Wedding Books

As a wedding consultant here in California I am often asked to help plan traditional weddings for couples whose families come from other lands. Ireland is a favorite of mine because of the depth of tradition the people of Ireland share. Ms McGuires' book has become my "Special" resource. Her little book for planning an Irish wedding is a wonderful guide, peppered with traditional as well as contemporary ideas for Irish weddings. I only hope that she will write an expanded version soon.

The Irish Wedding Book turned out to be a fantastic gift for my newly engaged niece. Her fiance is from Ireland and she has taken some great ideas from Kimberly Mcguire's well thought out book filled with old and new traditions. The Irish culture is surprisingly romantic. The wedding ideas would be great for any wedding and any heritage.

We found the content to be very relevant to people in Irelandand those from abroad getting married in Ireland. END

As a wedding consultant here in California I am often asked to help plan traditional weddings for couples whose families come from other lands. Ireland is a favorite of mine because of the depth of tradition the people of Ireland share. Ms McGuires' book has become my "Special" resource. Her little book for planning an Irish wedding is a wonderful guide, peppered with traditional as well as contemporary ideas for Irish weddings. I only hope that she will write an expanded version soon.

This book is very decieving. It tricks you into thinking that there are Irish wedding traditions, and I could not even find one. I am from Australia marrying into an Irish family and I wanted to surprise them with some Irish traditions in the wedding, but now I am unable to do that. I do not recomend this book to anybody. If it is Irish traditions that you want, you are not going to get them in this book.

Klondike Wedding
Kate Bridges
Harlequin Historical
September 2007

Fresh starts. Would you be willing to risk everything and begin a new life even if you weren't truly in love with the man you planned to marry? I believe it would take an incredibly strong woman to believe she could make a happy life in such a situation. Kate Bridges has such a woman with Genevieve Summerville.

Genevieve needed a fresh start. She was practically broke, but she had faith she could build a successful business if given half a chance. To begin this new life, she promises herself to Joshua McFadden, a gold miner. She remembered him vaguely from childhood. He wrote letters to her aunt and uncle. In one of them, he formally asked for her hand in marriage. Genevieve accepted happily. She needed him and her aunt and uncle would be close by to make the new life feel safe. After making the arduous journey to rugged Dawson City, Yukon on her own, she discovers her husband-to-be is out searching for gold but a proxy wedding has been arranged.

" `I now pronounce you man and wife.' The old judge coughed. `Sort of." "

Mountie Inspector Luke Buxton Hunter couldn't help but think Joshua was a lucky man and a fool. Why would a man want to miss his own wedding, especially when his bride was beautiful? While waiting for the judge to finish the paperwork, Luke noticed the judge was in some distress. He did not look well at all. Luke ordered some water for the old man and tried to help him. Only it was too late. The judge was past any care and died. After a quick evaluation, Luke believes the judge had measles and with dread informs the entire wedding party they were all quarantined for the next 14 days. To make matters worse, the sick judge filled the papers out incorrectly. Luke and Genevieve were legally married to each other. It would take another judge to straighten this mess out and who knows how long that would take.

Surrounded by an angry group of strangers, all friends of her aunt and uncle, Genevieve was in shock. Quarantined with a real fear from a frightful disease and married to the wrong man was almost too much to deal with. This is not what she dreamed of, but she would have to make the best of a bad situation. Genevieve hoped Joshua would understand when he returned to town. This was no way to begin her fresh start.

I was amused and hooked from the very first line of Klondike Wedding. Ms. Bridges does not stop with her twist of a proxy wedding gone wrong. She has more surprises in store for her readers, not all amusing. All I'll say is that it is a good thing Luke is a Mountie Inspector because all is not as it seems and there is a mystery to be solved. It is amazing that love has a chance to develop with all that happens within the well written pages but, Ms. Bridges creates the passion of love with her extraordinary gift for Genevieve and the unsuspecting Mountie..

Kim Swiderski
Writers Unlimited

In 1898, Genevieve Summerville arrives from Montana in Dawson City, Yukon to get married. However, since her fiancé Joshua McFadden is in the goldfields, Mountie Inspector Luke Hunter agrees to be the groom's proxy. Judge Donahue presides over the ceremony and after pronouncing them as man and wife, he drops dead. On the marriage certificate, Donahue wrote Genevieve Summerville and Luke Hunter.

