You’ve done the easy bit. You’ve both agreed that you want to spend the rest of your lives together; you’ve announced the news to your parents, and shown off the engagement ring to all those admiring friends and colleagues. Once the initial euphoria has faded a little, it will start to dawn on you that quite a lot of planning is needed in order to get from ‘I will’ to ‘I do’. Here are our five top tips to get the wedding ball rolling:

Tips:

1. Start a detailed wedding notebook, with separate sections for the guest list, gifts received, thank you letters sent out etc.
2. Keep a separate phone book just for the wedding, listing everything from the guests to the caterers
3. File swatches of material along with catalogues and inspirational cuttings from bridal magazines in files or a scrapbook
4. When choosing flowers, cakes, photographers etc, ask around for personal recommendations – but always make sure that you see portfolios of previous work
5. Register your wedding list at least three months prior to the wedding to allow your guests to view your choices calmly in advance

To borrow a phrase... there is another way... The Wine Wedding List (www.thewineweddinglist.co.uk) offers a great bespoke alternative to couples who already have many of the traditional constituents such as “pots & pans” and “cutlery & crockery”. Couples simply contact The Wine Wedding List team, who, using their expertise, help the couple select wines from a collection of quality options, tailored to suit their specific tastes, to compile their perfect list. The service is great for couples who have a lot of wine knowledge as well as couples who love wine but are not connoisseurs.

Easy to use for guests, they boast an extensive list of premium wines from all over the world, including Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy. Guests simply browse the couples selection and choose to purchase their gift by the bottle, six-pack or case, offering the couple a chance to start their married life with the benefit of a wine cellar tailored to their specific wishes.

Whether the newlyweds decide to have their wines as a substantial long term investment or to be opened and enjoyed as they celebrate their milestone anniversaries, the personal nature of a gift from The Wine Wedding List will be the perfect embodiment of the day they said “I Do”.

To set up your Wine Wedding List simply visit www.thewineweddinglist.co.uk or call 0870 142 0512.