Wedding Books

Christy Miller is finally engaged. After meeting Todd Spencer on the beach when she was just 14 years old, Christy is now set to marry the man of her dreams. In I PROMISE, the final installment in Robin Jones Gunn's Christy and Todd: The College Years trilogy, Christy is quickly awoken from her dreamy visions of the future to find that she must soon begin the excruciating task of planning a wedding.

Things don't start out well, as Christy and Todd can't even agree on a date to get married. Todd wants to wed right away, while Christy would like to have up to a year to properly plan it. When they add in Christy's mom, her bossy aunt and an un-requested wedding planner to the equation, it seems like nothing will ever be decided upon.

It's not just the wedding that's worrying Christy. Now that she's thinking of Todd as her future husband, she wonders how they will possibly live with one another. Todd is spontaneous and unprepared; Christy is a detail-maniac. It seems like all of their instincts and reactions are polar opposites. As Christy stresses over everything from the wedding to her future marriage, she gets sick and is forced to miss out on a long-planned camping trip with Todd and her friends. Luckily, the time allows her to bond with her mother like she has never done before and gives her the space to finally plan the intricate details of her wedding. Christy and Todd have come to the conclusion that it is their wedding, and it should be the way they want it. While this seems like a reasonable enough sentiment, it is much harder to communicate to demanding family members.

Christy's friends also have some exciting things going on. Maid of Honor Katie gets a blast from her dating past, when former bad-boy Rick Doyle returns, appearing to have reformed his ways. And this time, it looks like their relationship might be serious. Sierra realizes that as great as Paul is, she needs more adventure in her life and prepares to go to Brazil. With all of her friends heading in different directions, and the big day approaching, Christy reflects on the past and envisions the future. She can only hope that everything comes together in time to say "I Promise."

I PROMISE is the conclusion to a story that has been going on for over six years and 15 books (although I wouldn't be surprised to see the emergence of a Christy and Todd: The Parenting Years series). Readers will breathe a sigh of relief as Christy and Todd are finally married off. The book is filled with extremely detailed accounts of weddings and wedding planning, which can be a bit daunting for some. The story, with its wedding theme, also has a very strong "save sex for marriage" message, which is present throughout the book. Those who have followed Robin Jones Gunn's work up to this point will be delighted to have Christy and Todd be blessed with a very beautiful and fitting ending to their story after so many years.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

With hearts and eyes focused on God's plan for them, Christy and Todd endured much: separation,decisions to give up plans and dreams and wait for God's plan.Heartbrek, tears, but always trying to seek and abide in God's will. Christy returned Todd's "Forever" bracelet, knew she wouldn't see him again;released Todd to follow what he felt was God's call on his life.
In her beautiful and tender words,Robin Jones Gunn brought the story of God's love and fulfillment to Todd and Christy's hopes and dreams.

A story of friendship, hope, love, trust and fiath. don't miss it!

This one is so sweet! I LOVE the Christy and Sierra series, they're my favorite! I could read until my eyes fall out. I cried over this one, and because it was the last Christy book. Robin Jones MUST write more! There needs to be more, we need to know about the box of letters, the honeymoon, whether they had kids, and whether or not Aunt Marti surrendered her life to Jesus! We need more! Keep on writing Robin Jones! And this one was so sweet, Christy and Todd are so perfect for each other. Their wedding sounded so beautiful. This one especially made me want to hold out for a hero like Todd.

The book I Promise by Robin Jones Gunn was published by the Bethany House Publishers in 2001. There are 285 pages and it is a fiction book. In those 285 pages you'll read through happy moments, sad moments, love, disaster and matrimony.

In I Promise, Christy Miller and Todd Spencer are nearing the point of wanting to permanently dedicate themselves to each other. A wedding proposal leads them on their way to a long road of ups and downs of planning a wedding. Throughout, their differences clash making you wonder, will they make it down the aisle to promise themselves to each other forever? This story is told in 3rd person omniscient and is set in Escondido, California. Many changes will take place with some tragedy, but that's for you to find out.

