Wedding Books

I bought this book because I absolutely loved the first four books. I did not, however, find this one anywhere near as funny. Although there were a few laughs, overall the book was just OK. I could not put the first few books down, and was really looking forward to reading this, but found myself switching to another book after the first few chapters. I did eventually read the whole book, but just did not really enjoy it. The Wedding Planner part is funnier than the Divorce Guide. Maybe she just has too many books and not enough ideas to go around and keep it fresh. I would be reluctant to purchase future books without checking them out first.

No matter where you are in your marriage-anything from planning to meet the future groom to trying to decide how big to make the bonfire of the ex husband's crap-this is the book that tells a woman most of the things her friends are trying to tell her nicely. But they love her so they can't be nice about it-so get a big, funny Southern woman to tell you what you need to know. In classic Southern way, Browne regails you with stories of her friends, leaves you in stitches, offers a few yummy recipes (who wants to diet when something so important is happening?), and helps you plan any number of parties you need to feel. Her conversational tone gives the image that, were you to visit to Mississippi for the SPW march, you could walk up to her and give her a bear hug.

Just a note-I get quickly annoyed by the tone many authors take-the whole "New York is the best place in the world and anyone else is a poor backwards rube." It can take away from any other hillarity that follows. Browne, being a proud Southerner, does the opposite: "You're a Yankee! Why bless your heart. Don't y'all want to move to where it isn't snowing all the time? Oh, and get over yourself." I find that hillarious, but if it grates on your nerves, skip this helpful, funny, and friendly book. It's your loss.

I bought the cd because I really enjoyed the first two so much.

I laughed once in the third cd. This book is a rehash of many stories from the first three, with a bit of new stuff thrown in.

Don't waste your money.

Jill Conner Browne is just hilarious! I always enjoy her books and this one was NOT a dissappointment. I'm sure people think I'm crazy driving down the road while listening to her books and laughing hysterically. She is a true southern comedian....

I bought this book and read it to a friend going through a nasty divorce. Not only did she laugh, she said absolutely every word rang true. The wedding planner half is silly fun with a few good ideas thrown in, but any woman who's had to kick out a Man Who Needs Killing will relish the divorce guide and all its wicked humor.

I am a bride and a maid of honor so this was very helpful to everyone

this is a good journal. there are lots of things you can record BUT it's too much for me. there's a big emphasis on food but less of an emphasis on exercise. i am going to go back to The Ultimate Workout Log: An Exercise Diary for Everyone by Suzanne Schlosberg. i like the other one much more...most likely i'll switch after a month or so since i have already started this journal. i like to record food but i also like looking at wrap ups at the end of each week and see the daily ratings in a snapshot. i like being able to record my weight often and energy level. i will probably write those in the spaces provided in the other journal. flip through this one and see if it's for you. if your main issue is what you eat and you're not as concerned with capturing detail around exercise this might be for you.

If your going to lose weight you have to keep track of your daily calories and the Diet Journal is the perfect tool! Easy to use and understand. Also becomes motivational in that you can easily see how well you are doing------or not doing.

One thing I learned after being successful at Weight Watchers is that keeping track of what you are actually putting in your mouth. It's so easy to forget that peice of candy that you grabbed at work, or the bag of chips that came with your sandwich. Journaling helps keep you honest, and allows you to see what is really going on with your eating habits. You can track your progress, to understand why some weeks you were successful and other weeks not so much, by looking back at your journal.

This is a simple to use journal that will fit just about any eating program you are using. Each day allows you to enter your food consumed, activities (i.e. exercise), water... as well as a place to enter your thoughts and I feelings. You get a graph to chart your progress, a small journal to use while traveling, and a list of many foods in the back with their basic nutritional information. The book also contains a great deal of practical advice that many can find helpful.

This book will not solve your weight issues, and it doesn't promise a magic bullet that will keep you thin forever. What it will do is give you an extremely useful tool that will help keep you on your program and allow you to accurately track your progress.

This is a great tool for anyone trying to lose weight, to control or prevent diabetes. You have a chart to track your weight loss. This diet journal has wonderful information on losing weight and helpful tips to keep you motivated. It is very easy to use. The key is to be honest and record everything. For example, I use the amount column on the Daily Nutrional Intake for monitoring my sodium. I have used this journal for over a month now and I could not have been as successful on my diet without it. As a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic, I encourage anyone trying to lose weight to purchase this journal. Better yet, buy two and ask a friend, spouse or relative who is struggling with their weight to use this diet journal with you. You truly will be amazed at your weight loss success. Thanks Alex Lluch for a superior diet journal which can be used with any diet program.

