tea lights you have on the table even if you spend hours upon hours deciding." - Teegan and Nathan, see their autumn country wedding here.

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"Pick the venue, caterers, photographer, stylist and florist straight away to make sure you get your choices, then take a break and enjoy being engaged. Pick it back up with the dress 10months-ish before and then take another break. The real planning and minor details start at about six months before. Just enjoy the process as much as you can, it's not meant to be stressful!" Jerin-Lei and Dave, see their bohemian Byron Bay wedding here.

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"We used a wedding planner as much as we could, which helped with tons of unforeseen logistics and details no bride or groom ever thinks about. Get a wedding planning book from day one sounds simple enough, but trying to keep all details, names, and suppliers in your brain is overwhelming in itself. Get bridesmaids. They are a life-saver for all the small things, don't be afraid to use them, most people want to help you. We decided from the beginning that we would only have things we loved and our friends loved. We wouldn't be afraid to splurge on those non - negotiables, but everything else was up for discussion and cutting. We would ask questions like "do we really need that" and if 'yes' we would keep it, explore all alternate ways of doing it and then settle. If the answer was 'No' we would cut it and settle that too.

We got a Food truck that cut costs by more than half and had quite a few DIY projects instead of paying someone to do something we could ourselves. Warning this is not for the faint hearted. There's a reason you have service providers, but I felt confident enough to take on the challenge." - Clarissa and Wessel, see their enchanted forest wedding here.

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Your wedding is such a special day but don't forget to enjoy being engaged! Our real brides say it's important to take time to focus on your relationship in the lead up to the big day. Read their fantastic engagement advice here.