While reading I Promise I came to find that I really liked this book. There were happy moments that made you feel warm inside, funny moments, and even some that make you want to cry. I loved how it would incorporate every girls' dream of the perfect guy (Todd), and also having the cutest things happen between them that make you want it someday too. The way this story is written with such incredible descriptions makes you want know what they feel. Even though this story doesn't relate to me now, I hope someday it will because this has exactly what I want for me one day.

I thought this was an excellent book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good love story that puts your imagination to work.

Ever since I began to read Christy, from where it all began in Newport Beach, from under the trellis, I've become addicted to these series. These books are very special to me. Christy has become a part of me, and I hold the books in my heart. I love these books so much.
In this book, Christy and Todd try to plan their wedding, and they try (and succeed!) to get over their differences in order to become a couple. They go through ups and downs, highs and lows, in order to get to say their promises to each other for the rest of their lives.
Their wedding is beautiful, sweet, and romantic. It paints a stunning picture, and you can just imagine it, and want to be there. I cried quite a bit at the end from the beauty of the wedding, and Christy and Todd's romance, and because this was the last Christy book. I feel as if I lost a friend. And there are so many unanswered questions! Like, does Marti become a Christian? How does Todd react to the box of letters? How does their honeymoon go? What about them having kids? RJB, please write more Christy.
I loved the book and all, but I felt as if the very very last part could be better, and a little more romantic. Everything is all beautiful, but it ends with "It is my privilege to introduce to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Todd Spencer" It's sweet and all, but you want it to be a little more romantic.
I'll miss you dearly Christy, but I know you'll always be tucked into a little corner of my heart. Forever and ever.

There are better books out there for Ring Bearers than this book. As other reviewers have already stated, it's WAY too specific (the narrator has to miss a soccer game). Also, the illustrations are virtually identical from page to page: an oversized bowtie in different colors.
Save your money.

I bought this for my son from my first marriage, he is 5. He is the ring bearer for my upcoming wedding. I was mad that it has a story of some other little boy who was the ringbearer for his brother. I also hated the fact that he talked about his gift from the groom, a watch that could go under water, so now that is what my son seems to think he will get. It would have been nice if the story had not gone into so much detail, and left it a bit open to the imagination.

At first I thought the book was really cute, but I agree with other reviewers that it was too specific. I realized I'll have to return it when I got to the page that said that his mom and dad held hands through the wedding, as my little ringbearer's parents are divorced. Disappointing that they wouldn't take that possibility into consideration.

I recently was married and in addition to flower girls, I had a young nephew as the ring bearer. He was a little timid about performing the task as he was going to have to walk by himself down the aisle! At the rehearsal dinner I gave him the book and he loved it. For the first time he realized that he was an important part of the ceremony and at the wedding it was clear that he took great pride in his job. The book made him feel better about the whole process and was a great way to give him something special for helping me on such an important day. I would recommend this book for anyone having a young boy (3-7 yrs old) as a ring bearer.

We were a little disappointed that the story said the ring bearer collected $5.00 from guests at the reception and was able to go to the Zoo. We had to have my sister skip that page or we would have a four year old thinking he is able to collect money at the reception. Otherwise it was a good book and perfect for our young ring bearer.

I didn't find this book very exciting. I looked through it and there's really nothing in it that I can use. I was looking for ideas for my wedding bouquet and I really got NONE.

I bought the book used, but it looked brand new. I was pleased.

The first part of the book provides a list of favoured wedding flowers (with photos), and it gives a basic summary on their characteristics, seasonal availability and cost. The second part of the book contains a few DIY tips (not a lot) and a small gallery of centerpiece/bouquet designs, grouped by colors and themes.

The information in this book can be helpful for brides-to-be who are unfamiliar with the names of flowers, or what certain flowers look like. I personally think that the design examples are quite simple and unintimidating (ie. not flashy or over the top), and thus this book will be useful for brides who are looking for inspirations along those lines.

I recommend this book as a preliminary reference and it's a good start before meeting with your florist to discuss wedding flowers.

If you are looking for some floral tips and arrangement ideas, this book will help you with those ideas. However, if you are looking for an instructional book on how to make arrangements yourself, this book doesn't give enough information on this. (Yes, there is a small section in the book about making them yourself--but does not tell you how to make certain ones shown in the book). I would like a more informational--how-to-make boquet book. I might just have to write one myself!

