Planning a wedding can be one of the most exhilarating times of your life. It can also be one of the most stressful. But, it is the one day that truly belongs to you and your fiancé, little touches can make your event stand out from the rest.

Don’t lose sight during the planning process. This is a once-in-a-lifetime phase of your life, enjoy it! Planning a wedding is a second job, so many details go into making your dream day come to life. It’s easy to get caught up and lose track of what you’re working toward. During the process, be sure take days off from the planning. Schedule “date nights” with your soon-to-be spouse, opportunities to enjoy each other’s company where you vow to NOT talk about anything wedding related! 

Make the day yours. Whether its vows, a wedding “logo” that can be incorporated into all facets of your wedding including; stationery, invitations, napkins, cake, etc., or other details that truly speak of you and your betrothed, personalizing all aspects of your wedding is in. 

Instead of table numbers, assign tables by places you and your fiancé have visited and use mementos and photos in a picture frame to help guests identify their table. If you’re foodies, you can also name your tables after your favorite restaurants and ask to borrow menus for table identification.

A modern twist on the candle ceremony. The candle ceremony is a beautiful, traditional way to signify the joining of two lives. An alternate twist to this – and one that you can save as a memento of the day – is to combine sands. Put two complementary shades of sand in separate containers, one representing you, the other your fiancé. You could use sands that are the colors of your wedding, or natural sand and one the color of your bridesmaids’ dresses. During the ceremony, combine the sands into a glass container, one that you would like to showcase in your home in the future. The sands, although enjoined and impossible to separate, remain two independent bodies unto themselves.

In place of a traditional guest book, consider getting a scrapbook with black pages that you can have guests sign with light colored paint pens. Set the book up as a photo album with photos featuring you and your husband-to-be throughout your relationship, using traditional photo-mounting corners. Guests will sign around the photos, and after the wedding and honeymoon are over, you can swap out the photos with photos from your wedding. 

Use your wedding to help your favorite cause. If you’ve been living together for a few years, and already have everything you need, think about asking guests to donate to your favorite charitable cause instead of giving you a traditional gift. Web sites, including the I Do Foundation, wwww.idofoundation.org, give you the ability to create a Charity Registry, instead of a traditional gift registry. Even if you’re looking to create a gift registry, I Do Foundation also offers a list of its partner stores, including Target, JCPenney and Linens ‘n’ Things that donate up to 8 percent of gift purchases to your favorite charity.

You can also donate money to your favorite cause in place of a favor. Many organizations can provide you with cards to put at the place settings. You also can have donation cards created to match your invitations and wedding stationery.

Be prepared. Consider keeping a basket of toiletries in the bathroom at your reception for both you and your guests. Things such as a stain remover stick, spray deodorant, breath mints, band-aids, sewing kit, hairspray and bobby pins could come in handy for you, your bridal party and guests.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! Things may go wrong—don’t let them take over your big day. If your bouquet is not the way you pictured it, your limo is late or your stockings get a run, it doesn’t change the reason you’re there! The most important thing to remember is you’re there exchanging vows with the one you love. 

All the best in your lives together!