They say men are from Mars and women are from Venus. And the differences between the sexes are never more evident than when it comes to planning a wedding.

In the months to come I can guarantee it is not going to be Chris agonising over which flowers to go for or the choice of table decoration. To be honest he wouldn't care if we got married in a muddy field, as long as our friends and family were there.

No all that will be left to yours truly. Thank goodness really. While in theory it is as much Chris' day as it is mine, I have already realised I need complete control over the most minute details.

Which is why the old adage about a wedding day really being all about the bride, rings so true - and rightfully so in my opinion. Nine times out of ten it is the woman who has thrown her heart and soul into planning what is the biggest day of her life. And let's face it, the men wouldn't have it any other way. Chris would be well and truly fed up if I sat him down every weekend for an in-depth discussions on napkin holders or bridesmaid dresses!

                                                       I had a very strange moment at the weekend. I was speaking to my step-mum on the phone and we were, of course, discussing wedding-y things when she referred to the changes Chris and I will be making when we get married. And, in passing, she mentioned the transition he will make from becoming a son to a husband.

Then it struck me. Husband... my husband! That is a really, really weird thought.

I have had both sides of the coin argued to me. Nothing will change between Chris and I once we are married, it is after all just a piece of paper. Others say our lives as we know them will never be the same again.

At one time marriage did mean big changes, but is that still true in this day and age? I don't feel there is anything I don't know about Chris. It isn't as though we haven't lived together, so I know there are no horrible boy habits lurking in the shadows that I will only discover when we move into a marital home. In fact if truth be told, once we get back from our honeymoon we will be moving straight back into our lives as they were before the wedding.

And while in theory it might be nice to wake up on the morning after our wedding to a man who has morphed overnight into an 'ideal husband' (sorry Chris!) who is ready to provide for my every whim and settle down and start a family, that really isn't what I signed up for.

Who knows how I will feel in two years' time. For now though all I can say is that I hope we carry on much as we are. Of course there will be changes, a relationship just doesn't work without the ability to evolve and adapt. But at the very centre of it all is still 16-year-old me and 18-year-old Chris having fun. And that seems to have worked out well for us so far.

If I am honest, this has been a pretty stressful week - the first, I am sure, of many.

It didn't begin well. For starters I don't remember the last time I was awake at five am - not including occasions when I haven't gone to bed. So the alarm going off on Sunday morning while it was still dark outside was a shock to say the least. But, as it turned out, a totally necessary one, as we had a lot of ground to cover on our search for the perfect wedding venue.

After something silly like four hours in the car we spent Sunday 'up north' on the first day of our venue hunt. I say up north, because I'm a southerner and therefore consider anywhere higher than London to be crossing the divide! We were actually in the Worcester area.

On Monday our travelling party hit Devon, and finished up in Oxford on Tuesday. And bizarrely, since we spent most of the time in a car, it was exhausting.

Now it's down to two possibilities. Is it normal that I don't feel ready to make my decision immediately, though? Does that mean I haven't found 'The One', or am I just being sensible? I know we can't hang around in case they get booked up, but I'm not talking about dragging this out - I'm thinking days not weeks. I just want to be absolutely certain.

I'll probably be ready to make my decision after the weekend. But I'll need to feel more than 100 per cent sure. After all I am only getting married once... well, that's the plan anyway!

Over the next few days Chris and I will be checking out some potential venues. I say some because, not ones to do anything by halves, we have appointments at eight venues in three days. From Devon to Worcestershire, and pretty much everywhere in-between - quite intense by anyone's standards!

And while I am dreading sitting in miles of traffic on various motorways across the country, my future in-laws have kindly volunteered to chauffeur us around. Which means we have hours and hours trapped in the car to discuss in minute detail the pros and cons of each venue. Ha! I am fairly certain Chris hasn't worked that one out yet...

As it turns out it isn't just us who are keen to look at locations. Our little scouting 'week' has turned into quite a family affair, and it looks like the car is going to be a bit of a squeeze. That might sound like a nightmare for some, but not me. I have to say I am grateful for all the opinions I can get. Although I'm expecting unwavering loyalty and support from Sabs, the girlfriend of Chris' youngest brother Alex, if people have to choose sides!

I have no idea whether it's usual for an entire wedding party to go to view venues. Probably not, and it might be a bit daunting for owners to see a convoy of cars winding up the drive, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway we are all going to be family soon, and what better way to really get to know each other than by sharing a car together for three days!

Saturday afternoon at about 5pm and I'm standing on a pedestal (literally!) wearing my very first wedding dress. At that moment I didn't think life could get much better... and then I tried on another one, and another, and another...

'You'll know when you put the right dress on' might have sounded like a cliché, but it turns out everyone was right. My dream dress was about number 6 or 7 on the day, and yes it was pretty much the opposite of the very vague idea I had in my mind. And it is so me!

Sadly I can't go into too much detail in case 'you know who' is reading, and I have no pictures - how was I to know you can't take photos in bridal shops! But I can tell you that knowing the dress is out there has inspired my whole outlook for the day.

While it is probably not wise to plan a wedding around the dress - although it seems as good a starting point as any to me! - it has helped me get a better idea about colours and a theme. And that, from what I understand from my mountains of bridal magazines, is one of the first thing a bride should decide on.

I do know that the sensible thing is to keep looking - and I will - but that dress is going to be hard to beat. The shopoholic in me wants to own it immediately, but for now I will just have to be content with staring at it dreamily online...

As a quick extra I want to say thank you to my bridal buddy on the day. These experiences are only ever as good as the people you share them with, and Laura, you were the perfect girl to share my bridal shop debut!

For me the most important part of my wedding day (apart from finding a willing groom!) has always been the dress. Aside from the obvious factors - like the fact I love shopping, fashion and dressing up - it's the one chance to find the most perfect, and expensive, item of clothing I will ever own that will instantly transform me into a bridal magazine cover girl...

But you know, I never really envisioned actually choosing it. In my mind I have always skipped straight to the picture-perfect end product rather than dwelling on the dressing room dramas beforehand. And I have been starting to get a little worried. Everyone says: "Oh, as soon as you put it on you will know it's the one." Which is all well and good... but what if I don't?

I am really fussy and very particular when it comes to my wardrobe - so maybe I compromise a little in Primark, but I stand by my self-made rules ie no orange, ever...under any circumstances. And as the wedding day gets gradually closer I have a growing fear inside me that A. - I won't find the dress and I will end up with one I like but don't love. And B. - The moment I have handed over my credit card I am guaranteed to find a better one the next week.

But I am taking the plunge. Well kind of. One of my best friends and I are heading to a bridal shop on Saturday afternoon for my first ever wedding dress trying-on session! And I feel good about it. After a girly lunch and a wine, or two, we are heading off and trying on the lot; meringues, fishtails, princess, A-line, column - you name them!

And I suppose having no clue is the ideal place to begin really. Last summer, Laura, one of my very closest pals who I've known since we were 11, got married and she went into the shop knowing above all else she would not be walking up the aisle in a patterned dress. No prizes for guessing what she came out with! And she really did look like bride from the pages of a magazine.