congrats! and you're fine, time-wise, unless you have your heart set on a specific date or popular wedding venue - though you may still be fine, still, if you do. just call soon.
if sticking to a budget is important to you (and i think it should be, for anyone really) concentrate on figuring out the budget first, and nail down your guest list. determine what is most important to you, research to figure out how much those items will cost, and keep your budget in mind when making all wedding related decisions. it's easy to go overboard - stay away from wedding planning sites like The Knot unless you have a large budget. wedding industry craziness abounds on those sites and you might find yourself suddenly paying extra for monogrammed this and matching that, when your location would provide that stuff free of charge otherwise
at the very least, save those sorts of splurges for after you've got the location, officiant, photog, music and dress bought and paid for and see that you still have some money to play with. then decide.
google 'wedding planning timeline' and you'll find plenty of those. don't let them scare you though...it's possible to pull a beautiful wedding together no matter what your time frame...the timeline is just to help you prioritize what to do first, second, etc. if the timeline doesn't begin with 'figure out budget and guest list' i would overlook it though.
try to nail down the things that are really important to you as soon as you're able. you'll have more options that way, especially if you live in a bigger city or densely populated area.
once you have your budget and know how many people you need to plan for, decide approx how much you want to spend on your dress, his tux or suit or whatever he'll wear and your other accessories (you can find a great dress in ANY price range, despite what the magazines would have you believe), your rings, the honeymoon, your photographer, florist, musicians or dj and any other flat rate purchases. if you have talented friends or family who can help with any of that, it can really effect your budget, too, so ask them to commit early, know what if anything they'll ask for in the way of compensation or other accommodations, and keep them in the loop as you select dates and times and whatnot.
so, what you have left after subtracting all of those one time expenses is basically your budget for the venue/food/drink/rentals - usually the biggest cost of a wedding. you'll need to divide by the number of guests you're expecting to figure out what you can afford to spend per head. since most venues charge by the head, that's a good way to get started, and the way i'd do it myself.
or you can start by choosing the venue and menu and bar (if you'll have an open bar or wine and beer) first and subtracting that total cost from your budget, knowing whatever you have left, you can make work somehow. it really depends on your priorities though. some people have very firmly set expectations when it comes to wedding venue, day of week, time, etc. or they want an expensive photographer, or outrageous flowers. or the band that they saw on their first date.
if a Friday or Sunday is a possibility, you'll save money. and when you hear the per-person asking price of some venues, it can be tempting to 'do it yourself', but keep in mind all the rental fees you will incur if you decide to go that route. chairs, tables, linens, silverware, glassware, etc. it all adds up, which is why so many people use the standard wedding venues that already have all that stuff. you can do it on a budget either way, but be flexible.
all of that is sort of assuming that you want a traditional (big) wedding though. otherwise, same timeline and priorities, but you'll have fewer choices to make you crazy. using an ipod play list and decent sound system instead of a dj or band can save you money, and a lot of couples are going that route these days. asking a talented friend to take photos can save you thousands, too. buying a dress second hand or online or at a department store during an end of season sale, you can save HUGE, depending on what you have in mind. if you have a dependable farmers market or even wholesale club with a good floral selection, consider doing your own flowers or asking someone you trust to handle that for you.
most of that is probably in the book you bought. but i hope it's helpful anyway. good luck! wedding planning should be fun...don't let yourself get sucked into caring about things you never thought you'd care about in a million years (aka 'Bridezilla') because what's most important is a beautiful marriage, not an expensive and picture-perfect wedding
