I picked the girl. That's about it.
Not really
- My wife has been down the isle before but it was my first so I got a lot more involved. She wanted it that way and it fits our personalities well. This is what we planned:
My Stepfather has been my pastor for most of my life and my cousin is also a pastor so that part was easy - we had two pastors officiating. What else could we do?
My Mother's side of the family belongs to a very old, super tiny, country church. - Easy choice and romantic.
We had the reception at a VERY, VERY, GAUDY Italian place with amazing food.
They know how to put on a reception and everybody loved it.
It cost more to do it at a good place but if the guest list is short enough, it will work.
We were married in Buffalo which is close to Niagara Falls so we started the honeymoon by driving up to the falls and all it cost was gas.
We flew to San Francisco for 2 days where we spent time at my Dad's place and did the Fisherman's warf thing (waiting for our flight to Hawaii). My Dad gave us a week at a timeshare in Maui for a wedding gift so that was part 3.
Some of that was costly but a large part of it was not. You can do a lot with a little if you plan carefully and take advantage of opportunity where you can find it.
Advice - If this is your first wedding, have some fun, spend some money and enjoy the day no matter what happes. Oh, and be sure to pack some clothes for the day after. Some people forget to do that and have to wear thier tux again the next day. Not that it ever happened to me or anything.
Eloping is GREAT way to do it if you want romantic and do not have the cash for a big party. Don't tell anyone until after it is over so nobody feels left out. Think of all the stories you will be able to tell.
Fun!
Hope it all works out great for you!
-Mark.