I found this book useful in that it was simple, straight forward guide to the most common flowers used in weddings. The first half is essentially a glossary of flowers. It provides basic information that made it easy to compare flowers: photo, meaning, colors available, when in season, and price range. The book also provides information on bouquet styles, color schemes, and flower arrangments, but I found the single flower photos most educational.

This book enabled me to have an intelligent conversation with my florist and narrow down which flowers I wanted for my wedding. I even took it along with me to discuss specific flowers with my florist.

I plan to lend it to all my friends for their wedding planning!

This is a step-up from your average beach read and more substantial than chick-lit. History, romance and great food all weave together for a highly enjoyable reading experience... as my Italian grandmother would say, "Try it, you'll like it!"

I picked this up expecting a romance (based on the cover and title)....and my expectations for romances are no longer that high- having read more than my share of them. However, this is a wonderful book that anyone would enjoy- men and women alike.

There is a wonderful love story, but also a lot of humor, and what I like the best- was that you learn so much about conditions in WWII, volcanoes, and Italian food.

In short, very well researched, and very well written- a book I could not put down.

I learned so many new things by reading The Wedding Officer. I learned all about Naples in wartime, Mt. Vesuvius, Italian cooking and I also learned a lot of new words ("damenbinden" being my personal fave--Google it). This book seems to have it all yet, as much as I enjoyed it, something was missing. Kind of like the wonderful dishes Livia whipped up... if all the ingredients weren't present then the recipe falls a little flat, yet still edible. The first half of the book was a bit slow and textbook-ish but the second half was far superior. I wish the author would have told us up front that most of the events that occured in the book really happened...he reveals this in the Acknowledgements at the end. Overall, the premise was excellent but the execution was slightly off the mark. Not off the mark enough to skip this interesting novel, just off enough to keep it from earning 5 stars from me. Overall, I would highly recommend The Wedding Officer.

In Audio really didn't enjoy this story it was too easy to day dream during it when good stories you can't stop listening and you can't leave the room because they are so wonderful. But the Wedding Officer didn't grab me enough. The narrator did his best with the Italian accents. Interesting the ground being fertilised by the Vesuvius erupsion and the produce being really rich from the soil after but other than that sorry 2 stars. I know a lot of reviewers don't give bad reviews only 4 or 5 stars on any book but that is not what this is all about. As Buyer of books or Audios we need honest opinions whether we should or shouldn't spend or waste our money on the particular audio.

Don't waste your money on this Audio.

We picked this selection for our book club last month. The first several chapters were interesting, and I really felt like the characters were going to be very engaging. Then it hit a plateau. The characters lost their charm and fell flat. I'm honestly not much of a feminist, but I soon felt this was a book written by a man with one fantasy in mind: having a woman who does nothing but cooks for him and has sex whenever he pleases. It becomes very tedious after a while.

This was wonderful to give to my mom! She loved it and so did I because it has some great advice.

Take it from someone who knew virtually nothing about weddings and what part a Mother has in them...this book saved the day for me!

I bought this book as a gift for my mother, who is as excited as I am about my upcoming wedding. I had hoped that I could use it to help us figure out our roles in planning the event. I read the book myself before giving it to her, however, and decided to sell it instead of give it. I found the advice on primping, shopping, and party-planning was impractical for me; more suited to a trendy socialite and Mom, than a practical girl who loves the soulful simple life.

My mom had so many questions about what she was supposed to do as the MOB, so I purchased this book for her. She LOVES it! I have not read it, but she is always referring to it. She says that it addresses all sorts of issues and had been extremely helpful. She has recommended it for one of her friends who is also a MOB.

Excellent reference for the proper to the ignorant. Great gift for those who spout manners and etiquette but wouldn't know it if it ran them over, send anonymously of course!

I am a friend of Mrs. Tuckerman and she worked really hard on this book. I read this book all the time. I use it for every occasion. Give these great ladies some credit, they want to be a little old fashined then it's thier choice. If you don't like this book then don't read it or buy it. I am a devoted fan of this book. Mrs. Tuckerman is the sweetest and coolest lady her age. I myself am a asipring writer ( I write fun news type stories).

This book is vry informative and really has some great information. I wish more people would read it and learn a little!

