The first and most important issues are the budget and the guest list, both will make a major impact on your wedding, and both will decide the other!! This is a case of which came first "the chicken or the egg".

Budget

Your Budget is probably the most important planning factor, knowing what you have to work with will determine what is most important to you for the big day, and of course how much you have to spend!

Set the date

As most ceremony and reception venues book fairly quickly, the sooner you decide the date the more likely you will get the date you want.

Watching the budget means you may have to compromise on the actual date, but there are ways to get around that. Consider the season, the day of the week. Check for public holidays around the time your looking (perhaps the Friday or the Monday of a long weekend). Remember winter is quieter, so look for winter specials, and don't be afraid to negotiate. Sundays and Fridays are not as busy as Saturday, so be a little flexible.

Wedding season in Australia tends to run from mid September to late April - Thanks to global warming! November and March are usually the most popular and the weather is supposed to be reasonably stable so they tend to book out first....But this is Melbourne!! the weather can always change.

Guest List

Although this can be one of the most difficult and most arduous aspects of planning your wedding, it is also one of the most important. Your budget will of course dictate the number of guests invited to the wedding, you must decide who.

Bridal Party

Whats important her is that you include those people to whom you feel closest. They will be your family and closest friends. Remember you are choosing them because you love them and want them to stand with you on the happiest and most important day of your life.

Design

This is the fun part.. With a little bit of help from your wedding planner and your friends you can design the wedding of your dreams.