The big day has been announced to everyone.
It is now a fact - not fiction: you are getting married.
And now you are used to the idea, it is now time to start planning the wedding.
But let's not be coy about this - organizing a wedding is a huge undertaking.
It's not like staging a simple party for friends, a case of get the booze in, and some decent music.
This is a wedding we are talking about - supposedly the biggest day of your life.
Of course, initially, the bride and groom will be having some really terrific fantasies about where to get married.
Will it be Madonna and Guy in a Scottish castle or a palm-treed, grass-skirt ceremony in Hawaiian style? Well, either of those would be terrific - but think of the cost? Is that really on? You'd have to transport guests over, arrange accommodation.
It's a Hollywood blockbuster with Steven Spielberg at the megaphone.
So, once the fantasy has been dispelled, and you're back down to earth, it's a conventional church or registry office and what could be better than having your wedding ceremony in your hometown.
Home is where the heart is.
It's far more personal, and meaningful.
And besides, you can still make your wedding "fantastical" with a little thought, and imagination, and creativity.
One good way to do this is to think of a Theme for your wedding, and frame the day around this.
For instance, when the bride is choosing her dress, think a little outside the box along the lines of a Snow Princess, or Summer Queen, or Enchanted Forest Fairy.
Many hire companies have a range of styles, and themes along these lines.
By having a Theme, you are making your wedding more personal, and expressing a feeling that captures the essence of you and your husband-to-be.
The advantage to having a theme is that you can include the brides' maids, and pageboys, and then take the theme further with the catering, and reception room decoration, and the little touches like "wedding favors" (mementos for the guests to take with them as a souvenir of the day).
Also, having a theme means you can add that extra bit of luxury to your big day without being ridiculously over-priced by hiring a chauffeur-driven limousine.
It could be a beautiful white stretch limo, like the celebrities are often seen in, or a more modest, but no less classy, town car, or executive SUV.
After all, getting the bride to her wedding is a vital consideration, and demands a special entrance.
All things considered though, planning your wedding revolves around the B word: Budget.
What is in yours? What can you reasonably afford to spend on your big day? In many ways, planning the wedding is a great equalizer for a man and women who are about to join in holy (or unholy) matrimony.
Having an understanding of what joint finances is all about is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects in a marriage.