Weddings are about people, so get your guest list confirmed first. When planning a wedding, most of your decisions and costs will be based on the number of people who will be attending. Do you want everyone at your wedding or do you want just your nearest and dearest? This number will help you with booking a venue the right size so that you don't lose a deposit or have to reduce your guest list. Remember that not everyone you invite will be able to attend due to not being able to take time from work, sickness, family obligations or already paid for vacations. However, it's wise to book a venue that will hold most of the guests you've invited.

Your next step in wedding planning is your choice of venue. This will be the biggest influence on the rest of your wedding, whether you choose a hotel ballroom, an historic castle or a beach wedding in the Caribbean. You can search for your venue either by location or by type (castle, hotel, barn etc.). If you want to keep the location local, search for venues within the city limits of where you live. If you've looking for a particular type of venue, check that you have somewhere that people can stay and that will allow your wedding service, reception and evening party to all take place on the one site.

Find out as much as you can about a venue before deciding whether to visit so you don't have a wasted journey. Whilst there may be dozens of choices online, you will hopefully be able to reduce the options to a manageable number based on price, noise restrictions and any food and beverage restrictions i.e., do you need to use the venues caterer and drinks supplier as part of the contract? Once you have checked availability and removed those venues that don't meet your requirements, it is likely you'll only need to visit about three venues in person.

You don't have to fall in love with everything about the wedding venue, though if you do your decision is easy. Clearly you should like the venue and picture yourself getting married there, but if there are some aesthetics you don't like you'll need to weigh up the pros and cons. A simple pros and cons list will likely come up with the venue that's good for you.

If you have a specific vision for your wedding, run with that. You may choose to have a glamorous theme, a rock 'n' roll theme, a medieval theme or anything you wish. Alternatively, if you have a dress you love, or a center-piece idea, or a specific type of flower you absolutely can’t do without, build your wedding theme from that. Of course, you don't have to have a theme at all – marriage can be your theme. Sometimes, having a theme can create limits, for example wanting an outdoor wedding and a gown with a cathedral length train might not be practical, so decide what's really important to you, or go ahead anyway!

Whilst it's already been said that you don't need a color theme at a wedding, you'll be looking at color when you're choosing your wedding and bridesmaid dresses, ties, flowers, linens etc. If you've a color in mind, that's great. If you're struggling to make a decision, consider the colors you're attracted to, that make you happy. Look at wedding photos from your chosen venue for inspiration.

Remember, not everything has to match. No one will care if your bridesmaid's dresses clash with your tablecloths. And truthfully, even if you do match your colors, most of your guests won't notice the attention you've given to match the napkins with the bridesmaids shoes.

If you don't enjoy planning the aesthetics, candles on white tablecloths works well, because everyone looks amazing in soft light.

Catering and beverages are the two things you do need to get right on the day. Are your guests being fed at a reasonable time? Does the food taste good and is there enough food for everyone? Is there enough alcohol.

Is the music playlist something your guests can dance to. It doesn't matter if music is via your tablet, a DJ or live band, you'll want to have music that caters to everyone.