The moment that you are engaged, do yourself a favour and book your wedding at least a year in the future. Why? Most of us are procrastinators and no matter how well organised you are, there are bound to be conflicts with vendors, the bridal party and guests.  So when you are trying to coordinate morning suits  and bridesmaid dresses, book a chapel, set the tables for the reception and make sure everything is legal.  The only thing that can get you through these problems is time to fix them.

When planning your wedding, stress is inevitably going to follow. If you give yourself enough time to deal with vendors, the reception hall, and bridesmaids, your stress level will be much lower.

If you are still worried about stress or the wedding is consuming your life, book a day at the spa or in your bath. Even a couple of hours away from planning can clear your head and make the experience more enjoyable. Don't forget you are planning a celebration--granted it is probably the most important celebration of your life. The more you can relax, the more you will appreciate the big day when it arrives.

Stop making excuses that your man doesn't have a clue about design and colour coordination. He is probably your greatest ally in your wedding planning journey. If you can't relinquish control, be sure to hold the rights to approve all decisions, but it wouldn't hurt to make him run some errands for the wedding.

When you start your planning, there are going to be many pieces of paper to sort through. To make it easier, many brides-to-be create a wedding binder with pockets to keep fabric samples, pricing quotes, and pictures of different things from flower arrangements to dresses.

Some things to make note of in your binder:

• Important Dates: Fittings, tastings, meetings, etc. Check out our Wedding Countdown Checklist for help with this topic.
• Vendor Contact List: Keep track of wedding planners, musicians, florists, photographers and videographers, cake designers, etc.
• Guest and Attendant Lists: Our guide will help you trudge through the process of figuring out whom to invite.
• Shopping Ideas: This can include torn out pages from bridal magazines , any ideas you have for favours, gifts for the wedding party, your dream wedding gown, flowers, etc.
• Budgeting and Payment Information: This is imperative. You'll want to keep track of all your funds, when and to whom payments are due, invoices, receipts, and so on. For more on this subject, check out our Wedding Budgeting guide.

• In all the hubbub, don't forget that most important of items: the marriage license!
• If you're planning a destination wedding or an exotic honeymoon, be aware of laws and visa requirements for those countries.