He just popped the question, and you said, “Yes!”

You’re ecstatic. You tell all of your family and friends. You celebrate. And then after reality sets in, (You’re really getting married!) you start planning.

There are millions of things to get done, and the days are flying by, but don’t fret.

Lara Casey, owner of the wedding production company Bliss Event Group in Pensacola, and her head-wedding producer, Danielle Atkinson, offer expert advice that they say will guide you to a worry-free wedding day without becoming a bridezilla.

1. Begin planning your vendors and venues as early as possible, up to a year in advance, if possible.

2. Have a specific budget.

3. Do research on vendors. Get referrals from other brides or customers of caterers, florists or wedding planners. Find out if they were satisfied with the service, Atkinson said. Ask questions such as ‘Were they on time?’’ Hire a wedding planner that knows what they are doing.

“Nothing speaks louder than experience, experience, experience,” Casey said. “Lots of them have credentials, but experience is the best.”

4. Make sure you select vendors with whom you get along. They will be a part of the biggest day of your life. If your personalities clash, look for someone else.

5. Create a wedding unique to you and your fiancé — a wedding that tells your love story.

6. You may choose to stick to the typical wedding traditions, but there are no hard and fast rules stating that you have to.
“There are traditions, but there are always exceptions,” Casey said. “Take, for instance, the first dance. You don’t have to dance as a couple first. You can do a family dance. Or you could have 30 seconds alone, and then let other people join you. It’s whatever is most comfortable to you.”

7. Wedding planners should start from scratch, getting to know you.

8. Look for ways to customize your big day.
“If a bride grew up with a grandma who sewed, you may want to have handmade table cloths or something that speaks to her heart,” Casey said.

9. Put the people who are closest to you in your wedding. Don’t overdo it. And be creative. For example:
• “You want to choose people closest to you (to be in your wedding). If you were trapped on a deserted island, who would you take?” Casey asked.
• “Historically, bridesmaids and groomsmen (were only put in weddings) as a plot for confusion,” Atkinson said. The bridesmaids where there to confuse the bride’s lover if he came and tried to steal her away; he wouldn’t know which one to take. And the groomsmen were there to act as guards. That’s how it started. Now these are places of honor.
• Instead of having several bridesmaids and groomsmen, give some of your closest friends and relatives other duties.
• “Let an adult spread flowers, give a special reading, a prayer before the food, share a special memory or be an usher,” Casey said.

10. Once you make your decisions, stick with them.

“Usually, your first decision is your best,” Atkinson said. “Once you’ve decided, put down the wedding magazines.”