The iVillage wedding planner

Congratulations on your engagement! If you're a bride-to-be looking for a smooth ride up the aisle, enlist the help of the iVillage wedding planner with month by month tips to help ensure you enjoy a fun and stress-free day

The countdown:

12-18 months before
Nine months before
Six months before
Two to four months before
Two to four weeks before
One week to one day before
The big day!

12-18 months before

Your wedding date and venue
Once your engagement is announced, decide on a date. These days, venues get snapped up, often a year in advance so it's never too early to make your booking. Think about which day of the week you want to marry on; opting for a weekday wedding is not uncommon, especially for smaller weddings. Once the venue is booked, you can move on to the more fun details.

Civil wedding venues
The advantage of a civil ceremony is that it can be completely tailor-made to suit your taste and personality. You can choose a venue as quirky or unique as you like, from a plush hotel to an old covered market. The only issue is that there is a lot of choice, so you'll need to be more organised than if you were simply getting married in your local church.

To narrow down the options, pick an area first and then research the exact location. The General Register Office will be able to provide you with a full list of licensed venues in the district you've chosen.

Choosing a church wedding
In many ways, a church wedding is the easiest option. The picturesque building and religious ceremony gives immediate gravitas to the event. You have the weight of tradition behind you and a church ceremony is what many people envisage when they imagine the perfect wedding scene.

You have the right to get married in your local parish church or where you worship. Firstly, you need to arrange to meet the minister to see whether your chosen date is available. He or she will undoubtedly like to speak to you both about your plans. As with a civil ceremony, you will be expected to make your intention to marry public. This is done in the form of banns, which are read out in the church on three consecutive Sundays before you marry.

Getting married abroad
Fancy a wedding in Jamaica? Getting married in an exotic location has a lot going for it. If you pick the right spot, the beautiful landscape will do lots of the work for you in making the day memorable. Miles of deserted beach also makes an impressive backdrop to the photos. You will probably have a smaller, more intimate event, and as most people will have turned your wedding into a holiday, your guests are likely to be more relaxed and will have time to really get to know one another.

There are companies that can organise a wedding abroad for you. If you're tempted to get married far afield, read about one iVillager's Jamaican marriage for more advice and ideas.