1.       Slow down! – slow down and enjoy being in the moment: in the moment of planning your wedding; the months, weeks and days leading up to your wedding day; your special day; and the days afterward. It will all fly by in a wink, so, slow down!

2.       Keep lists; keep lists of lists, review and revise them – having lists will help you to ensure that everything you plan is recorded, delegated, actioned, and as you see all the ticks beside all the jobs, you will relax and become a serene bride who knows her wedding day will be stupendous!

3.       Ask for help - give everyone a job or a responsibility. Give details of how, when, who or why, and keep a list of who is responsible for every little (or big) job. All your friends and family will be so thrilled about your wedding and they will be thrilled if you ask them for help: doing the invitations; baking the cake; arranging the flowers, or the cars; decorating the venue; looking after children. And ask us! We are more than happy to help wherever we can!

4.       Following from Point 3, make your bridesmaids and groomsmen earn their keep - You need them! They are not just eye candy – this is not a reward for being your friend! They should be bringing you drinks (of all kinds), food, checking on you, asking you if there is anything you need: band-aids; batteries; Panadol; water; getting it for you if you do. This applies before and during your wedding day.

5.       Always have a back-up – Of everything! Things get lost, broken, forgotten. The more important the thing, the more important it is that you have a back-up.

6.       Walk down the aisle slowly-This is a significant moment! Get your money’s worth out of it by making it last! Practice makes perfect!

7.       Make a copy of your vows - And give a copy of your vows to your celebrant/priest/ess. In the weeks before. Give them to your mother, aunty, dad, ANYONE! Obvious! Make sure you keep them somewhere safe for future romantic moments!

8.       Go casual - Give your camera, smartphone, video camera, whatever, to your uncle, cousin, mate, whoever. Some of the best photos and videos will be the casual images shot by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. Believe us! This is the stuff you’ll watch again and again!

9.       Get everyone involved - if you have a novelty such as a photo booth, old-fashioned games, dancing, whatever, delegate someone/s to get people doing it. You’re going to be having too much fun already, and it’s cool for people to feel like they are doing important stuff, but most of all, it gets the thing happening. If many of your guests don't know many other guests, ask people to go and introduce themselves, or charge your most socially competent guests to do introductions for you. Give them a list of who you want to be introduced to whom.

10.   Photos - make a list of the photos of the people you want photos with. Give it to your photographer and your bridesmaids/groomsmen, and task them to make it happen! Tell the people you want photos with – they might be shy! Also, it might be old-fashioned, but do make sure that you get group photos with family members in particular. This is a great way to foster good-will with your new in-laws.

11.   Chill out - and get the ceremonial stuff out of the way early enough that the grannies can go home without missing out on the cool stuff like the cake.

12.   Where is everything? - think about what information signs you need to tell people stuff while you are out grooving on the dance floor or striking a pose with the photographer. Most people can read, and it helps if they can see where to go, where to find the toilets, what food is vegan, etc, etc., and it helps if you appoint a confident someone to act as MC.

13.   Keep it simple, keep it small - It doesn’t have to be a huge wedding to be a great wedding. The most important thing about your wedding is that you will be marrying your darling with all the encouragement of your nearest and dearest. If you are on a tight budget, limiting your guest numbers will make your wedding more affordable, without compromising on effect. Catering is costed per head, so cutting your guest numbers will help you to manage your budget. That way you can have the caterer of your choice rather than having to cut back, as follows in tip 14.

14.   What to do about food - the food and beverages can be the biggest costs at a wedding. Thinking outside-the-box and doing something different can make a big difference to your bottom line. Alternatives include planning a wedding that does not include a sit-down meal, but high tea, afternoon tea, champagne and canapes. You can hire a pizza oven, have a sit-down buffet instead of fully catered evening meal.

15.   Less is more - you don’t have to have EVERYTHING! Work out what is most important to you and invest in that, cutting out stuff that is not really that important.

16.   And finally, if you are having your wedding at Laloli, ask us for help! We want your wedding at Laloli to be unforgettable! And we will do whatever we reasonably can to help our couples create their own unique wedding.