Etiquette are the rules to apply toward others in public. When you work in the public sector, there are such a thing as manners and treating others as you want to be treated. In Sunday's local paper, there was an article "Do clothes still make the man -- or woman?" in which a former chief deputy clerk in the District Court gives accounts of how the judges treated jury members and defendants who were not properly dressed according to his wishes. Ties were required as was dress wear instead of just being clean and properly groomed. He bases his account on the 'Andy Griffith show' which still plays on local television, and used Amy Vanderbilt's GUIDE TO GRACIOUS LIVING about how to greet people on the street. Well, he is an older man, granted, but he does not follow his own advice. I saw him coming out of the History Center on the main street of town; when he acknowledged he knew me, he turned and walked around the block so as not to have to converse with me. He criticized the way people dress today in public and asks, "Whatever happened to class?"

According to this volume, which is a bit outdated but not as much as the Vanderbilt guide he used, a woman should dress according to her profession. Seeing a woman move up the ranks at the local transit system, going from old-fashioned denim dress with boots to cover the rest of her, to dressing like a common street walker, I had to make a comment, "You need to dress professional." Her boss, attired in orange pants and ball cap at a special "Meet the Manager" day, dressed down to what he perceived is the level of the riders; he asked me, "Do you think I should be wearing a suit?" and I merely said, "I will tell you what I did Ms. Pickle, "You should dress professional" if they want to receive the admiration of the public they are purportedly representing. The rudeness of some transit employees show their disrespect for the older person of different races and for their job. When we get on that bus, our lives are in the hands of these rude, surly, prejudiced persons who say derogatory remarks to and about passengers in front of others. They can refuse to stop to pick you up at their discretion, and they take advantage of that. It's not just bad manners. It shows how regressed a certain percentage of the population has become. They are ignorant and uneducated, and show it.

A man should never wear frayed shirt collars and cuffs no matter what the occasion is. I saw a local celebrity on the sidewalk outside his office with a torn place on his pants leg. Some people have no pride in their work or position in the community. Her advice: "Know who you are" and dress accordingly. In the Northeast, you must never wear white shoes and accessories after Labor Day, but that doesn't apply to the South.

A good rule for both sexes is to never dress in clothes that are too tight; they make a thin person look gaunt and a large person twice as heavy. There are people who are not interested in how they are perceived dress according to the weather and, even in public, wear ill-fitting casual wear. If they could just see themselves from the rear!

By all means, we need to smell good. I like her hand lotion but the perfume is too strong. Sometimes, riding the local buses, I have to put some of the lotion on a handkerchief and hold it to my nose, as the homeless and some others don't practice good hygiene. With the increase in rates, perhaps that smelly group of people won't be so prevelant.

My mother has a copy of the original edition, so I grew up treating Vanderbilt's work as a constant reference for social graces. Naturally, I was overjoyed to learn that a new edition had made an appearance. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

With no disrespect intended to Tuckerman et al for their fine work, this once-great guide is a shadow of its former self. It is no less accurate than it once was, but is unfortunately much more base. Do people really need to be told not to leave dirty dishes lying about, for example?

As a guide to minimal civilized behaviour--how not to behave like a spoiled child--it carries the tradition of excellence. However, for the finer points of etiquette, I strongly recommend tracking down a copy of the 1978 (Baldrige ed.) edition of this great reference.

Lacy Smithsonian is on a roll. I can't put the book down. I continue to look forward to finding out who the villain is in these stories. I am pleased these books are not predictable and they keep you guessing. Ellen Byerrum has a great writing style that is relatable to many different types of women.

I debated between 4 and 5 stars, but really, I can't think of anything to complain about in "Designer Knockoff", so 5 stars it is. Lacey Smithsonian is an appealing heroine and the supporting characters are interesting and nicely developed (though characters introduced in the first book in the series don't get a re-hash, so it may not feel as if they are developed if you didn't read book one). The plot is good, not too unbelievable, and Lacey's world comes across as real and appealing with humor generously sprinkled in. The writing is good, no weak editing that could throw the reader off stride. Lacey seems like a happy, well-adjusted woman, not overly neurotic and she doesn't do things that you have to suspend disbelief to accept as a natural part of her life and the story. Highly recommended for an entertaining read.

