Wedding Books

I came upon this book while looking for a book to give to my flower girl. I found it ok, but too simplistic.

It is written from the perspective of Fiona, an 8 year old who has been asked to be a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. It tries to be a step-by-step guide for flower girls, but it really lacks a plot. The best part, in my opinion, is the flower necklace that comes with the book and matches the necklace that Fiona is given in the book.

At the end of the story, there's a guide for parents to help them when their daughter is a flower girl. I found this guide generally unhelpful...it simply listed the obvious. Perhaps I assume too much, but I would expect that parents already know to bring an extra pair of stockings in case the flower girl gets a rip in the pair she is wearing?

Fun book for adding to a bridesmaid gift bag, we had fun looking at it together. Not worth much more than the bargain price, though.

I bought this for my bridesmaids and they loved it! I've been a bridesmaid three times with at least two more weddings on the way. I've been told by all my friends, "This is definitely a dress you can wear again!" but there's no escaping the fact that a bridesmaid dress is a bridesmaid dress. A woman can never wear a bridesmaid dress again without it being pretty darn obvious that she's trying to get a second run out of the dress so she can feel better about the money she paid for it. When I told my bridesmaids they could wear their dresses again (even though they picked out their own) I knew the chance was slim that it would make another appearance. I bought my bridesmaids this book and they loved laughing at the pictures and felt so much better about the dresses they chose when it was all over.

This book is mostly pictures and is good to look through a few times when you're planning a wedding. It's best for that friend who's been a bridesmaid one too many times, but said yes because she loves you and wants to be there for you on your wedding day. This is a small book and would be an excellent addition to any bridesmaid gift.

I bought these books to give to my friends as a way to ask them to be one of my bridesmaids. It was a hit!!! The pictures get funnier and funnier with each turn of the page. It only serves as inspiration to strive a wedding that won't look ridiculous in 25 years... impossible!

I bought 4 of these books to give to my bridesmaids as part of their gift at the rehearsal dinner. It's a cute book/good concept, but I was expecting more modern pictures. There are some classic giant-sleeved 80's dresses, but for the most part, the pictures all look like they are from the 1960's or 1970's. Don't get me wrong - the dresses are hideous to someone in their 20's, but those were just the styles back then. The fewer modern dresses in the book just aren't that bad - I've seen/worn much worse. I think this book would be funnier to someone in their 50's looking back than to young brides/bridesmaids today.

I bought this as a gag gift for my Mom because we always joke about horrible bridesmaid dress choices. She loved it - it was a little small, but good as a side-gift.

One of the funniest books I have ever read. I have known this bride and predict that some of my engaged friends will become her if they don't read this absolute joy of a book!

This is a great book for brides-to-be. It was funny and entertaining and puts the whole idea of a wedding and wedding planning into perspective.

This story is about "Bridal Madness". A cute story about Amy and Stephen who decide to get married after Amy veto's the idea religiously in her mind. Now she is a bride about to become married and from her backstabbing co-worker Barry, to her complaining and lazy secretary Kate. Amy can't find the right shoes or shoes at all. Freaks out about flowers and calls her friends at 3:00 am to talk about "whatever" comes to mind about her upcoming nuptials!

Very Enjoyable read...

Sara Thomas is getting married. That is the start of something big. She writes about her trials before the wedding. She is so funny. The "Official Things to Do List" is great. Wish I had that list to use when I was getting married. The books makes you part of the wedding. Any woman getting married knows there is going to be trouble. From parents, friends, caterers, etc. This book is a must before you get married. If only to take your mind off all the hassles you are going through. A little time off from the dreaded "To Do" list. Go get this book and go hide somewhere, prop up your feet, and enjoy the book.

Laura Wolf's 'DIARY OF A MAD BRIDE' catalogs the count down to Amy Thomas' big day and all of the craziness that ensues before hand. Beginning with Amy being a bridesmaid in one of her best friends wedding and swearing that if she ever got married she would not become a "bridezilla" as her friend had. The reader watches as Amy go from a level headed bride-to-be to an almost crazed "bridezilla" herself!

