You live in Connecticut and you decided to get married recently. What's the best strategy for planning a wedding? Although it's often glamorized in the media, wedding planning involves several steps. Often, this starts with choosing the guests, and, from this, you can decide whether you'd prefer a large or small ceremony. Once you know how large your ceremony and reception will be, you can determine the location of both. The location – either outdoors or inside – should accommodate the amount of people you plan to invite, as well as anyone helping or entertaining, such as a band, string quartet, ushers, and caterers.

Northeastern areas often lend several options to weddings, depending upon the theme. The capriciousness of the weather, however, should also be a factor to consider when planning the event. Even with the fresh air and moderate temperatures of April, for example, a rain storm may interrupt your wedding in Connecticut or any other Northeastern state. Is planning your wedding outside a wise idea?

Because spring and summer themes are common for many weddings, holding the ceremony outside seems appropriate. Nevertheless, while the weather should be taken into consideration, another option is to hold the ceremony outside and bring all guests indoors for the reception. This way, the beauty of a Northeastern spring or summer can characterize your ceremony and you and your guests will have shelter for a reception that could last several hours.

Once you have a better idea for the location of your Connecticut wedding , you can narrow down the venues for both. Ideally, for the convenience of you and your guests, the ceremony and reception should be held in the same or close locations. If you decide to hold them in separate facilities, make sure to include a direction card with your invitation to help guests get from one location to the next.