Just got engaged or planning a wedding? We have some top tips for you.

Speaking from experience, organising a wedding is hard work. Between sourcing suppliers, choosing the venue, band and photographer, to planning the smaller details of the day, it can take over your life. It is all encompassing for the months/years running up to the big day, but it's all worth it in the end. Trust me. While I did it all by myself, a lot of people choose to enlist the help of a wedding planner, something they say is the best decision they ever made. It takes a lot of the stress out of it and allows you to enjoy the run-up more. With many years experience, we decided to chat to wedding planner Sharon McMeel, to see what kind of advice she would give couples who are planning a wedding. Sharon, who just won Wedding Planner of the Year at the Weddings Online Awards, has been in the business for over 12 years, so she is best placed to advise on things that brides and grooms can do to make the most of their day. Here is her advice: Time management Sharon advises that you carefully look at your whole day for time management and the schedule of the day. Couples tend to book the ceremony without thinking about how the time will impact on the rest of the day. If you want an early wedding ceremony, and you have a few bridesmaids, then you'll need to factor in that you will be up at the crack of dawn for hair and makeup. On the other hand, if you plan a late ceremony, it could eat into the rest of your day and mean you have less time yourself to enjoy the day. Sharon advises that you look at how long everything will take and make it work as best you can. Saving time If your plans are set in stone for the ceremony and the reception, then there are still ways to get back time you think you might lose out on. Lots of couples miss the reception because they are off getting their photographs taken, which is disappointing because it's the perfect place to chat to guests and mingle. So, if you're looking to get back more time from the day, Sharon suggests to push back the dinner by half an hour. Most venues will allow for this and it will mean you have more time with your guests. The only thing to consider is that guests will be getting hungry so canapés would be needed for the pre-dinner reception, but it's money well spent if you get to enjoy that part of the day too. [caption id="attachment_391271" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image via Awake and Dreaming Photography[/caption] Make excel your best friend By the time the wedding comes around, you will have excel sheets coming out your ears. They will be a godsend. The first one you'll need is the overall budget, which lets you track your estimated costs and compare them against actual costs to make sure you are sticking to the money you have put aside for the wedding. An excel sheet will also come in very handy for your guest list, how many invites you will have, your suppliers and their details and payment policies. By using a Google Doc, you and your fiancé will be able to remotely change and alter the spreadsheets so it can be done with ease as you go along. Get everything in writing Make sure that you get an agreement in writing from suppliers. From the venue, the florist, the band to every small item that you've ordered or the decisions you've made for your wedding, make sure you have it in writing. As wedding venues are booked sometimes two years in advance, certain aspects that have been agreed might not be honoured without writing. You may have agreed certain things with the wedding co-ordinator that is working there at the time, but when it comes around to your big day, they could have forgotten or even have left the job. It's harder to negotiate things you have been promised if it's not in writing. Sharon says that she has had couples who have been left very distraught when new management or new staff haven't honoured certain details of the day like bedroom rates or discounts. Once it's in writing, there is nothing to dispute it. Also, make sure you get the suppliers to send you a detailed plan, in writing, of what they need on the day, what time they will arrive and anything else they require. Last minute budget Sharon says that in the last few weeks in the run-up to your wedding, there will always be things that crop up that you might not have budgeted for. The toilet baskets, and the flip-flops, not to mention the Polaroid camera for guests - the extra bits all add up. In order to alleviate any last minute stress, put aside an extra bit of money for the last few weeks in the event extra bits and pieces need to be paid for. Be brutal with your guest list There's no easy way to do it, but Sharon says if you're looking to cut down on cost for the wedding, the only real way to shave off a considerable amount is by reducing your guest list. With every guests comes the expense of food, wine, canapés and favours which are usually priced per head. Don't feel that you 'have to invite' certain people, if they are on the maybe list then presumably they too feel there is no need to invite them. Couples make the mistake of sending an invite in the hopes that people can't make it but those receiving the invite might either feel obliged to come, or just fancy a good time at a wedding and so accept it with pleasure. If you do need to cut back, Sharon suggests that you revise your list and see if you can make it more manageable and leave people out that won't be offended or put out by not being invited. If, for example, you have booked a venue that is charging €100 per couple, by cutting 10 people, or five couples, you will automatically save yourself €1,000. You can get in touch with Sharon through her website.