Wolf has written a hilarious account of how stressful planing a wedding can actually be. I laughed out loud numerous times and definitely recommend this book for anyone currently planning a wedding (surely you could use a laugh to de-stress a bit). Also, for all of you brides-to-be, this would make a great tag along gift for your loyal bridesmaids who've stuck with you throughout all the stages of planning and barely avoided any of your phone calls!

The Hungarian grandmother's curse strikes again in Holly Jacobs' charming romance, Everything But a Bride. Vancy Bashalde Salo, as a young beautiful woman, cursed the descendants of the man who left her at the church. When she married him, she realized she'd cursed her own descendants. They would never have a big, beautiful wedding until they married for love instead of for the sake of the wedding.

In the first book in the series, Everything But a Groom, Vancy's oldest granddaughter was left at the altar. In this second book, Noah Salo doesn't even make it to the church. His fianceé, Julianna, breaks up with him at his own stag party. She knows that they really were nothing more than childhood friends, and it wasn't really a passionate love.

When Noah's down in the dumps, it's Julianna's stepsister, Callie, who shows up to cheer him up. Since they share an interest in outdoor sports, Noah suggests they take that paid for honeymoon trip as a non-honeymoon. What could happen when two best friends go away together?

Holly Jacobs writes warm, enjoyable romances, filled with family. Despite the family curse, the Salo family is a big, supportive family who love each other. And, friends and co-workers in the Salo Construction, are part of the family. Everything But a Bride moves quickly because it's hard to leave the Salo family, and, in this case, Noah and Callie. The Everything But..series is rated G. In my opinion that means a good book, good entertainment, and gentle romance

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

The Salo Family Wedding Curse strikes again and this time the victim is Noah Salo.

Everything is going beautifully, Nana Vancy thinks this wedding will break the curse she carelessly cast when she herself was a young bride. Grandma Salo has convinced Noah to let her make all the arrangements sure that's what will work but all her hopes are dashed. When Noah's fiancée, Julianna, breaks up with him at his stag party, it's his long time friend, Julianna's step-sister Callie, who comes to his rescue.

Callie has her own relationship troubles to deal with so when Noah suggests they take a trip together for Noah's non-Honeymoon, Callie agrees to join him. Neither expected that there long time friendship had a romance brewing under the surface all these years. Now though on the surface they are the same two good friends, underneath it all is a new awareness of each other. Noah and Callie have their own special relationship brewing, but is it disloyal to his ex to be falling for her sister?

As always, Holly Jacobs delivers a wonderfully charming and funny romance in Everything but a Bride. Who would think that a breakup just a couple days before a wedding then the hero falling for the sister of his ex-fiancée on a non-Honeymoon would be funny? When Holly works her magic, you just know it's going to be a grand time. From family members trying to help a not-as-upset-as-he-should-be Noah through the aftermath of the wedding that wasn't, to Julianna begging Callie to take care of Noah so Julianna can get away for a while, we are treated to several instances of Holly's skill at portraying true family relationships in the funniest light.

While Julianna is the girly-girl type, Callie is anything but. She is a total adventure seeker/tom boy extraordinaire, even all grown up. So seeing her reaction to a day at the spa, which would be a perfect way to spend time for Julianna, made me burst out laughing more than once. Through mud baths and massages, Callie keeps us entertained with her running commentary. Even better is seeing Noah's response when he sees Callie at the end of the day. This also provides plenty of humorous soul searching as Noah tries to talk himself out of being attracted to Callie.

Noah and Callie's blossoming relationship develops at a very realistic pace. They have always been as close as two friends could be but now that friendship has taken a new direction. Neither one has been especially lucky in love and by the end of Everything but a Bride, we know the real reason is because they can only be happy together. Some of the best scenes portraying the growth of their relationship are done when they aren't even in the same room. Half the fun is in seeing this for yourself but let me just say, creaking bed springs and thin walls play a key role.

I loved Everything but a Bride and I for one cannot wait to see how Holly will end the trilogy and finally break the Salo Wedding Curse.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, August 2008. All rights reserved.

This was not the book for me. Although I could see other readers enjoying it, I did not find the book very practical. Nor did I agree with some of the suggestions. For instance, I felt that the writers glossed over the concept of wedding favors. They advised not to do them. I would have preferred suggestions on different types of favors that are cost-effective.

