12 Tips to Planning the Wedding of Your Dreams

According to Jennifer Lopez's character in the movie The Wedding Planner, "Those who can't wed, plan." Well, that's not entirely true, because the planning never stops once the guy gets down on one knee and proposes. Actually, for some prospective brides they have been dreaming of walking down the aisle since they were in pigtails and played with Barbie dolls. They pretended they were Cinderella and Prince Charming was one of their knights in shining armor. They kept their romantic desires a secret in an effort not to scare the living daylights out of potential suitors, but the idea of the dress and the ceremony were never far away.

When the engagement becomes a reality, the wedding preparations almost become a full time job in itself. Long hours are put in and the stress is sometimes too much to bear. Battles are waged and numerous bridezillas are slayed in the process. Here are twelve steps for both genders, and one post-wedding tidbit, to ensure your wedding day goes off without too many hitches. (Let's be serious. A wedding is only perfect in the eye of the beholder.) Read at your own risk, or if the stress of seating charts get to be too much of a hassle.

Make sure the engagement ring fits your finger. Nothing is more embarrassing than having an expensive diamond ring fall off repeatedly, or get lost because it does not fit. The Tacori jewelry website advises guys to avoid this problem by secretly consult their girlfriends by casually taking them to the jewelry store. This move may seem risky, but they played their cards right the girls won't be the wiser. The men could subtly see what type of ring they'd prefer. If they give you a sign of approval, save some money and buy the ring as soon as possible. If the first choice gets sold, have a backup choice available and their ring size. Surprise them with the ultimate proposal, and then let them take over the wedding preparations.