Getting married is a big thing. The first major project of marriage is the wedding day itself.

It is probably the first and biggest project you are undertaking with your significant other.

Depending on how it pans out, it could be the best day of your life, or your worst nightmare.

Here are 10 pieces of advice to help you survive the big day:

1. You will be too excited to sleep the night before

Your married friends and parents will tell you this, but just in case you do not believe them, we are telling you the same thing.

Accept the fact that you will only get in five hours of sleep (max) and prepare strong coffee or Red Bull the next morning. Or you could attempt to sleep earlier, but you'll probably end up tossing and turning for a few hours.

2. The day will fly by and that's ok

Whether you are the bride or groom, the flurry of activities will ensure that there will hardly be any time to catch your breath.

And with that, the day will fly by and you'll forget many of the small details, including portions of the most important part of the day - the solemnisation.

Fortunately with the proliferation of smart phones and over-eager aunties and uncles who love to document the proceedings, you'll have no lack of digital evidence of your big day.

Or you could just splash some cash for a photographer and videographer.

3. Your feet and back will hurt

Despite seeing many brilliant smiles and happy faces in wedding pictures, beneath that happiness is a sore back, aching muscles and hurting feet.

As weird as it sounds, I'll advocate for you to do some form of warm-up before the day begins. Especially so, if you are going to take part in gate-crashing activities.

You will feel stupid waking up at 5.00 a.m. to do warm-ups, but you will thank me later.

The warm up can even end up in the video montage if you can do it like this:

For brides, have your bridesmaids hang onto a pair of flip flops for you. Change into them the moment your bridal heels and added height no longer need to be captured in photographs - for most, that'll be at the end when you bid goodbye to your guests. It will be 20 extra minutes of comfort that the balls of your feet will thank you for.

4. Your groomsmen/bridesmaids are there to help you any way they can

Let's hope you picked your groomsmen/bridesmaids because they are people you trust the most. If that's the case, they are more than willing to let you delegate tasks to be done.

With their help, a wedding is immensely simplified.

But if you have been in an abusive friendship with your friends who treat you as their whipping boy/girl, then you'll be the next source of wedding horror stories where bridesmaids/groomsmen turn up late and dress up to outshine you.

5. If you plan properly, only small things will go wrong

While it sounds simple, a wedding has become an affair to show off, one up others and things have gotten needlessly complicated. Gone are the days of a simple ceremony sans frills.

With elaborate reception table get-ups, coordinated outfits, upmarket cupcakes replacing homely neighbourhood kueh-kueh snacks, simple things like moving from the bride's house to the church reception will result in things being left behind.

To prevent such mistakes, proper planning in the months leading up to the big day will help minimise the number of things that can go wrong.

Mistakes will be inevitable, someone will forget to bring something or some items will be misplaced, just make sure the important things like the rings, marriage certificate, bride and groom don't go missing.

6. Too many moving parts will mess up your big day

There is quite a lot logistics involved for a simple wedding banquet/tea ceremony to go as planned.

If you add on more frills like a dancing march-in, celebrity cameo appearance, circus performers, asking guests to come dressed in costumes, and a $50,000 flower arch flown in from Holland, chances are many things will go wrong.

Keep things simple, keep it classy.

7. Small is good

Keeping everything smaller ensures that the day is easier to plan and execute.

Not sure how many friends you should invite to the wedding? Simple, out of your Facebook friend list, look for the people who are willing to lend you $300 no question asked.

When you've listed them out, you've got your invite list.

8. Make time for a shower

Not a baby shower. But an actual shower in the bathroom. Singapore's weather is not suited for a heavy gown or suit, shirt and tie.

Find time in the day in between activities to take a shower, you will definitely be refreshed for your dinner banquet especially when your day started in the morning.

9. There really isn't much time for you to eat at your banquet

Between the march-ins and photo-taking, you'll be lucky to be able to eat more than one course of the banquet dinner. Have a burger before the banquet commences.

10. If possible, do away with the hotel banquet

If you are doing a church wedding, have a nice warm reception afterwards. If not, a restaurant would provide an equally cosy setting for you and your guests to celebrate your union - with better food to boot.

For the non-linear folks, a BBQ gathering could also be a fun way to mark the start of a union, or why even have a gathering at all?