Everybody dreams of having the perfect wedding, with the perfect weather and the perfect partner, and regardless of when in your life you choose to settle down and tie the knot, the dream wedding is well within your grasp.

However, there are things that can make the planning and the whole eventuality of the wedding go a lot smoother, and that is knowing exactly what you want and what your partner wants, and both of you being able to compromise.

#1 Choosing the perfect venues

Unlike earlier times when weddings were limited to either churches or registrar offices, you can now get married pretty much anywhere as long as the venue has the correct licence. So the choice has widened tremendously, as this article from Harper’s Bazaar shows, from a romantic stately home or a castle through to football pitches and hotels.

You can also organise to have your wedding breakfast at the same location you hold your ceremony, which is great as this saves on travelling – other than maybe to your evening event’s location if it is different and when you leave to start your dream honeymoon.

#2 Choosing your dream wedding dress

There are so many different styles of wedding dresses on the market. Of course, not all of the attire for brides is the traditional wedding dress. There are some amazingly flattering suits available, too, and none of it needs to be white. Whatever you choose for your wedding attire, make sure that it is what you want. If you can’t find what it is you are dreaming of, there is always the option of having it professionally made for you.

If you don’t have everything under control, however, there can easily be a last-minute emergency. In that case, as a last resort, a quick loan could help. Take a look at Growing Power for some ideas of what could be available to get you out of a tight spot.

#3 The cake to wow your guests

Every wedding breakfast needs its showpiece. The location has been looked at in total wonder, the bride and any bridesmaids have already brought tears to many of the guest’s eyes and possibly the grooms’ too, and any vehicles used have inspired envy.

So, now it is the cake’s turn to be the showstopper. Not only does it have to look totally fantastic, but it will have to taste out of this world and just melt in the mouth.

When choosing the wedding cake, you and your partner will need to decide to look at keeping things covered as well as whether to go for the traditional fruit cake or go for the more acceptable Victoria sponge or chocolate sponge recipe. The traditional will probably go down better with the older generation, but sponge recipes seem to be much more acceptable among the middle-aged and younger generations.

Take time in choosing where you will order your cake from and be sure to try each of the different cake recipes on offer to you. You may decide, as many couples do, to have different tears of your cake to have different recipes. This will make sure you please as many guests as possible.