The guys have it easy. Pick up the tuxedos they rented months ago right before the wedding, put them on and then be sure to return all the pieces in decent condition right after the wedding. The women, however, don’t get so lucky. For the bride, her quest for the prefect wedding dress means hours poring over bridal magazines in search of the perfect look and months of agonizing dieting and humiliating dress fittings. Plus she needs all the accessories. Unfortunately, selecting wedding attire for both the groom and bride is something that cannot be avoided, unless they’re headed to Las Vegas or the county courthouse.

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As social events go, there aren’t many that can top a wedding. The wedding reception really, is when the fun begins. But let’s not forget about the parties that precede the wedding, the engagement parties, the bachelor and bachelorette parties, the wedding shower and the rehearsal dinner. These pre-wedding parties can be great fun, too. Here is a run-down of each:

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Weddings are many things. They’re fun, they’re expensive, they require a lot of planning, but a wedding is also first and foremost a legal matter. And as such, there are steps the couple must take so that the union is recognizable in the eyes of the law. They’ll need a marriage license, but before that, the bride must make an important decision – to take her future husband’s surname or continue to use her maiden name.

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Choosing a wedding reception location involves more than just making sure all your guests can fit comfortably into the space. This location is where the majority of the wedding day festivities will take place so there needs to be enough room to accommodate eating, dancing, socializing, and all the other fun activities that happen at receptions like cutting the cake and throwing the wedding bouquet.

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The wedding ceremony is where two individuals unite to become one. Choosing the location for this event would seem a simple task, but it’s actually one that requires much planning and coordination, especially if a non-traditional ceremony is being planned.

Many couples will hold the wedding ceremony at a house of worship, usually one that the bride, the groom, or some other family member attends. When this is the case, selecting the location is fairly easy, provided the date is available. But what happens when the bride- and groom-to-be are of different denominations? More tricky still, how is the situation handled when the couple doesn’t have any religious affiliation?

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When it comes to wedding flowers and decorations, the key to pulling off a look that works really lies in the planning. Since there are no rules when it comes to wedding flowers, it really is all about what the couple, well mainly the bride, wants and can afford. Decorating options are limited only by the imagination and even the most outrageous floral images can be made to fit practically any budget, if you’re willing to research the many options and ideas that are out there.

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Almost as fun as planning your wedding is planning your honeymoon. You want your first trip together as husband and wife to be memorable and it’s tempting to take an ‘anything goes’ approach. After all, you’re likely to get lots of wedding gifts in the form of cold, hard cash so why not?

Well for one, you want to be able to eat and see the sights when you arrive, so you’ve got to use some discretion when making your arrangements. Many couples find that it is possible to have a great honeymoon, even if they’re sticking to a budget and all it takes is some planning.

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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.

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It’s a given that it’ll take the bride-to-be far longer to prepare for her wedding day than it will the groom-to-be. The up-do, the make-up, and the manicure/pedicure all need to be done on the big day, but there’s more. Getting into that mind-boggling contraption that’s called a wedding dress and its associated gear can easily take up to an hour. Then of course, it’s picture time. It’s no wonder late afternoon weddings are so popular!

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There are two aspects of wedding music that need to be addressed when planning your big day. First, you may wish to select certain music or arrange for professional soloists or musicians to play during the actual wedding ceremony. But at the wedding reception, it’s pretty much anything goes when it comes to selecting wedding music, provided it’s tasteful.

Right away is the time to plan your wedding music. Good talent gets booked fast and you don’t want to end up having to select the brand new DJ with only a few weddings under his belt or something even worse. Booking your music a full year in advance is advisable but at a minimum, you should know who will be showing up and what he or she will be playing at least six months prior to the wedding date.

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