The story is pretty well written, the characters are intelligent and sassy.

This is a fun light read. Definitly worth a few hours of your time if you like light mysteries.

I really enjoyed the first book, and found the second book, "Designer Knockoff" to be a great follow up.

The plot this time revolves around Hugh "the Bastard" Bentley, America's premiere fashion designer who is pushing for a Fashion Museum with some funding from Congress. Throw in an ambitious, missing Congressional Intern with dreams of being the next "Bentley Girl" model and you have an intriguing mystery with contemporary overtones.

Added to the mix is a "Bentley" original from Lacey's Aunt Mimi's trunk, which also yields dress patterns and designs from Aunt Mimi's friend, Gloria, who worked for Bentley during WWII, but disappeared suddenly and mysteriously. Lacey becomes curious about her Aunt Mimi's relationship with Hugh Bentley, especially why her Aunt started calling him, Hugh "the Bastard" Bentley.

While pursuing a story about a robbery at one of the Bentley stores to help Stella's friend, Miguel, Lacey's starts finding clues to the missing Intern and begins to uncover the Bentley family's dirty little secrets.

The mystery ends with Lacey showing up in one of Gloria's designs at the ball for the Bentley Fashion museum, where in a dramatic showdown she learns who really designed the first Bentley couture line. Lacey having caught the Interns killer, uncovers what happen to Aunt Mimi's friend Gloria, with the help of Bentley's nephew.

This novel introduces another man to compete for Lacey's affection, Jeffrey Bentley Holmes, Hugh Bentley's nephew. An interesting man, who is coming to grips with being a member of a powerful family that has no conscious, while he has a strong one. Tony, Lacey's co-worker, hovers pleasently in the background as another potential suitor. Vic Donovan still dominates the scene with Lacey, despite not being the most considerate of males.

Another enjoyable aspect of the series is the further development of the supporting characters. It is Stella who introduces Lacey to Miguel. Lacey's friend and conspiracy theory junkie, Brooke, finds romance with Damon, who runs the DeadFed website. Damon introduces Lacey to TurtleDove, a security agent. Turtledove helps move precious Aunt Mimi's trunk out of her apartment, when Lacey realizes someone will kill to get to the letters and patterns from Gloria it contains.

Justice is not served in the end, since the Bentley's are rich and powerful enough to prevent that, which unfortunately is a reality in most real life cases involving people in their position.

Another great and enjoyable read. This is a fun series.

This was another Crime of Fashion Mystery, and was just as satisfying as the first installment. The writing is witty and fun, the character of Lacey Smithsonian is well-drawn, and the supporting cast of characters adds a lot to the book. The mystery/death is linked to Lacey's past as well, and I found that historical element - particualrly about 40s fashions - made the book even more enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book...

I subscribe to Real Simple and always find it chock full of good, useful, and more importantly, DOABLE things/information. So when I saw RS Weddings I picked up a copy, despite the hefty $13 tag, to help me plan my wedding.

Like the regular RS mag, this one is full of great info and will be especially useful if you are planning on doing a lot of the wedding planning work yourself, or you're DIYing some of the basic stuff (invites, favors). It got me thinking about issues I would not have thought about.

A good read along with Bride mag if you're in the planning stages and looking for ideas. The price was a bit steep and the wedding section of their website could be better designed or more interactive (like The Knot). All in all, not bad and would recommend.

While this isn't going to be your ultimate wedding source book, the magazine is great! It presents information needed without overwhelming or assuming you have a $100,000 budget to work with (it also doesn't rule out those people who do have a $100,000 budget either).

I thought it would be no big deal to plan a small wedding, but then my budget started to spiral out of control and I was freaking out over details. Then I found an ad for "Real Simple Weddings" in a current issue of "Real Simple", and now everything is fine! Instead of overwhelming me like other books and magazines, "Real Simple Weddings" reminded me that there is no "right" way to do things and that I don't have to do everything suggested. It lays out what needs to be taken care of, but also what is just fluff and can be tossed aside if not important to the couple or if it isn't in the budget.

