[RedRoseSAI]

Your comment about throwing out the bridal magazines is exactly right. They're great for initial ideas and inspiration, but they will drive you crazy with the "need" to have a "perfect" wedding. Midway through planning, I stopped reading everything but Martha Stewart weddings...they have the most beautiful stuff but DON'T have the cheesy articles found in Modern Bride, etc.. Another tip is to look through foreign bridal magazines. If you can't get them where you live, you might be able to order them through Amazon. This way, you won't be tortured by the articles (unless you know the language) but more importantly, you'll get lots of original ideas not replicated by millions of other brides in our country. If I can remember the name of the ones I looked at, I'll post here.

As for the timeline - don't worry about it. We got engaged in late December and married in early September...it was plenty of time! Your wedding will be awesome!