Wedding Books

A practical marriage?... Araminta Smith had first met Professor Jason Lister when she was hired to look after his niece and nephew. Knowing that her plain but honest looks weren't about to catch her a husband, she was intrigued by the distinguished surgeon's interest in her. Since he was also a confirmed bachelor, the professor's proposal came as an even greater surprise. A marriage between them, as he pointed out to her, would be infinitely practical - and Araminta was nothing if not practical. But then....what about love?....

Beautiful photography and images of a cross-section of weddings presented in a tastful, elegant package. I love it when a wedding advice book uses beautiful imagery from real weddings. It is great to see how it all comes together in real life, not just conceptually or in a staged-photo kind of way. This book is beautiful enough to leave on your coffee table and flip through again and again.

This has been a great tool for weight loss. I have lost 25lbs using this book and simple portion control. Its a life tool that I will always use.

I have tried many journals over the years, since I know that it's the best way for me to lose weight - it helps me tell the difference between hunger and boredom. This one is by far the best, although the DietMinder and BodyMinder journals are also good, and the Outwit Your Weight journal helps identify causes of overeating. This one is small enough to fit in an purse, and has several very useful features - a fold-out weight tracker, motivating "I Did It!" stickers for every page, places for your goals, nutritional info on many foods, and duplicates of "my plan" pages in case you change diets, e.g. if one isn't working for you.

Lluch skips the stuff you probably already know, and gives you enough space for what you need to write without crowding the pages with superfluous (and tedious) journaling. Each day spans two pages, with space for 3 meals & snacks (cal., fat, protein, carbs, fiber), fitness activity & calories burned, vitamins, and notes.

I'm using the journal on the South Beach Diet, my sister is using it with WeightWatchers, and my dad is using it for general food-habit-observation under the guidance of our nutritionist. The journal is really that versatile.

Whether you're on South Beach, Weight Watchers, the Zone, or a diet of your own creation, this is a good little journal to supplement it. I would not recommend this as a stand alone book, only as an add-on to another diet program. It has 2 pages a day that cover all meals, snacks, activities, vitamins, and a little spot for notes. You'll love this journal if you have smaller than average handwriting. But I find myself squeezing information into the margins and writing over columns.

The information about diet and health changes is very basic, hence the suggestion to use this book as a supplement. The most annoying thing is the mostly useless nutritional facts in the back. I thought it would be handy to have the information with me at all times, so I could look up meals and shopping items on the fly. Though it covers over a thousand items, it is missing some of the major foods in any american dieters plan. No nutritional info on broccoli, cauliflower, and most meats are listed in their raw state, not cooked. No regular butter, or salmon, but it includes deer, squab, foie gras, raw skinless leg of pheasant and 11 entries for veal?!

The serving sizes also force you to make more calculations than you already have to when keeping any food journal. Meat is in 1 oz (raw) serving sizes, while lemon juice is 1 cup. Not very intuitive when figuring out your food values.

At 4.5" x 5.5", it's the great size for leaving in your purse and for travel.

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.

If you recently became engaged and delicate visions of blossoms, lace and bubbling champagne are as yet unhindered by the actual planning process, then this would be a very nice idea book for you. It would be a much appreciated gift for a newly engaged friend.

I consider it a beautifully bound magazine without the annoying ads and pull-out tabs. The advice given on flowers, caterers and musicians is not much more substantial than what you'd find on the newstand, but the difference lies in the quality of the photographs.

The photographs are truly stunning - each are infused with incredible light. The most useful, I found to be those of flower arrangements. This can be used as a partial reference when going to the florist. I also enjoyed some of the decorating ideas for table settings. But remember, it's not extensive. As mentioned by another reviewer, the resource section might not list vendors in your area, and there are no website addresses.

If you want an equally, if not more eye-catching bridal volume with more detailed advice, try The Best of Martha Stewart Living : Weddings.

Very classy & sophisticated decoration ideas for those who have money to spend; however, ideas can be adapted to your style and budget; sharp still photography; useful book that walks you through the finer points of planning a wedding - from the engagement all the way to the wedding favors.

