Like many newly engaged gals, one of the first things I did upon getting engaged was start planning. However, it didn’t take long for me to come to the stark realization that a lot of hard work and preparation go into putting a wedding together.
I ventured off to my local Barnes and Noble and headed straight for their wedding planning and etiquette section. I expected to find a shelf or two with maybe a dozen books on the subject. What I found instead was an entire aisle of books about planning the “perfect wedding.” I spent a great deal of time looking through them all, finding most of them to be outdated, unhelpful, or extremely useless. Half of the books seemed to be sending out subliminal messages trying to get me to buy something else, and the other half did not appear to take into consideration that not all brides have expendable checkbooks and wallets.
Among the shelves full of books, I managed to find several that stood out among the rest. These books covered all aspects of putting a wedding together, and offered helpful insight and insider tips for making your wedding day run smoothly. If you are looking for a wedding planning book that will help you with all of the pre-wedding and wedding details, these books are worth the investment.
Bridal Bargainsby Denise and Alan Fields
This wedding planning book comes with a money back guarantee if the advice and tips offered in it’s pages do not save you at least $500 on your wedding. The book is packed with money saving tips and advice on everything involving your special day, from your wedding gown to your honeymoon. In addition to lists of online wholesalers for flowers, gowns and party favors, Bridal Bargains is loaded with common wedding scams and pitfalls to avoid. The information in Bridal Bargains will help you plan your wedding and give you the knowledge to negotiate and deal with wedding vendors. In the gown section of the book, Denise and Alan Fields rate the quality, price and service and quality of major dress designers and retailers. The book also contains a tear-out checklist of important questions to ask your vendors. Whether you are working on a budget of $20,000 or $200, Bridal Bargains will making getting the most for your money an easy task.
The Knot Books of Wedding Lists is a fill-in-the-blank book that outlines all of the large and small details of your wedding day. The book is broken into sections based on when each task in your planning should be completed, and prompts you with essential questions that will help you plan the wedding of your dreams. The book is also filled with important etiquette information, sections to write notes, and questions to ask your vendors. One of the biggest highlights is the book’s size. It is fairly small and will fit in your purse, making it easy to take along with you to food tasting and reception sites.
As the title suggests, this wedding planning book covers literally Every aspect of your wedding day. One of the greatest highlights of the book is the superb organization. Everything is sectioned together and easy to find. Unlike Bridal Bargains and The Knot Book of Wedding Lists, The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide contains ideas and color photographs in addition to planning advice. The lowlight of the book is it’s large size, making it difficult to take along with you during important vendor meetings.
Other Tools
While each of these books will guide you through the wedding planning process, there are some other helpful tools to have on hand. Keep a three-ring binder or accordion file to keep track of all of your contracts and other important papers. A blank sketchbook can be used to organize your visual planning tools, such as pictures of wedding dresses or cakes you like.
