Aim to put your dress on about an hour before leaving for the ceremony - that hour goes awfully fast! and you don't want to be rushing - you will have shoes and veil to put on, final touch-ups from your glam team, you may be meeting your registrar during that time and you will probably want first look photos with your father/mother/bridesmaids.  If you want the time to be calm, and have time for some relaxed bridal photos, plan ahead.

Brides are often getting ready in a beautiful room, but sometimes the room can be covered in your getting ready 'stuff', particularly if bridesmaids are getting ready there too.  There will be hair and make-up stuff, snack wrappers, dress bags, childrens' ipads, etc etc!  If possible, I would suggest your bridesmaids having a separate room for actually putting their stuff in and putting their dresses on, and give someone the job of keeping the main bridal room tidy so that you can have beautiful bridal photos taken in that beautiful (uncluttered!) room.

Brides, have a lipstick and blot powder handy during the day (in a bridesmaid's handbag?) for touch-ups, particularly before couple photos and first dance; and have a tissue handy somewhere for the odd happy tear!

Girls, wear your shoes in well or have flat ones to change into; most brides have sore feet within an hour!  Lots of weddings now have flip flops for all guests - but brides, for you, have something a little more glamorous for your first dance photos.

Dresses! You will have spent a lot of time choosing your dress and probably spent quite a lot of money on it, but know that it will get a little bit dirty, particularly if it has a long train.  You can't avoid it.  If it is a summer wedding, you will be outside a lot of the time, and the ground will be dusty - wedding dresses seem to just attract it.

Grooms and groomsmen! - practice your tie-tying before the big day, it will save stress on the morning.  

Buttonholes - they are attached to the left lapel, the ideal placement is over the heart.  Put the flower into position, turn the lapel to expose the back, insert the pin through the flower stem at an upwards angle, push the pin in further and then back through the stem and into the jacket.  Good luck!

Grooms - please don't have your phone in your trousers pocket, it will be really obvious and isn't great on photos!  You can probably have it in your jacket inside pocket without it showing.

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When choosing your venue, have a wet weather plan in the back of your mind!  Although we hope that your wedding day will be gloriously dry and sunny, sometimes the British summer does let us down.  If you want group photos and romantic couple photos, you will need somewhere for these to be taken if it is raining or windy - for group photos particularly you will need some space (and ideally with an attractive backdrop), so think about this when you are choosing your venue.

And while we talking about choosing your venue, the ideal is somewhere with lots of natural light, particularly for girls getting ready (your MUA will thank you) and the meal.

Brides, your bridesmaids may walk down the aisle before you - my tip is for the bridesmaids to leave a bit of time between them starting to walk so that I can photograph them clearly - and definitely, the bride/father of the bride should start walking only once the bridesmaids have nearly arrived at the top of the aisle, so that you are not hidden from your groom (and me!).

It is quite common for couples to be a bit nervous and serious-looking during the ceremony, which is completely understandable:) and I suggest you look and smile at each other as much as possible and hold hands - it will relax you (and also look nice on your ceremony photos!).

First kiss - if possible, make your first kiss longer than just a peck and if you forget, go in for another one! (for you and me!)

Stick together!  Not all of the time obviously but most of the time!  Often at weddings, after the ceremony, you're both whisked away by family and friends and end up chatting separately.  Mingle together as a couple, and not only will you have nice photos together with your loved ones!, but you will also feel that you spent quality time with each other during the most important day of your lives.  It goes by so quickly so enjoy it together.

If you are getting married in the spring/summer, the likelihood will be that you will be outside for a lot of the time and it will be sunny.  I often see brides needing sunglasses because of the brightness and having to borrow some from a guest.  If you have prepared and bought some cool sunglasses in advance (the white framed 1950s-style look great with a wedding dress), you will look fab!

One fun thing to do for photos (and together) is to pop a bottle of fizz!  Keep a cheap bottle back and groom or bride shake up the bottle, pop the cork, put your thumb over the top, and create lots of spray.  The bubbles and your laughter make for great fun images.  Maybe practice if you haven't done it before.  And please spray to the side of your photographer/videographer (as it doesn't do our camera lenses any good!:) 

There are lots of tips for confetti!  Walk slowly and if possible, remember to kiss/dip halfway down; have lots of confetti, ideally two handfuls per guest; dried petals tend to get stuck in hair very easily and stubbornly! if allowed, biodegradable large white petals float better and don't stick to you all day!; the tendency will be for you to duck your head and shy away from the confetti when thrown - try not to do this, smile and have fun!

You will probably come into your reception meal together once all your guests are seated.  It is a lovely idea to have an upbeat song playing when you come in and for your MC to ask guests to stand up and twirl their napkins, it creates a great atmosphere and you will and your guests will love it!

As an alternative to cutting the cake (or as well as), think about creating a champagne glass tower and have photos together pouring fizz into the glasses.  Very classy and on trend!

It is lovely and fun to have a sparklers 'tunnel' during the evening.  Also the photos are great.  Just some tips if you would like to do this.  Please get the long sparklers as they last longer, and please have lighters/matches for each guest as the sparklers all need to be lit at the same time.  Your guests will need to be careful with the sparklers as you two (and your dress/hair) will be near to fire! and so will I/your videographer (walking backwards).  Think about just standing among your guests with sparklers rather than walking, if you prefer, and if you do walk, do it slowly and think about having a kiss/dip halfway.

Some ideas which make the dance floor look brilliant - think about a confetti bomb for first dance, or glow sticks for your guests.  Cool sunglasses are also great.  

BIG TIP - if the couple stays on the dance floor, the guests will!  It can often be the case that once the first and second dance are done, everyone wanders off to the bar.  If you two stay, the dance floor will be buzzing!

BOWS! - on everything!  Your dress, your hair, your chairs, your cake :)

COLOUR - different colours for your bridesmaid dresses, multi-coloured florals

INTIMATE WEDDINGS - fly away to Italy or Spain for a small close-knit villa celebration

HEART-SHAPED CAKES - very simple

CANDLELIGHT - if your meal is in dusk/at night, candlelight is hopelessly romantic!