So you got a groom, a weeding ring, and a wedding dress. Everything is set except that there are so many things to do. You will need sponsors, decorations, order of the ceremony, photography, wedding reception arrangements, wedding invitations, wedding vows, wedding songs, wedding rehearsals, wedding flowers, transportation, bridal party, wedding date, and tons of other things that a normal person goes through before tying the noose. Contrary to popular belief, wedding planning is not as easy as eating peanuts. Regardless of how grand the wedding is, there are many things to prepare and think about before your much awaited day. Here are some things that you might have forgotten.

• The priest or judge – This depends on your belief or on where you will be holding your wedding. Regardless of our differences in religious and social upbringing, there is one common denominator when it comes to weddings – you will need someone ordained, be it legally or religiously, to wed you and your partner. So with the brouhaha that comes with wedding preparations, do not forget the priest or judge.

• The sponsors or witnesses – You will need people to witness and hear your wedding vows. They need to sign your marriage certificate as well to make is in no means illegal and is approved by the law.

• The Reception – Most cultures celebrate wedding like its Christmas. There should be plenty of food and members of each side of the family should be present. While a grand reception is not always necessary, you will at least need to treat your sponsors, guests, and family members somewhere. Whoever said weddings are cheap?

• The budget – Unless if you’re a millionaire, budget is always the first thing to consider before everything else. When you know how much you have to spend, you can narrow down your options into what your budget can allow. Budget is also the heart and soul of wedding planning.

• Checklist – To make sure you are not forgetting anything, see to it you have a checklist of the things that have been done and those that need more work. Even couples who can afford a wedding planner should have a checklist for themselves.

• Wedding Vows – Many men dread this part of the wedding. This is the reason why it is in this list. Encourage your man to make his vows and practice it days before the wedding.

Wedding planning is fun. Despite the usefulness of wedding planners, it is still better if you and your partner can work on it yourselves. You will feel the exhilaration and joy of your wedding day.

It is rare to see fun wedding decorations. There seems to be an unspoken rule about staying monotonous and safe when it comes to decorating a wedding ceremony. While there are certain rules in churches that should be respected, the reception doesn’t have to be all white and flowery. If you want something new and fun for your reception, here are some suggestions that may spark your creativity.

• Play with colors – Stay away from the usual white motifs. White is technically not even a color to begin with so why bother using it? You can use all colors in the spectrum. There are so many colorful flowers and cloths available online and they don’t really have to be very expensive. The good news about this is that if you are free to use any color you will have more options. You can coordinate with your wedding planner regarding this. They are trained to know which colors match with one another and which ones should not be placed on the same room. If you do not have a wedding coordinator, there are always sites online that will teach you how to mix and match colors. If in doubt, just Google it and you will be fine.

• Think of a theme – It would be fun if you could ask your guests to dress up like fairies while you and your partner will be the prince and princess in a fairytale. If you are not this crazy or your guests don’t feel like wearing wings or carrying wands, then you can come up with something more possible. Dressing up as Princess Leia and Han Solo during your reception could be fun while your guests dress up as aliens from different planets. The point of this suggestion is that you can play with a theme that would match you and your partner’s personalities.

• Wedding decorations on catalogues can be helpful too – There are suggestions on catalogues that could appeal to you. Remember to put your own flare to it. Own your wedding by putting something on the mix that would symbolize or represent you and your partner. What you see on catalogues or on online wedding magazines should serve only as suggestions.

If you are not very creative or you doubt your taste, you can always ask professionals or friends who have better taste than you. Understand that there is a reason why wedding decorations belong to a different department as birthday or Halloween decorations. As long as you put this in mind, you will be fine.

Try planning a wedding without any wedding planning tool. It will definitely be like trying to open a can of sardines with your bare hands. Planning a wedding is definitely not an easy task. There are many things that should be taken care of, many things to buy, and many things to organize. That is why you will need all the help you can get. Even if you decide to hire a wedding planner, you will still need to organize some parts for yourself and know what you want your wedding to be like. Otherwise, it will not be as special as you surely want it to be. Here are some tools you can use to help you plan your wedding.

• Wedding budget calculator – This can be found online and it is for free. This tool allows you to encode your expenses on a list of things that you should have for your wedding day. It will give you a total of all your expenses while it reminds you of what you still need to purchase or get.

• Wedding budget spreadsheet – like the wedding budget calculator, the wedding budget spreadsheet allows you to encode your expenses as well. The difference is you can write down the list of things you have purchased or will purchase. This wedding planning tool is more advantageous for those who have figured out their own list of must haves. Another advantage is that the spreadsheet gives you more room for miscellaneous expenses.

• Wedding planner book – There are people who prefer the wedding planner book compared to the human version. Aside from being more affordable compared to its human counterpart, this book also gives you a step by step guide on how to be your own wedding planner.

• Wedding journal – A wedding journal is important not only as a memoir for the entire process of wedding preparation but for keeping up with your to do list as well. It is also important for planning and scheduling a time table for all things that should be done in a specific number of days. It will also remind you of the small things that you may forget as the wedding day approaches.

You can find a wedding planning tool online and most of them are for free. You should take advantage of these tools since they will help lessen the headache and the stress. Using them will also help you forget tiny but important details on your wedding day.