If you need help and inspiration in planning your wedding there's no better guide than Maria McBride Mellinger. Of all Maria's books, The Perfect Wedding is still the one to buy for everything you need to know to plan and bring off a wonderful day. Don't bother with anything else. The Perfect Wedding Reception (also by Maria) is good but too much of it is already covered better and in more depth in The Perfect Wedding. I used several books to plan my own wedding (and my sister's) and kept coming back to this one for Maria's inspiring yet practical ideas. I especially love her bouquet ideas.

A good "getting started" book for those who just got engaged. Creative ideas for modern weddings - table settings, room decorations, floral arrangements, wedding favors, and more. Exquisite still photography helps to inspire --- And, if you liked any of the ideas in the book, she has a good-sized Resources section at the back of the book. There, you can find the necessary contacts in order to replicate some of the ideas for your own wedding.

This book is beautifully done. Some of the photos and ideas are definitely high-end (as other reviewers have noted), but the book also gives very practical advice about what kinds of questions to ask yourself and businesses as you plan your wedding. (You can adapt their ideas to your own budget.) Information is given on everything from engagement rings, to floral arrangements, to types of receptions. This book is most helpful if you're at the beginning of the planning process.

Book arrived, via a friend in the US (not postable to Aust) and although the cover was a little scuffed, for the price, not bad. Love the book; just what I was looking for, and although I have only peeked through, I can tell it will be helpful in the research I need.

A great memento of a happier time for both Diana and myself. Thanks :D

The Book is very very good. I really like knowing how the Emanuel's came up with the idea for Diana's dress.

A great book to own and a great keepsake for all times. I remember the wedding well and all the glory and pagentry surrounding that beautiful July day. Never again will a dress be made and worn with so much style and all the unselfish love and care that went into making this beautiful masterpiece for all the world to see. But not for Diana herself could this particular gown or memorable event have gotten off the ground and into the pages of history. Diana picked the best- the Emanuels to make her this beautiful creation and Diana's own beauty to capture the creation and magic of the most recorded wedding day ever. Pat C, New York

I was amazed to find this book, which I had never seen, on Amazon for a wonderful price.
Filled with lovely anecdotes on all the wedding details, this book was written before the "fairy-tale marriage" was revealed to be a nightmarish sham of deciet and betrayal. If Diana was starry-eyed, so were we--and we wanted to be.
A labor of love, "A Dress for Diana" is rich with lavish details, such as the history of the silks and laces used and where they came from, close-ups of laces, shoes, patterns, and toilles(dress samples made in muslin during the design process.)
Did you know that the Emmanuels made a perfect miniature of Diana's dress as a gift for her, as did her shoe designer? Nor did I, until I read this book.
"A Dress for Diana" is a singular and fascinating look at an unforgettable time in history. If you love Her Royal Highness,Diana, Princess of Wales, or if you have an interest in English history, you will want this book, for it is one to treasure. The Emanuels have authored an exquisite tribute with a unique point of view.

This is an excellent book for those of us who watched the royal wedding at that time--and were so fascinated with that dress--and train. Although there were unexpected problems with the dress such as how do you fit a dress with an exceptionally long train into the small royal wedding carriage?--nevertheless, the dress was one of a kind--and forever will fascinate Diana fans throughout the world.

The book shares the moment-by-moment details of the making of the dress as well as some other previously unpublished photos of the dress.
A must book for Diana fans!

This book has been a great help in planning our 50th Renewal wedding. Many thanks.

I had never thought about renewing my wedding vows! I loved reading the stories people shared. There were some very creative ideas, like the couple who wrote a poem to all of their guests and used a lot of symbolism of their union through flowers and certain songs. They were hoping to start a family and I thought it was adorable how they brought friends and family into the "mix" to celebrate 10 years AND to help them launch their next phase.

This is a fantastic buy if you are planning to review your wedding vows for whatever reason. For me, it is for a 10 year wedding anniversary and the book has some great tips on making it extra special. I wasnt sure before I read this book what you could wear, expecially if you had the 'full works' first time around, but you can wear what you like and have bridsmaids!! You can have and do whatever you want and more and this book made me realise that. Renewing your wedding vows is becomming very popular and this book makes you realise that. They have 'real life' stories which is great to read.

