As the sun begins to creep back out in increments for the warmer months, people up and down the country prepare for a massive event this year. Intensive practice, getting the kit and wardrobe right, the perfect diet, excellent planning and months and months of stress all leading up to that one decisive day…

…your wedding. No, we’re not talking about the Olympics. We’re more concerned with the thousands of nuptials which will mean big days for hundreds of thousands of brides, grooms, guests, bridesmaids and best men through the UK and abroad.

And when it comes to preparing for your big day, there’s more than the dresses online at high street favorites like Next to worry about. There’s the small matter of – well, everything else.

Dresses Online

Lipsy Side Flower Satin Bandeau Dress from Next

Whilst we can’t help you with the catering, we can give a few tips on wedding dress style and how to make the most of your natural assets and tastes. Our first and major tip is less style-related and more to do with attitude: less is very often more.

When it comes to weddings, especially with too-many-cooks syndrome often causing compromises and misunderstandings between brides, mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, maids of honor etc., stick to your gut instinct and don’t be tempted into going over the top. It will be expensive, it may well be a collapse of seventeen tastes at once – and it might not make great photos in years to come.

Instead, we’d be more inclined to suggest taking inspiration from other’s designs and seeing what works for you. Think a beaded detailing is nice? Well, don’t copy it outright, tailor it to your own dress – could it work as a motif on the bodice? Maybe as a pearlescent strap on your bag, or around the bouquet. You could even carry it on in a fascinator or headpiece, even as a decoration on the toe of your shoe. It’s all about thinking like you, not trying to get inside someone else’s head or version of your wedding.