Once couples announce their engagement the mother of the bride traditionally contacts the parents of the groom to arrange to meet if they have not already done so. This is a chance to admire the engagement ring and may be the first stage in discussing what is planned for the wedding, so the meeting is best held at a restaurant or other neutral 
location so that the parents are not expected to play host.
It can be difficult when families are more fragmented and one or both sets of parents may be divorced. If this is the case, but everyone is on good terms then a joint meeting can be arranged. If not then it is important to establish from the outset what roles parents and step parents are to play at the wedding. Perhaps the bride wants to be escorted up the aisle by her birth father, but would like her step father to make a speech at the reception.
As long as people know what the expectation is, this can avoid embarrassment or hurt feelings as the day approaches. It is impossible to please all of the people all of the time as the saying goes, but most wedding guests will want to go along with what will make the bride and groom happy.
Thank you letters for engagement presents should not be overlooked and couples should make sure that they don’t forget to organise small gifts for the bridesmaids, best man and ushers on the wedding day. It is a nice touch to have flowers presented to the mothers of the bride and groom during the groom’s speech, and this should be done regardless of who has paid for what.
It is traditional for the happy couple to exchange gifts on the wedding day, but as more and more couples live together before getting married it can be difficult to come up with something original. A small personal token is likely to be well received by both parties, and is another reminder in all of the wedding day whirl of why they fell in love in the first place.
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I think having such a schedule of how a wedding should be takes away from the mystery and fun of the day. It is nice to do thinks differently like get married in another country or only invite immediate family and keep the wedding guest list as small as possible. I prefer not to be obvious and try and add some spice into the mix.
Hi – thanks for the feedback – the great thing about planning a wedding is that there are no hard and fast rules to follow. Most couples want to have some unique elements to make their day personal, and there are so many choices available that it is easy to have your ideal day, whatever scale of event you are planning. This piece is just presenting a view for those who would like to know the little details or customs for the day.