How to start your wedding planning, with Bristol's Radhika & You

After the initial excitement of getting engaged, you then face the huge challenge of actually planning the day! But where do you start? We asked Radhika Nathwani of Radhika & You, Bristol's luxury wedding planners...

- First, you'll need to have an idea on your guest numbers, as this will help when looking at venues.

- Don't underestimate the time it takes to find suppliers, get quotations and book. Ideally, you'll want to give yourself 12 to 18 months to plan.

- Book your key suppliers as soon as you can. Venues, caterers, photographers, videographers, florists and make-up artists all get booked up months, if not a year, in advance. You don't want to miss out on your first choice.

- As soon as you finalise your wedding date and venue, send out save-the-date cards to your friends and family.

- In the initial stages, it's good to think about your budget. It's daunting, but the earlier you do this, the easier it is to make decisions. It also helps to prioritise what's most important.

- Allow yourself a 10 per cent buffer on top of your ideal budget. You'll find that along the way you'll opt for larger floral arrangements or more courses for your evening meal, which will increase the total spend.

- Magazines, Pinterest and Instagram will become your inspiration heaven – but remember to keep your budget in mind, as it's easy to get swept away.

- You may find you get opinions from various loved ones, and there are lots of decisions to be made. Just remember it's your big day and you won't be able to please everyone.

- It's easy to get in the habit of doing wed-min after work and on the weekends, so try to plan date nights every so often to spend some wedding-free time together.

- Organising your dream day is very time-consuming and often becomes stressful for couples. If you're combining it with a busy work and social life, it may be worth getting an expert on board who can make it a breeze.

Radhika Nathwani
Radhika & You | www.radhikaandyou.com