It's not a bad book but I did not find it very useful for my needs. I am leaning towards a more traditional wedding and I needed help on details concerning planning. I preferred Joyce Scardina Becker's "Countdown to Your Personal Wedding". Her book is a different type, however, more oriented towards planning and instructions on how to go about wedding planning and information on procedures (i.e what items a seamstress should be looking at during wedding dress fittings).

If you get the Smart Couple's Guide to...I advise that you also buy a book that is geared towards the details of planning a wedding. Unless you are an extremely organized and knowledgeable person when it comes to weddings. As interesting as it is to read, I wouldn't go it alone with the Smart Couple's Guide. I appreciated Ms. Becker's expertise in wedding planning and organization and turned to it more than I turned to the Smart Couple's Guide. I do reiterate that they are two different types of books. I hope that helps.

How many weddings are so stressful that the most exciting thing to the newlyweds is getting the darned thing over with?

I know the feeling and so do a lot of others who've gone through the "traditional wedding routine." You know, the one where the bride-to-be is the total organizer, worker, chooser, and the groom-to-be is out of the picture until the big day.

The stress and anxiety of these scenarios will be lessened if not vanquished for any couple who is fortunate enough to read "The Smart Couple's Guide To The Wedding of Your Dreams."

How cleaver, inventive, and couple-enhancing can one book be? Judith Sherven and James Sniechowski, best-selling husband and wife relationship team, have put together a book that will make heroes out of those of us who give it as an engagement gift.

The success of any relationship relies partly on synergy. That's what happens for a couple who is made stronger in their decisions and philosophy by acting together as a power-sharing team rather than two people acting independently. This book guides the wedding couple to experience that throughout their wedding planning - from engagement through the honeymoon. That way they can experience a romantic yet sound start to their wedded life. I was intrigued all the way through this book by the inventive and creative things that most pre-wedding couples never even think about. While I don't yet have a wedding planned, I thoroughly enjoyed the book from that angle alone.

Tom Justin
www.tomjustin.com
Las Vegas, NV

As a Wedding Officiant, I can guarantee that Judith & Jim hit the "Dream Wedding" target dead center. I am pleased to recommend this book to every couple whose ceremony I perform. The perfect gift for the Bride and Groom. More than just another book about weddings! Love it! CelebrateIntimateWeddings.com

As relationship trainers, motivational speakers, and workshop leaders, the authors of this book have credentials. Drs. Sherven & Sniechowski wrote Be Loved for Who You Really Are (St. Martin's Press, 2003), The New Intimacy (Health Communications, 1997), and Opening to Love 365 Days a Year (Health Communications, 2000). Married since 1988, they also have the personal experience of marriage longevity in the difficult-to-navigate labyrinth of relationships. Their co-authored book, The Smart Couple's Guide has personality as well as practical advice.
Divided into fifteen chapters, Drs. Sherven & Sniechowski thoroughly discuss aspects of the wedding plan. The authors offer true-life cases from hundreds of couples as examples of those who chose to plan their wedding together. These examples are used in a variety of settings: from "Popping the Question" to "To Change Names, or Not." Dispersed throughout the book are insights from the authors' own co-created wedding. The authors even research the history behind wedding customs, yet empower the wedding couples to co-create their specific style of wedding according to the themes and traditions of their own choosing.
The Smart Couple's Guide...is not a wedding planner, but a useful source of suggestions that illustrate how a couple can plan their wedding (and marriage) together. The authors state: "By living out your commitment as a couple throughout the planning process, you will experience new possibilities and new levels of awareness." Pre-marital relationship building skills is a main theme of the book; the authors cite values such as honesty and integrity as the foundation of the wedding, not the number of tiers on the cake or names on the invitations. To strengthen those skills, the authors give the reader questionnaires regarding "The Ten Key Issues of Married Life" and "Financial Truth."
Whether it is the reader's first or fourth marriage, whether the reader is age thirty or seventy, The Smart Couples Guide to the Wedding of Your Dreams is a must-read prior to the "big day." After all, the wedding day is a step into the maze of marriage. This book will steer the reader by offering clarity and reality to the couple as they journey together.