This easy to read guide has inspiring and creative ideas for different ways to plan a wedding vow renewal ceremony and celebration. Sharon Naylor cites ways to bring the original wedding into the renewal and offers ways to include children. My favorite chapter is titled Perfect Words. Great quotes and readings to include in your re-commitment ceremony. I additionally enjoyed reading real-life couples' vow renewal stories. My husband and I just celebrated our fifteen year wedding anniversary and are planning our own vow renewal sometime soon. We will definitely use the great advice and ideas in this book!

The book gave me lots of ideas on how to refresh and renew my 20 year marriage! From vows on the beach to vows in a chapel to getting the bridal party back together or having the latest additions of the family attend, this book is full of creative suggestions and ideas!!!

The book was very useful although alot of the steps to do were common sense of who to contact. However, it did remind you of other groups to contact to help with your name change. And the extra forms and name/address change tear outs in the back were very good.

I am so glad I took the initiative to order this book during my engagement. This guide is so easy to follow and practical. It includes checklists of agencies and businesses to contact about changing your name, schedules, pull-out forms to send out, postcards, etc. Everything is explained step-by-step to make this arduous process less painful. There are a lot of great tips in the book including how to avoid lines, how to shorten turn-around time for needed documents, etc. I recommend it highly. This would be a great wedding shower gift for the bride-to-be and is a must-have for a new wife!

I purchased this directly from their website at bridekit.com. This is an absolutely wonderful kit and resource that I highly recommend to all brides. I don't know if I could have done it without it. It turned my name change experience into an orderly and even enjoyable process. The instructions are easy to follow and well organized. It also helped me to update several other very important details besides my new name.

This book was not very helpful. The first couple pages give you an idea as to what steps you need to do change your name, but the rest is forms that are outdated or not useful. For example, they say that you can mail your passport in along with your marriage certificate and you'll get issued a new one with your new name free of charge. As of September 2005, they've actually changed it where you still have to send those things in, but they charge you the regular passport fee. As long as you know that the first things you need to do to change your name is to do your Social Security Card and then your Driver's License, you'll be okay.

I received several wedding planners and other books as gifts but htis one turned out to be the most useful of the lot. I even took it with me on my honeymoon. Very informative and practical and saves you alot of time. It makes a very good present for bridal shower or wedding.

A bride figure of really beautiful Grace.
The photograph which photographed her is splendid. Various articles used at the time of marriage are carried.
This is a precious document.

I bought this book for the sole purpose of learning more about Grace Kelly's wedding dress. At the time I bought the book, I was planning my own wedding and I wanted a wedding dress that looked similar to Grace's. However, I had not been able to find good pictures of the dress online or in other books I had of Grace. Therefore, I was delighted with this book, which has beautiful pictures of the dress. Furthermore, the book has also proven to be a great addition to my collection of Grace Kelly books as it provides particular attention and detail to one of the most important days in Grace's life. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Grace, and particularly in her wedding dress.

I, for one, think that Grace Kelly was the epitome of the most beautiful, elegant brides of the modern edge...even to Princess Diana..that dress and the work that went into it is mindblowing. I've seen the dress in person and it TRULY is BREATHTAKINGLY stunning! The lace, alone, in this modern age (although no longer available) would be over $10K ALONE! I plan to copy some of Grace's elegance in my very own wedding...a Rose Point Lace garter, the beautiful Juliet Cap...all I can say is this: It's not a Grace Kelly Bio--this is strictly dedicated to the dress and it's making: fabrics and laces used and how they were all put together. Truly and informative book besides being a wonderful reference as well as a Keepsake. At LEAST 5 stars on this. Check it out..you won't be disappointed!

I was a bit disappointed when I received the book as I thought it would have more colored pictures of her wardrobe. Many were in black and white. The photos of her wedding dress were lovely though -- I guess that was the true focus of the book.

This book gives a very detailed representation of Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress. It also gives lots of details of the events leading up to her wedding day. It is not a biography of her life. It focuses on her wedding day and the events leading up to it with the wedding day itself being the culmination.