This is a great guide. It's complete, from planning to the event to afterward. I don't agree with 100% (I'm having black bridesmaids' dresses, so there!) but it talks about the reasons for most customs and has little asides about various questions and customs. A very good guide, not stuffy, practical. :)

I am getting married in July and my sister is getting married in August. She is my maid of honor and I will be her matron of honor. She bought a lot of wedding ettiquette/planning books that we have both been consulting, and this is by far the best. The author has obviously been involved in planning many weddings, from the most elaborate to the most simple, and she offers great advice. A must-read for the bride who wants as many personal touches as possible, but also wants to know what's acceptable -- and what's not. A very funny read, as well!

FINALLY! A book that doesn't assume I work as a designer for Martha Stewart Weddings. It offers guidance to all with such wonderful common sense (which I've found all TOO uncommon in today's wedding guides!) This book does not tell the bride that she can do anything she wants becasue after all it's HER day. Ms. Shaw comes straight to the point and tells you the truth. Just like a best friend. Only this best friend knows exactly how to word the invitations and seat the groom's family. And this book is actually funny! The examples of faux pas are excellent reminders of just how ridiculous and childish people can get when it comes to weddings. This book will help you make your day special, AND help you expertly manage the delicate situations that will surely arise along the way. Above all, its humor will remind you that weddings are supposed to be fun. This is a great gift for a bride-to-be.

This wedding book is very well done. The best part of the book is the fact that it uses humor. In an age when weddings have become the focus of obsessive mothers and brides that are out of touch with reality, Shaw uses humor to foucs on keeping the wedding tasteful and nice. The book is full of tons of practical advice. The use of humor makes it very readable for grooms!

I received this book as a wedding gift from a friend. I love it! My husband and I can add our favorite recipes and keep them handy. I have added old family recipes, my husband and my favorite recipes, and we have created new recipes. This is a must have for every kitchen! Makes a great gift too! I will be giving these as wedding and new home gifts to all of my family and friends!

As my kids are all on their own now, one-by-one they have asked for certain recipes. Last year I gave the youngest a recipe card box filled with separate recipes, but this is much easier to manage, and hopefully encourages them to add more! SO the middle child will get this this year.

THIS BOOK MAKES A GREAT GIFT. IT IS ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR A NEW MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY AS A WEDDING GIFT. IT WILL BECOME A "FAMILY BIBLE" OF YOUR COOKBOOKS.

I love this book! It saves me the hassle of dealing with tons of cards or having to create a binder and put all the cards in covers. It also has a great kitchen tips all the way through for new and seasoned cooks. I have ordered TWO! It is a great gift for newlyweds as well so they can begin building their family recipes.

I've lost track of the number of weddings that I've conducted or assisted using this book. My wife and I originally used it to find readings for our own wedding 16 years ago. Since then, I've given it to many about-to-be-wedded couples, and they inevitably love it. An uncommonly thoughtful and wide selection of great quotes & readings.

An excellent collection of readings from great literature, and various cultures and religions. With so many good selections and such variety, the book nears a one-stop shopping resource for readings. Makes you want to have more than one ceremony! The author provides some subtle suggestion/guidance by grouping readings according to themes and speakers.

I'm giving this a low score because the cover claims that the selections are specifically for wedding readings, both traditional and informal. I agree with another reviewer: the few excerpts I liked and could use in a ceremony all appeared in other collections. I'd recommend this only to someone who is reading about love and marriage for a peek into other times and traditions...not to gather readings for a ceremony. The texts were certainly interesting and educational, but most are only appropriate for self-conciously nontraditional events, very brave readers, and highly literate guests. Lots of archaic langauge and rather overwrought expressions of love. I'm planning a small, casual wedding and many of the guests are writers also. I'd be embarassed to have most of these readings presented, so I'm returning my copy. If you're researching wedding rituals or are looking for quotes for an article on commitment through the ages, this might be good for you. If you're a busy-wedding-planning bride looking for some readings that will engage but not challenge your guests, I'd recommend looking at other guides.

