Aii Papi!! Where do I start!!!!

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So he bought the ring, (he may have asked your parents permission) he made the perfect evening and blurted out those words "Will you Marry Me?"

It is only right that you float on up to cloud 9 (Assuming you said Yes) and forget that there is a lot of work to do in transforming an engagement into a lifetime dream of a wedding!

So here are a couple of steps to help you stay in between Ground Zero and Cloud 9!

Step 1: As Asians, it is probably 95% true that our parents know little about our love lives, because well, we are Indians! (Enough said) So now would be a perfect time to tell everyone and share the news!! FYI - be very careful who you spill the beans to! You don't want your mum to find out about the engagement through the 'good ol' grapevine' i.e. the gossip aunt. This is also true about friends, you don't want your best friend to hear it through Facebook! Goodness NO!

Be meticulous! Being a bride is hard work and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Tell your parents first - maybe arrange a nice meal so all parents can meet each other and hear the news together! And if they want, chat and get to know one another.

So after your parents comes your siblings, any close aunts and cousins then best friends and then work colleagues and everyone else. Don't worry about not telling everyone because everyone will hear from someone else so news will travel faster than an internal email!

Step 2: (Probably a lot easier than step 1) Put together a budget! How much would you like to spend on the wedding, how much can you afford and which other parties will be contributing to the cost of the wedding! Do take in to consideration the sums of deposits you can put away monthly leading up to the wedding. A separate wedding account is a good idea to manage finances! Opening Loans and starting married life in debt isn't the best way to start Newly Wedded Bliss!

Step 3: Hire a Wedding Planner if your budget is large and you have an excess of 100 guests. You do not want to be folding napkins and arranging centerpieces or worrying about why the DJ is late - and HE WILL BE LATE!! You want you (the bride), the groom, each of your parents and your friends to enjoy the day that is your wedding! Not rushing around missing key parts of the ceremony! (I am totally Biased - but a Wedding Planner is a care free solution to all your wedding stress)

Step 4: Find a Venue! Note that if your ceremony and reception are in separate Locations - they should not be further than 30 minutes drive! If you are planning on getting married at peak wedding season (April-September) be prepared to book well in advance and to pay more than off-peak! As soon as you have chosen the venue and the date - send invitations out! These should be sent out no later than two months prior to the wedding!

Step 5: Work with your Wedding Planner to create a theme, decide on what you envision for your wedding day, pick colours. And let your wedding planner pretty much do the rest!

Step 6: This is probably when you should get together with your bridesmaids, and the women in your family and fly to India to do your Bridal outfit shopping! Erm ... this goes to the men also!

Step 7: It seems that if you're getting married, you will be sure to know that all of your friends appear to be getting married at the same time also! Chat with them about which suppliers they used, who they would recommend and who you should avoid! Just so that you don't go into planning your wedding completely blind folded!

Step 8: Meet all your suppliers first hand, go to food tastings (the best part!!), negotiate contracts, pay deposits, sign on the dotted line and hey presto! You think that was easy - now try catching up with all your guests RSVP's and get to work on your table plans! Be careful who you sit where!!

Step 9: Ensure you have accommodation arranged for after the reception if you aren't flying straight off on your honeymoon!

Step 10: Sit back, let your wedding planner take care of coordinating the event, and scheduling everything! Enjoy with your family and friends and be proud to be the new Mr & Mrs Newly Weds!!