The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day

My fiance and I are currently planning a low-budget, fairly untraditional wedding all on our own, sans wedding planner, and since wedding books nearly all cater to a more mainstream, high-budget crowd, I haven't found the majority to be helpful or necessary. Even the ones with titles involving "bargains" and "green" have either assumed a much more traditional scenario than what we've got going, or have relied too much on common sense to be useful. THIS book, however, has been my go-to resource when we have any questions of process or etiquette, and has been enormously helpful for answering questions related to things like timelines, types of fabrics, tipping vendors, and figuring out seating charts. It is extremely comprehensive and detailed, with information about every single aspect of a wedding, and it looks much more at the PROCESS of putting together a wedding rather than the PRODUCT of what the wedding will look like at the end. It's like having a wedding planner in your pocket. So even though I was initially afraid the book might only apply to formal weddings, I definitely think it could be relevant for anyone's planning process, no matter how small the wedding or unique the plans. You might end up ignoring 90% of what's in the book, but you will love it for the 10% that you do need to know.

It doesn't matter if you're planning a small wedding. She tells you how to cut down costs and all about contracts (which everyone will come across when planning their wedding). As the maid of honor, I now serve as the wedding coordinator (to save money) and this book is practically training me- teaching me to organize and prioritize lists to present to the bride. This makes the stress of planning plummet because she warns you about problems you might encounter and how to get around them. Some of these chapters include: cakes, stationery, lingerie, tents, insurance, port-a-potties, party favors, the toasts, photography, tipping, invitations, top music selections, guest list, guest accommodations, etiquette, different religions, wedding traditions, menu planning, catering, florists, legal (license requirements), gift tracking and types of thank-you notes, dinnerware, china patterns, shower ideas, rehearsal dinners, Bride & Groom fashions including what looks flattering on different body types, what to do weeks before the wedding, ring styles and their meaning, etc! (This is not even half of what is in this book). In the back of the book, it has a list of items where you can keep your budget notes, contacts pages for every element she goes over in the book (i.e. florist, make-up artist, transportation, music, hotels, etc) and lastly lots of pages for notes. So all the information that's important is all in one place and you don't have to keep scraps of paper in your purse. IT'S WONDERFUL. If you have no clue what you're doing, this helps you find where to start and leads you through every aspect of planning up until your big day and then some. Itsead of dreading all the work, this will get you excited about the small details because she gives you choices and samples. I love this book and to be honest I think it's a pretty cheap price for what this book is worth. PURE GOLD. Good luck brides!!

Most of this has to do with the Kindle version more than the content of the book. I chose to buy the Kindle edition of this book so that I could read it on my tablet while on the cardio equipment at the gym (a bride has to mulit-task!), and essentially to access the information anywhere. There were apparently issues when converting the book to Kindle format as there are obvious typos all over ("The Quest List" - really?). I've seen this in other Kindle books, so I guess they just don't have proofreaders. I've bookmarked a number of pages, but the Kindle App on my tablet can't seem to take me to my bookmarks, not sure if syncing to my PC App will sync bookmarks as well but I know you can go to them on the PC. This is kind of picky, except there are tons of things I read earlier in the planning process that I knew I'd want to come back to and can't seem to easily - I imagine this would be a headache for any bride. Lastly, there are little "side-notes" throughout the chapters, and the Kindle edition doesn't always differentiate them very well (at least on my tablet), so the sentences run together & then you have to figure out where the side note starts & ends to make sense of it all. As far as the book content goes - it has tons of great information and tips. The checklists, planning/organizing ideas, and traditions were all really helpful. However what other reviewers have noted seems true: a lot of specifics are not conducive to brides on lower budgets (I'd recommend Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing A Fantastic Wedding On A Realistic Budget for cost savings ideas as well). Overall, the book is great and I recommend it to any bride; however if you want to easily refer to points within or if you have a hard time getting past typos, I'd suggest ordering the hard copy instead of the Kindle. Considering I have done almost all of my reading at the gym or on road trips, I'd say the convenience has outweighed the technical defects.

Si tienes buen nivel de ingles, merece muchísimo la pena!! Tiene de todo lo que te puedas imaginar sobre bodas, detalles que igual ni pensabas. No tiene fotos, solo texto y dibujos esporádicos de tipos de escotes, cortes, encajes, flores... Muy recomendable!

The absolute must have wedding book!!! There are a whole lot of information in it so that you get to know everything you need for your wedding! Of course there are also things that might not be interesting for everyone - once you have found your location you might not find it necessary to read about it again - but you really have the whole deal in it. After my wedding this book will definitely find a special place in my library!

This book has EVERYTHING you need to know about getting married. It has now become the gift I buy all my new bride friends.

I purchased this book in combination with Mindy Weiss' Wedding Planner and Organizer binder. I found both items to be very well written and contained a lot of helpful information for soon-to-be brides planning their wedding. After careful research, this came at the top of my list. It really helped solve problems when dealing with multiple personalities, family from both sides wanting to make decisions, seating chart dilemmas, the list goes on. I got married over 2.5 years ago and had over 450 people at my 2-day wedding. Very insightful information with diagrams and I really love the checklist that provides you with important items you need to carry with you on your wedding day- the 'emergency' kit. I followed that to a "T" and believe it or not, I had to use most of those items, including those in my bridal party. Who would have thought you needed fabric tape on your wedding day? Well my MIL did! Thank goodness I had this in my bridal purse. Overall, great book, will keep it as a momemto and intend to pass it on to the next female in my family who will be getting married. The only drawback is that this book isn't really catered to those who have ethnic weddings. I had a multicultural wedding (Nikkah/Muslim Ceremony, Christian Ceremony and Reception). Wished it would have more information about those types of cultures. But still give it a "5" star rating!

i have been informed that this book covers any topic related to weddings that you can think of. don't want screamind toddlers, the mother of whom insists is cute and well behaved, at your wedding it's in there. mother/mother in law a pain in the neck? here's what you do. oh yeah, and it's funny too. great book, very helpfull.