I'm giving this a low score because the cover claims that the selections are specifically for wedding readings, both traditional and informal. I agree with another reviewer: the few excerpts I liked and could use in a ceremony all appeared in other collections. I'd recommend this only to someone who is reading about love and marriage for a peek into other times and traditions...not to gather readings for a ceremony. The texts were certainly interesting and educational, but most are only appropriate for self-conciously nontraditional events, very brave readers, and highly literate guests. Lots of archaic langauge and rather overwrought expressions of love. I'm planning a small, casual wedding and many of the guests are writers also. I'd be embarassed to have most of these readings presented, so I'm returning my copy. If you're researching wedding rituals or are looking for quotes for an article on commitment through the ages, this might be good for you. If you're a busy-wedding-planning bride looking for some readings that will engage but not challenge your guests, I'd recommend looking at other guides.

I really enjoyed all the readings this book included. It has religious and non religious readings. It includes sonnets, love poems and passages from the Bible. If you want some alternative selections for your ceremony, I definately recommend this book. Whether you are Jewish, Christian or Atheist this book really has something for everyone. Some of the readings they include in this book would be great to be recited at the reception, or be placed in your wedding program or invitation. I would recommend reading this book from cover to cover so that yu don't miss any of the special passages that you may want to incorporate!

Becasue it said "fresh" in the title I was expecting a little less canned and processed foods and maybe a bit more in depth menu planning

Finally a cook book that has an organized index, and easy to follow recipes. Dishes are healthy, mostly consisting in a basic recipe + a sauce and tasty side dish. They are good and goodlooking enough to impress a guest. Ingredients like mint or ginger give a fresh taste to many dishes, and there are a lot of interesting ideas throughout the book. And yes, the pictures help a lot..

Haven't tried any of the recipes yet, I've been too busy (the reason I got the book), but they sound easy and delicious! Received it in a timely manner.

Wasn't sure about the title at first. This book has some good recipes for busy people, quick, fast and can be pulled together. Tthough not all family friendly ones and for a mom of four that's really important. This book is similiar to another one called WEEKDAY SURVIVAL. If you like this book and need something gered toward family, you might like one of my favorite books that offers homestyle family friendly and shortcut tips, too. THE FRANTIC WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FEEDING FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Bought this book on a whim. I've seen her columns in the SF Chronicle which sparked my interest. Already have tried 3 of the recipes and they've all been excellent so I'm very pleased. As a parent of a toddler and working f/t, this is a great book for meal planning ideas

While helping my daughter plan her wedding this book was invaluable. Gives you many options of what's "supposed to take place" at a Jewish wedding, and also creative alternatives. Very helpful and a quick read. Use some of it or all of it!

My fiance is Jewish and I am not, and we were looking for a book that explained some of the Jewish traditions in a way that could be used in a mixed wedding. This book, however, is solely for an all-Jewish wedding and assumes a background knowledge about Judiasm that was not helpful for us. For example, we wanted an explanation of the meaning of the breaking of the glass that we could offer up to our guests, but the book just assumed people knew what the ritual was all about and did not offer much language we could use. I did give the book 3 stars because it seemed to be very open to variants of Jewish weddings (for more modern couples), but had no real info of use to me.

The Creative Jewish Wedding book has been a life saver. My partner and I had read every book, magazine, web site there is. As a Lesbian couple we were searching and searching for texts that included us in a way that was just inclusive and not so abrupt and exclusive or not included as an afterthought. Gabrielle makes all kinds of Judaism included and honored and makes the reader feel like whatever their beliefs it's all good. As a gay couple we can't express our appreciation enough of our inclusion and her way of writing that is so easy and pleasing to read. Gabrielle also introduced us to new ways of expressing words of god that put us at ease and honored our belief system. Her writing is compassionate and open, she offers excellent resources and information, and the book offers new insights and has been a delight to learn from and read.

Though my mom had the best intentions, my wedding was spinning out of control! I know she wanted the BEST for me but most important to me was for our wedding to be creative and an expression of us as individuals, as a couple using Jewish traditions. It helped me communicate this to her in a loving way. After that I felt like I had a whole world of new posibilities for our wedding. I was able to use this book to find out what traditions, additions and creative projects we could include. Thanks!

Reading through this book is like getting advice from a clever, witty, creative and deeply spiritual friend. There are wonderful examples of how different couples have created meaningful rituals for their weddings, giving the readers starting points to create their own deeply personal simchot. There is an amazing sense of openness and inclusiveness throughout. "The Creative Jewish Wedding Book" will be a standard engagement gift for my Jewish friends.