He’s proposed and you’ve accepted. Now what? It’s time to start seriously planning your wedding. Generally a wedding is one of the most special and spectacular days in a couple’s life. Depending on the personality of the couple, a wedding can range from a simple affair with one or two witnesses, to an all out extravaganza with hundreds of guests. Either way, there’s planning involved. This article will provide soon to be brides and grooms with reviews of 10 books that will help them plan the wedding of their dreams. All of the prices listed in this article are the regular retail price of each book.
A great place to start is Amy Nebins and Greg Stadler’s book, The Bride’s Book of Lists, $12.95. The Bride’s Book contains a cornucopia of checklists for every possible wedding planning scenario. Sections include ceremony, reception, stationary, music/flowers, photo/video, fashion, hotels/transportation and honeymoon & beyond. One of the great things about this book is that it provides space for brides and grooms to store vendor business cards and brochures. Additionally, the bride’s book provides a wedding planning timeline starting from 9+ months and going all the way until the day before the wedding. The timeline includes checklists of things to do such as purchasing favors and arranging for blood tests. The book also has lists of questions brides and grooms can ask when trying to decide on the best wedding service provider.
For those brides and grooms looking for an all encompassing wedding planning book, The Wedding Book: The Big Book for your Big Day, $19.95 by Mindy Weiss and Lisbeth Levine has it all. From planning an engagement party, to a new life as a married couple, there are questions and answers, quizzes and stories to help brides and grooms plan a special unforgettable event. At 485 pages, nothing is left out.
Moving from a traditional bride to the nonconformist bride, Offbeat Bride: Taffeta Free Alternatives for Independent Brides, $15.95, by Ariel Meadows Stallings is a great book for brides and grooms who do not moon over tulle, are tired of roses and have no desire for a traditional wedding ceremony or reception. Offbeat Bride covers topics such as, clothing (which has ideas for reusing wedding outfits), ceremonies, gift registries and even picking a last name. Ms. Stallings has a nice, comical style of writing and best of all even includes suggestions to help brides deal with helping their more traditional family members cope with a non traditional wedding.
Now we can’t forget about the grooms. The Groom’s Guideby Margurite Smolen $14.95 is a compact hard cover book that helps to take the mystery out of weddings and the entire wedding planning process. The Groom’s Guide is for the gentleman groom and covers a wide array of topics such as how to plan the perfect proposal, buying a ring, picking a tuxedo, assisting with the guest list and planning the honeymoon. The best part of the Groom’s Guide is its handy dandy glossary that defines terms such as open bar and unity candle. Ms. Smolen’s book definitely looks out for grooms.
For those interested in having a wedding in an exotic locale, The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings by Carley Roney and Joann Gregoli, $19.95, may be the perfect wedding planning resource. The Knot Guide walks brides and grooms step by step through researching definitions and finding out the marriage license requirements of the chosen locale. Besides having beautiful pictures to inspire brides and grooms, the Knot Guide provides information about locales from Jamaica to Tahiti and even planning a wedding on a cruise ship. For destination weddings, this book has it all.
Planning a wedding isn’t all about the reception and the cake. One of the more personal components of a wedding are the vows. The Everything Wedding Vows Book: How to personalize the most important promise you’ll ever make, by Don Lippor and Elizabeth Sagehorn, $9.95, provides great inspiration for creating meaningful wedding vows; with inspirational quotes and romantic poetry such as Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty.” Additionally, Wedding Vows has creative activities like collage creation that is meant to inspire brides and grooms while writing their vows. There is also a section on vow appropriate words such as journey and trust.
For African-American brides, Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner, by Harriet Cole, $20.00, provides wonderful wedding ideas, advice and antidotes all written from an afro-centric viewpoint. Included is information around the origins of “jumping the broom,” recipes and question and answer sections at the end of each chapter. Ms. Cole walks brides and grooms through all the stages of planning a wedding from the pre-planning stage all the way to the honeymoon all in her easy to read conversational style.
For couples looking to save on their nuptials, both 1000 Best Wedding Bargains, $12.95 and 1001 Ways to Save Money and still have a Dazzling Wedding, $16.95 both by Sharon Naylor are filled with tips and ideas to save money on everything including wedding attire, invitations, reception décor, food and favors. Best Wedding Bargains even includes a section on the appropriate amount to tip various individuals (such a limo driver) who contribute to the special day.
Crafty brides will enjoy The DIY Bride: 40 Fun Projects for Your Ultimate One-of-a-Kind Wedding, by Khris Cochran $19.95. This wedding planning guide provides details on creating wedding favors, invitations, jewelry and gifts among other things. The DIY Bride provides pictures of the finished products, lists of needed materials, directions and illustrations to create wonderful items.
All of the above mentioned wedding planning books will provide a bride and groom with a great foundation towards planning the wedding of their dreams.
Congratulations!