Don't buy this magazine thinking it is going to be like other bridal magazines. The only advertisement you will find in this magazine is for Crate and Barrel at the start of every chapter (yes, chapters!). This magazine is formated like a book (with an index!!), and I find it to have more valuable information than most wedding planning books. There is a wedding dress guide, flower guide sorted by color and season, pictures, wedding day details, real couple storied, info on about everything a wedding needs, and every chapter ends with a "question and answer" section.

Buy this magazine if you are just starting to plan your wedding, or you are in a much needed reality check. I don't regret the money spent on this magazine. By far it has been my best wedding book/magazine purchase! and i have bought A LOT of them.

The wedding scrap book helps you keep your memories organized. It's very cute and helpful.

This book is definately worth the money! I looked all over and found mushy memory books with stupid phrases and pages of useless information to fill out. This book is simple and absolutely adorable. I love the pictures in it and the fact that it gave you a basic direction, but really let you fill out how you wanted. Excellent buy!

This book is very cute, and helps to remind you what you'll want to save to look back on for years to come, but I agree that it could have pockets or something else to keep items in rather than having to glue/stick them to the pages.

I am rating this scrapbook sight unseen. My granddaughter will be married in July 2008, and I ordered this book to be sent directly to her. I know Darcy Miller from her position on Martha Stewart's publications staff, and I was confident that the book would reflect her impeccable taste and creativity. My granddaughter confirmed my expectation. She reported that the book includes spaces to record every single facet of her wedding and its preparation that she knows she will want to remember.

This reminded me a lot of the scrapbook we found of my grandparents' wedding. I like that it had structured content, and gave suggestions about what to paste on each page. It gave questions to prompt what to write. I'm not much of a scrapbooker, so I liked the structure. It is also very retro looking.

It did have sections that I didn't have content for (we didn't have an engagement party). But over all it was great.

The sticker on the front was on upside down, so I had to peel it off & put it on the right way, but it worked out fine.

The scrapbook was done by someone affiliated w/Martha Stewart's magazine.

There is no finer story in the English language than "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe." The technique of the unknown narrator is a wonderful device and once you've identified the identity of this narrator, the story becomes more enriching and, alas, more mysterious. The unusual triangle of characters trapped in love is, at first, depressing, but when reread and then again reread, the eternal theme becomes enlightening and the lessons learned become permanently embossed in your mind. This story is truly an experience to treasure. Carson McCullers' other stories are as enriching, but this is her masterpiece.

I've loved Carson McCullers for years, and her complete works have only been sporadically available. Her miniatures are near perfectly realized works of literary art, and this collection is a fine introduction to a great writer from the south who seems to have dropped of the critical radar. Her output is quite small, finely honed, and the prose is like a clear blue sky. Her longer works are worth searching for, and I recently noted that The Library of America has been hard at work making sure that Carson will continue to be read....!

I'm not a fan of the open-ended short story, being a tale that is redolent with symbolism that I'm certain is there but just don't "get." Unfortunately McCullers' tales seem to fall into this category so I was not terribly thrilled with the stories. However, as a body of work they were interesting--the themes of lost childhood, changing sibling relationships, disgruntled musical prodigies, and general loneliness / rejection emerge and give a nice sense of continuity to the works. The inclusion of two of her novellas is nice; I appreciate the longer story format for the ability to get to know the characters and setting a little better.

Overall I'd recommend picking up McCullers' novellas and if you're thrilled with those, tackle her short stories.

What strikes me most about McCullers is the simple yet rich complexity of her characters. While some of the earlier stories in this book felt too incomplete for me, as if they were more vignettes than stories, the tales grew stronger as I read on. The Haunted Boy is my favorite because it resonates with a sad truthfulness as a boy struggles to cope with a tragic event from the past which he's yet to deal with emotionally.

I think any true fan of literary storytelling will admit that, though perhaps not always perfect, Carson McCullers' writing as a whole is a sample of this genre at its best.

I have always read stories in the past that gave me feelings right away. After reading these short stories, I was somewhat confused why McCullers didn't elaborate, or why she ended the story where she did. It was only after reading her biography, that I began to reread the stories and became obsessed with all of them. The meanings became clearer, the ideas behind them were revealed, and she has become my favorite author. I would recommend this to anyone, and I would also recommend her novels too. Enjoy.