We've been engaged less than two months, but already we've managed to nail the majority of the wedding planning. Our big day is six months away (I don't hang around,) so we've had to crack on and minimise the faffing in order for it all to fit together and for us to pull off a pretty massive operation with not a lot of time. Having been to a lot of weddings over the last few years, I already knew a lot of what I did and didn't want (and Josh was pretty clear that he didn't want a massive formal day,) so it made the process simpler - but it's still been somewhat of an eye opener. As we step closer towards our date I thought it was the perfect opportunity to reflect and share what I've learned to date about planning the biggest party of our lives.
1. Everything is more expensive than you'll anticipate.
They tell you weddings are a costly affair and that the average one will set you back in the region of £20k, but what they don't tell you is how much you'll be forking out on flowers and a photographic memory of the day. I thought I had a pretty good steer on the cost of most things, but as soon as the word 'wedding' is involved it seems to rapidly double. Having budgeted a hefty amount towards the event I was confident we'd come in well under what I'd put aside, but in fact I'm currently about fifty quid shy of the full figure. Eeek! 

2. The perfect venue will help everything fall into place.
I researched to my heart's content when we first got engaged, but without ...