First and foremost Congratulations!
Enjoy your engagement!  Take time to let everything sink in before you make any decisions.  This is a time to celebrate being with your fiancé, so be sure to enjoy it!

Once you have taken time to enjoy this special time in your life sit down with your fiancé and everyone who will be helping financially and determine a budget and the guest list.  This may be an uncomfortable conversation, but it is important to be upfront and honest with everyone involved.  Find out what everyone is willing to chip in and determine a dollar amount for the budget and stick to it.  This makes things so much easier while planning!

Once you determine the wedding budget, you can calculate how much can be spent on the dress, decorations, etc. An easy-to-follow worksheet is available here.  This is not a strict number. You can move money between categories, but it should give you a good place to start.

Determine what ideas you are willing to spend extra money on and what you are not.  Come up with a list of non-negotiable, negotiable, and unimportant ideas for your wedding.  This will help you decide how to prioritize your budget.

Now that you have a dollar amount in mind start a notebook full of ideas, pictures, etc. that you want to incorporate into your wedding.  Begin to price your ideas with different vendors.  Meet with several different vendors and ask for references!

Deciding on a budget and sticking to it is the first step to planning a wedding that is both beautiful and stress free.

For more information on planning a wedding, plan on attending the BRAVO! Bridal Expo on Jan. 8th.