We all want great advice on how to plan a wedding, if we could only duck the people whose "advice" is merely to imitate what they did.

Check out this article. It offers 20 top wedding tips — and some of the advice is really helpful. For instance did you know:

• Ask for what you want. Do your negotiating with a vendor before you sign the contract, and you might be able to wrangle a few freebies for yourself.
• Charge it. If you can pay it off each month, charge your wedding expenses on a card that offers free miles, rewards or cash back. But if you won’t pay it off, don’t rack up the interest payments.
• Follow the formula: 48-50 percent of total budget to reception; 8-10 percent for flowers; 8-10 percent for attire; 8-10 percent for entertainment/music; 10-12 percent for photo/video; 2-3 percent for invites; 2-3 percent for gifts; and 8 percent for miscellaneous items. Keep an extra 5-10 percent of your money for surprise expenses.

Have some tips not covered in the article? Post a comment and let me know!