I'm in my 40s and getting married for the first--and only--time in a few months. My fiance was feeling a little left out of the planning process, so I bought 2 copies of this book, one for him and one for myself. It's been a great discussion tool, and we've both made lots of notes all over the pages. The book covers the details of wedding planning but with a focus on keeping the relationship and the meaning of the celebration central. No matter what other planning guides you own -- and you will need others that do go bananas over flowers and bridesmaids' dresses if that's your thing, and God knows there are plenty of them out there-- please pick up a copy, or two, of this one. It lets you convert the stress and commericalism of planning your wedding into a relationship-deepening experience.

The second book in the series continues on the same lines as the first. An easy and fun read which I enjoyed as much as the first book in the series.

Although I had a hard time following the characters some. I think that may be because I have not read the first book in the series. I liked the main character and all of the secondary ones. The story was good, and the ending wrapped up everything nicely. I think the following books will probably get even better.

A good, fast read. The "daddy always said" sayings are at times tedious but I found myself caught up in the story in spite of them. I do look foward to reading more of this author.

Thirty-year-old Texas heiress, Abby Rose, never pictured herself as a sleuth growing up. The pampered princess who grew up as part of a privileged family - along with her twin sister, and resident clinical psychologist, Kate - always saw herself married to a handsome man, and residing in a house - okay, perhaps a mansion - complete with a white picket fence. But everything changed the minute her alcoholic ex-husband tried to murder her, and her father revealed that he is...not her biological father; but, rather, her adoptive parent. Since then, Abby has begun progressing through a series of changes, and realized that her life truly needed a makeover. Now, with her ex-husband dead, and her adoptive father out of the picture, along with a new guy in her life, Abby has decided to start up a new business venture. Leaving her tech-smart life behind, Abby sets herself up to be a Private Investigator, specializing in adoption cases. Which is how, after a few successful jobs, Abby finds herself mixed up with the Beadford family. Wealthy, aristocratic, and hiding a handful of secrets, bride-to-be Megan Beadford's adoptive parents are dead-set against her contacting her birth mother. But, unable to resist the allure of discovering the truth about her past, and having her birth mother by her side as she walks down the aisle, Megan hires Abby to do a little investigating. Unfortunately, after quite a bit of digging, Abby comes up empty-handed. But that doesn't knock her out. While attending Megan's wedding reception, Megan's adoptive father is murdered - the victim of being hit upside the head with a crystal vase. Upset about doing Megan wrong and being unable to locate her birth mother, Abby steps into the role of amateur sleuth, and begins investigating the recent death. However, not everyone is overjoyed with Abby's foray into the world of murder investigations. Case in point, police chief, Quinn Fielder. Quinn used to date Abby's Big Red-addicted boyfriend, Houston homicide detective, Jeff Kline, and will do anything in her power to keep Abby from sticking her nose into her so-called investigation. Unfortunately for her, Abby isn't easily deterred, and won't halt her hunt for the killer until he or she is behind bars. Unless, of course, the so-called murderer catches her first.

In a world of amateur sleuths who spend their days slaving over hot stoves, and tending to teething toddlers, Leann Sweeney's young, rambunctious Abby Rose brings a new set of rules to the table. Specializing in adoption cases, Abby's motives for helping others like herself bring a unique appeal to her character; while her Paris Hilton-esque bank account make her comings and goings as easy as 1-2-3. While Abby's interactions with the people surrounding her, from relatives to clients, and friends to foes, are professional; her easygoing, laid-back mannerisms make her appealing from start to finish. Sweeney manages to mix it up by flavoring A WEDDING TO DIE FOR with tasty characters, from the handsome homicide detective, Jeff; to newcomer, and oft-times viciously jealous, Quinn; all the way to my absolute favorite, Kate. As a psychology major, I find Kate's presence throughout the tale to be both enjoyable and educational at the same time. Kate's ability to comprehend the mindset of just about anyone within a five-mile radius of her body is remarkable; while her intellect regarding the study of psychology is refreshing, and certainly adds a creative aspect to the tale. Readers who enjoyed Sweeney's debut PICK YOUR POISON will adore the introduction of Abby's client, Megan, as well as some of the new friends she meets while visiting Jamaica. I can only hope that these characters will make appearances in Sweeney's upcoming installments. Abby Rose blooms via the written word.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Because of events in her past, Texas heiress Abby Rose has decided to become an adoption PI. Bride to be Megan Beadford hired Abby to find her biological mother because Megan wanted her at her wedding. Abby was not able to find Megan's mother in time for the wedding, but vows to continue to look until she finds Megan's biological mother. When Megan's adoptive father is murdered at the wedding reception, Megan wants Abby to find his killer. Abby agrees and soon finds out her two cases have a lot in common.

