by Stacey Allen

Created on: August 29, 2008

You've met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, and now that you're engaged, that's becoming a reality! All that's left is planning a wedding and that's no small feat. However, if done properly, it doesn't have to be a stressful experience.

Get as much done as possible early on. The more you do up front, the less you'll be dealing with right before the big day.

Here is a brief rundown of some of the important milestones in planning your wedding. Keep in mind though, that this time frame is loose, and depends on the time of year in which you are getting married. If you are getting married in peak wedding season (May through September), you will want to book everything as soon as you can. If you are getting married in the off season, you have a little more leeway with your planning.

Decide on a date (or a list of a few dates) for your wedding, figure out your tentative budget and start visiting wedding and reception sites you are interested in. You will want to plan on booking your reception site anywhere from nine months to two years in advance, depending on the site.

Once you've the date, ceremony and reception site set, you can begin to think about the style of your wedding and your color scheme. You'll want to select and invite your attendants, start dress shopping and even compiling names and addresses for your guest list.

Between nine months and one year out, you will also want to reserve your officiant, as well as select a caterer, photographer, videographer and florist.

You will want to create your gift registry before your engagement party. It is generally a good rule of thumb to register at a few locations, and to provide several options in a number of price ranges for your guests.

From six to nine months, you will want to select and reserve any rental equipment for ceremony and reception; select and book reception entertainment and any musicians for your ceremony; order your wedding gown and bridesmaids' dresses; and start planning your honeymoon. Now is also a good time to go cake tasting and select a bakery for your wedding cake. Depending on the date of your wedding, you may also want to send out your save the dates now so your out-of-town guests can book their hotel rooms before the hotels fill up.

From three to six months in advance, select and order your invitations; start a health and fitness program and skin regimen so you're looking your best; check on wedding dress and reserve the formalwear for the men; hold your hair and makeup

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