So he popped the question and a date has been planned, you are getting married! Take a breath to inhale the bliss and blushing anticipation but after that you have to get to work. Planing what may very well be the best and most memorable day of your life can be challenging but once you start early it can be less tedious. Indeed, a wedding is as good as its organisation and the perfect strategy to a dream wedding is ensuring that all segments of your checklist are ticked off because the big moment will just creep up on you and before you know it you will be walking down the aisle.

First of all you have to get the essentials and decide on the scale and budget of your wedding. The extras and frills can be added as time goes by but at least you would have accomplished the bulk of the work. Depending on your budget you can go extravagant, medium scale or simple. The basics of a wedding are invitations/guest list, location (including music), food, drinks, dress and personal details. Everything else is secondary and optional. Here are some tips compiled by Express Woman to help you plan your best wedding ever regardless of the scale.

Extravagant

Invitations/Guest list: Invitations can be hand delivered embroidered cards with a guest list of 200 and above. The guest list can reach as high as 500 persons. When Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal's daughter, Vanisha, married in 2005, the family sent out 20-page invitations contained in silver boxes. Mittal paid for 1,000 guests to stay for five days in five-star Paris hotels. The reception was held at the Palace of Versailles and climaxed with a celebratory fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. Total cost: $60 million, the third most expensive wedding of modern times, by our estimation.

Location: An exquisite hotel ballroom, a high-end golf club if your preference is a garden wedding or at a

beach villa overlooking the sea or on a yacht. All these venues may be wither local or foreign. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, married Princess Salama in 1981 and his proud parents built a 20,000-seat stadium for the week-long celebration, the most expensive wedding on record at $100 million in today's dollars.

Food and Drinks: A five course menu with the very best spirits, cocktails inclusive. Champagne, caviar, sushi and a chocolate fountain for the guests with a sweet tooth.

Dress and personal details: A Versace dress or dress ordered and made by a foreign haute couture designer. Fresh flowers, diamond jewelry or pearls from the very best in the Industry, bejeweled shoes and accessories, gloves and even a diamond tiara, the finest choices for a high end bride. Rather than a simple spray of white roses, Donald Trump wed Melania Knauss amid 10,000 roses, peonies and hydrangeas.

Medium scale

Invitations/Guest list: Postal cards with a guest list of 100 to 150.

Location: School/Business halls or small garden settings.

Food and Drinks: Appetizers and main course with premium drinks.

Dress and personal details: Dress ordered on sale from David's Bridal (US based designer) or dress made by local designers.

Simple

Invitations/Guest list: Emailed invitations or word of mouth

Location: Your own garden or space or that of a relative. Beach front on any local beach.

Food and Drinks: Main course only or finger foods with a selection of premium drinks.

Dress and personal details: Simple dress on sale at the mall or popular clothing store customised to your taste or liking.

We're in the middle of the wedding season and Express Woman asked fashion photographer Calvin French to bring special and memorable images to our readers.

Calvin was able to attend Stacy & Martin's Wedding and shared that he had gone to heaven and came back. He went on to say "I always hope to find images that are lasting, impressionable and inspiring; as all of my photographs are meant to be. These wonderful people are from Paramin and the preparations and actual church ceremony occurred on the very steep hills up there. And not because we were maybe so close to the skies and heavens I felt as such, it was more that I was reminded of my youth in Claxton Bay… the togetherness and joy of the people and the feeling that this was in essence a village wedding. There was a real happiness in their union and not just in the bride and groom, but in everyone surrounding them. Maybe not one of the wealthiest areas in our country, however everyone here is rich in spirit and goodness; I felt elevated by the experience.

"I hope that these images really share the bond, commitment, pride and way of life I experienced. And more so, I hope others are inspired and enlightened to recognise that these Paramin people have maintained a way of life, one which reminded me of my youth and one which seems to be lacking in many other communities throughout our country."

CREDITS Photography: Calvin French Photography Assistant: Renee Boatswain Make-up: Sandra Hordatt Clothing (women): Peter Elias Jewelry handcrafted by Jeniele Mc Carthy SinananBr More photos on Pages 20 and 21