"A Wedding to Die For" is a good mystery by a talented author. Abby is a very human heroine, filled with anger about her past, yet very loving and caring. Author Leann Sweeney brings all the characters to life, even the minor ones, by giving all of them character traits that stick out, like Abby's boyfriend Jeff's habit of chewing Big Red chewing gum. One of my favorite characters in fact, is a minor one, Sister Nell - what a hoot she was! Sweeney has a way with words and I love her use of expressions such as "the man was so skinny he might need worming". The mystery itself was okay, although it was pretty obvious from the beginning who Megan's biological mother was. But the book is worth reading for the characters and Sweeney's way with words. Finally, this is the first mystery I've read that had me smiling at the end.

Well done!

It's difficult to recommend one book of wedding vows over the dozens of others, as, for the most part, they contain primarily, the same material. It's sort of an "If you've read one, you've read them all" scenario. However, Diane Warner has certainly established herself as one of the most prolific writers in the wedding genre, and I believe also, one of the best.

So what makes this book better than the others? More and more weddings today are moving away from "traditional" vows. Warner has assembled here, a broad mixture of vows from various categories. Though the first chapter does indeed provide examples of traditional vows ranging from Jewish, Hindu and numerous Christian faiths, the other ten chapters are devoted to non-traditional vows, e.g. second marriages, including children, older couples, ring vows, theme weddings and so on.

At just barely over 200 pages, the book is hardly all-inclusive, and the reader may not find precisely what they are looking for, but this book gives countless good starting points. You may be able to slightly alter something you find here to make a perfect fit for your wedding, or you may find further useful resources in the bibliography.

There are dozens of books available, anyone of which may contain exactely what you're looking for, but if you want a single volume to point you in the right direction, this one is better than most.

Monty Rainey
Wedding Ministry by Design

This book is a wonderful help for couples choosing the correct wedding vow and ring vow. We enjoyed reading it and learned fascinating traditions about weddings. A good read.

This is one of the books that has been on my shelf for years, and that I use regularly when writing a ceremony for one of my couples. It's a good resource and sparks ideas. Along with Diane's Contemporary Guide to Wedding Ceremonies, Judith Johnson's Wedding Ceremony Planner and a couple of others, my wedding ceremony-writing library is complete.

My fiance and I are non-pagan wishing to incorporate this ritual into our ceremony. This is important to note up front, because the level of usefulness of this book does depend on what you're looking for. We were looking for instruction on constructing this ritual in a respecting way for its tradition and respecting who we are as a couple.

To us, there were a couple of useful PAGES in this book. We found a very lovely Level 1 vow that we will use (and that has saved us from searching through countless other books to find our vows or writing them....so that was extremely useful). We also decided to do a very subtle level 1 call to the elements/quarters (poetic). It's beautiful, and very doubtful that anyone will recognize it. We're going to use the Maid of Honor, Best Man, Bride, Groom, and Officiant for this.

We're Unitarian, and because of this, we have at our disposal the whole host of beautiful wedding traditions. We're not 'locked into' any one particular rite. We're going to adapt what we use into our Chalice lighting (a rite that happens at the beginning of each Unitarian service, and we would like at our wedding).

That being said: I was looking for the meanings of the cords rather than the ceremonies for Pagan - Catholic marriage. The authors have clearly put a lot into this work and making a wonderful pagan wedding reference.

But if you're not pagan (or neopagan), much of what they are offering is not going to work in your slightly non-traditional non-pagan wedding ceremony. Understand you'll be using only a few pages of this reference, and be good with that. I will also grant: The pages you use will be VERY valuable to you.

