THE SINGLE BEST PIECE OF WEDDING ADVICE YOU'LL EVER READ

It's a celebration of your love not an event you're planning.

I think this is the most important thing to remember when you are in the midst of planning your wedding. It's all to easy to get caught up in pinterest, amazing real wedding, instagram induced madness.

(Main image by The Hendrys. My cousin Jenni and her husband Mo. So much love in this image!)

Yes you'll want your wedding to be just how you want it and you may have been planning it in your head for years but sometimes you need to take a step back and realise what it is you are doing and why.

You've found 'the one', the love of your life and the person you want to spend the rest of it with.

You love each other so much you want the most important people in your life to gather together and witness you declaring your commitment to one another. It's a beautiful thing.

(Image by Caro Weiss. This couple epitomise what it means to celebrate your love for each other!)

In my line of work I meet a lot of couples. Quite often they describe the 'stress' of planning their wedding. How there's 'so much to do' and 'so much to think about'. Having been there myself I empathise and sympathise and it is true, planning a wedding can be quite a daunting task.

I often look at it like a huge box of chocolates (another beautiful thing). If you think about eating the whole lot it would make you sick (yet I keep giving it a go) but one or two (maybe three) at a time is a real pleasure.

Take the same approach to your wedding planning. Small steps at a time and breaking things down to manageable chunks will help keep the stress levels down.

(Image by Eric-Rene Penroy. These guys sharing a moment of peace together is utterly stunning!)

There will be setbacks and disappointments. There may be tears.

Yes, you won't get everything you want, it's unavoidable. That amazing photographer whose images you've lusted over is already booked, the band you imagined yourself dancing the night away to are unavailable. It would be easy to get upset over these things and lose a bit of perspective. At these times just remember, the most important person in your world will be there saying 'I do' in front of your closest friends and family. That's the only thing that really matters. 

(Image by Jo Donaldson Photography. A serene moment of tenderness really defines what marriage is all about.)

So I wish you all the luck in the world with your wedding planning journey and I sincerely hope that your wedding day turns out to be everything you dreamed it would be and more. But more than that I wish you all the happiness in the world in your married life and future together.