by Sande Waybill

Created on: July 04, 2008

For whatever reason you only have four weeks to plan your wedding in, this month can be time enough. Providing the essentials are all in situ, you can play with whatever time you have left to make it the very best of days for yourself.

Naturally, the very first thing you need to do is book the ceremony and reception. If you are choosing a church service, you will need to make arrangements as soon as possible. Some establishments have a 3-4 week wait after application. If you are booking a formal registry office ceremony, you will still be wise to organize this as soon as you can, just to make sure you do not plan everything and then have to shift the date! If you plan on booking a location wedding, once again, time is sometimes a factor. Whatever your decision for venue and style, the ceremony should be the first thing organized and the reception a close second. This may be as simple as two phone calls, or may involve organizing an appointment to discuss matters or pay a deposit.

Once you have the service and reception booked, you are free to fill in all the extras. Guests are usually required, so invitations might be the second item on your agenda. Purchasing a packet at the newsagent or discount store, or creating your own invites on the computer, you will probably still need to run down to the post office to settle the postage matters. This can still be fitted into the first day's plans, although filling out the invitations may be time consuming. It might be a fun idea to sit down together over a few drinks or a special meal and write them out together. That saves losing any together-time with your upcoming spouse.

Other matters that need attention include your clothes, cake, flowers, music, meal and drinks. If you want a new dress, rather than having a family heirloom or special dress in mind, it may take a while to decide on appropriate attire. Asking family members if they have a family dress to borrow can save time, and if you run out might be an option to save the day. If you catch it in time, you can browse the local wedding stores, online catalogs, department stores, etc.

The cake also needs prior contemplation. Whereas some couples opt on a gourmet or special design, most have a tiered white cake with wedding decor. This will need to be booked at the cake shop, as a baker cannot whip it up in two hours flat if you forget until too late. A month is plenty of time to book the cake in, though.

Try to catch the florist at a time when they are not too busy

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