If you already know about Pagan religions and handfastings then this is a helpful resource. If you are trying to learn about handfastings, this is not a good place to start. My finacee and I are planning our handfasting- I was formerly Wiccan and now simply practice Pagan spirituality while he is only vaguely familar with Pagan spirituality. I purchased several books from Amazon on handfasting and we each picked one and started reading. This book offers some good ideas on vows, but also includes heavy insuations that handfastings and weddings are pointless and that the marriage day is the "last good day of the relationship." It also talks about the use of handfastings as a "fake" marriage for poly couples and same-sex partnerships. The implacation of these marriages as "fake" was offensive to me and terrified my fiancee as he then thought I was trying to have a "fake" marriage with him. Overall this book gives the general impression of "Hey, marriage sucks, but if you really must then here are some ideas!" If you can overlook this tone then this book certainly has some useful ideas, but in certain situations it can aslo pose as something of a setback. If you're new to handfastings I greatly recommend Passages Handfasting: A Pagan Guide to Commitment Rituals (Passages) instead as a short, interesting and engaging introduction that includes a history of handfasting and some brief yet helpful suggestions and descriptions on dates, color and plant symbolism, choosing your location, making incense and more.

This was a great base for writing my marriage ceremony. It had some great ideas and readings in it. My handfasting went great with this book's help.

The authors do a great job of providing vows and rites for a myriad of handfasting ceremonies. Traditional two-person heterosexual unions are covered as well as polyamorous and GLBT unions.

The rites are classified into three levels, each with a varying degree of Pagan involvement with level 3 considered all out Pagan.

Interfaith ceremonies as well as different Pagan traditions are honored such as Faery, Druid, Celtic, Norse, Warrior and more.

The appendices give tips on astrological wedding planning and flower and Pagan symbolism.

Pagan clergy will find this book especially helpful for inspiration with alternative ceremonies.

Handfasting & Wedding Rituals: Welcoming Hera's BlessingI found the book well written, informative and interesting. I think handfasting is a better idea even for traditional couples. It makes more sense as a way of marriage in our ever changing society. Handfasting gives couples the chance to renew their vows perpetually, if they choose to. Maybe our society can use this concept to help move away from lawyers and judges.

I am on a very tight budget for my own wedding but this book gives FANTASTIC step by step crafts that are not only BEAUTIFUL but cost effective as well. Every bride (and wedding corrdinator) should own this book. The crafts are great fun for you and your fiance to do together. It offers ideas on centerpieces, decorations, scrapbooks and best of all you can personlize everything you make.

This book is so full of wonderful thoughts and ideas... I only wish there were pictures in it. Eric and Lesie are gifterd writers and have beautiful hearts for God.... very encouraging! The cd is also wonderful and the songs are touching and very worshipful. If you desire to glorify the Divine Author of Romance on your wedding day this book is for you! Though the book is rather short, the depth and honesty of each chapter is well worth the price1

I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did!!

God Bless!

I loved this book. It gives such meaning to a Christ centered wedding. The CD and the words to the songs that Eric and Leslie Ludy have included with their book have such meaning. Each part of the wedding ceremony is given Christ centered meaning in this book and is so important in the meaning of the convenant that a man and woman declare before God. Thank you Eric and Leslie for putting God back into the wedding ceremony!

Due to the problems we had right before the marriage commitment, we had to go through somewhat intensive pre-marriage counseling. Thanks to that continuous struggle in the first year of marriage, I've been happily married for three years now and am looking forward to years to come. Because I know how much the concept of having Jesus center of our marriage helped us through pre-marraige counseling, my husband and I are advocate of pre-marriage counseling to the engaged/newly married couples. Even if we were Christians who want to have Jesus to be center of our everything, it was easy for us to use Him just as a backdrop of life's most important event such as a wedding. This book is a fresh reminder that as a follower of Jesus, what it is like to have the most Christ honoring wedding through the authors' creative ideas. I have seen some weddings using ideas from this book. Unfortunately they didn't go beyond one of the special program and failed to reach the true meaning behind it. However, I can see how it can be used as witnessing to those who don't know Christ. I would suggest this book to those who want to explore how to honor Christ through their wedding with creative but biblical ideas. If you're looking for something beyond just wedding planning, I would suggest, 'Now you're engaged' instead.

I love the Ludy's, and their other books have impacted my life greatly. I ordered this book to give as an engagement gift for a friend of mine who is getting married this summer. I found the book surfacy and juvenile, and the ceremony tips were suggestions I have heard many times before. This book would best be for very young people who are getting married (under 23), but is not advisable for anyone over that age range.