The bride wears white and the groom wears a tuxedo.  The bride has a maid of honor and the groom has a best man.  There are bridesmaids, an equal number of groomsman, a flower girl and a ring bearer.  Order some food and that’s it.  Not even close.  planning a wedding can be an incredible task.  Some say that if you don’t give yourself a year to plan, you’ll never make it.  There are so many things to think about, including the traditions that your family uses and which ones you will adopt.  The cost of the wedding is a big factor.  Traditionally, the bride’s family is financially responsible for the wedding and the groom’s family is financially responsible for the rehearsal dinner and the flowers. 
A bridal shower traditionally thrown by the maid of honor is the celebration of the upcoming nuptials.  Gifts to provide the happy couple with all the things they will need to begin their lives together.   During this fun event, a custom that is followed is for the bride to gather all the ribbons off of the packages to make a bouquet to be used at the wedding rehearsal.  Of course, if any of those ribbons get broken, tradition says that is the number of children the new couple will be blessed with. 
Other traditions that are part of a wedding are the tossing of the bride’s bouquet and garter.  The tradition brings all the single women together on the dance floor while the bride tosses her bouquet with her back to the crowd.  Whoever the lucky girl is that catches it is said to be the next one to marry.   After removing the garter from the bride in front of all the wedding guests, the groom will toss the it to all the single men gathered.  Once again, the lucky one to catch the garter is said to be next man to marry. 
There are many traditions that vary by culture or religion.  In a Jewish wedding for example one of the most well-known traditions is the breaking of the glass.  This is where the groom steps on a glass at the end of the ceremony and all the guests shout “Mazel Tov” which means good luck!  A modern British custom is for the bride to wear or carry something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue which is said to bring good luck.  Italian customs include giving a dowry and the engagement ring to the bride.  In some parts of Poland it is custom for the engaged couple, along with their parent, to visit family and friends in order to hand them their wedding invitation. 
After all the months of planning and all the hard work is done, there is one last tradition to follow:  the honeymoon.  This is your reward for making it through the engagement.  This is the time for the newly married couple to relax and enjoy themselves.  With all the activity of planning the wedding, the newlyweds often find they haven’t spent much time alone together prior to the wedding.  It’s important for the couple to have this time together before returning to the ‘real world’ even if only for a few days.