The entire wedding party who came into contact with Donahue is quarantined until authorities can determine what or who killed the judge. As the Mountie and the Big Sky expatriate fall in love with a zillion chaperones, Joshua returns to town to see his woman.

With a touch of a medical mystery (what killed the judge?) to enhance a delightful late nineteenth century Canadian romance, Kate Bridges refreshes her wonderful Mountie tales. Luke is a gentle person except when it comes to criminals but though he desires his wife he feels guilty re his friend; while Genevieve is a confused soul as she desires her spouse but also wonders what to do about her fiancé; Joshua rounds out the confused triangle nicely as he thinks American woman come away with me (The Guess Who will get over it as we American Women know our worth is beyond war machines). KLONDIKE WEDDING is another vivid northern neighborly historical winner.

Harriet Klausner

Farideh Goldin's book is a compelling memoir about growing up in a Jewish family in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution. She reveals the inside of a culture that is hard to believe existed in the mid-twentieth century. It should be read in conjunction with Dalia Sofer's novel, The Septembers of Shiraz, which deals with a Jewish family's ordeal in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution.

Wedding Song is the story of a Jewish girl growing up in Iran. It is well written and a interesting account of her life. Easy to read and definately recommended.

this is an excellent novel, well written and not only a good story but a fascinating glimpse into a world that no longer exists. Interspersed with wonderful insights into the systematic and awful oppression of young girls are glimpses into the everyday life of a culture within a culture, food, customs, clothes, songs and so on but within a world vulnerable to the surrounding and increasingly hostile, racist, ignorant anti semitism of the Iranian islamic community.
i will read it agin soon

While this may not match others' memories of Iran during Ms. Goldein's period, this is a very honest *memoir* of growing up female, jewish, and dhimmi in Iran. We glimpse a country that has remained relatively the same for centuries-- for good and for bad. We see that islamic countries ghettoize their non-muslim minorities, just as in the West. We see a more deeply entrenched patriarchal society that does not see the individual-- of either sex, as important as the community.

But also a book of families that endure, despite outside and internal pressures. We see also that the strength of an individual can overcome these old pressures and gain a measure of acceptance in the process.

Wonderful book on so many levels!

Of all things, how would you like to be a Jew in Iran? The young girl was an outcast in her own family, as the only daughter with her brothers being the favorites. She cherished her friendships, which she enjoyed until she realized she was "different." Gradually, as things worsened in Iran, the Jews were being victimized in the schools and in the communities. Most Jews didn't consider going to Israel as an option because Iran was their home, the language, the Iranian customs, etc., were what they had grown up with. This is a very different look at the situation. I've read many Iranian books and enjoyed the different twist.

Sherryl Woods progresses the Adams' family bloodline into The Next Generation series of Baby Makes Three. In romance novels it is very rare that you can come into such an in depth series of family based storylines that tie generations together but also give each individual novel a life of its own. You can pick up the first book or the last book and enjoy it immensely with Woods' characters and plots, but when you continue with the series you feel a sense of family, belonging, and security in the circle of life. Well written and easy to follow and enjoy, I recommend this book highly to anyone.

Like anyone who's studied astrology in any depth, I'm a little wary of sun sign astrology. But April Elliot Kent's "Star Guides to Weddings" has made a believer out of me. This charming book is packed with so much insight into the effects each sun sign has on a marriage, you'll laugh in recognition as you read.

In fact, I'm going to give a copy to my future daughter-in-law as a shower gift.

This book is small and perfectly formed, with a sweet and frothy exterior. Inside though, while it's definitely a fun read, it quickly becomes apparent that beneath the froth there's real wisdom. As well as the depth of her understanding of astrological lore, April Elliott Kent knows a lot about marriage. This book is a great resource for couples planning their wedding, as well as for those who are already wed. It will help you understand the flavor of marriage you inhabit, and how to make the most of it.

This is an amazing little book! April Elliott Kent writes in a witty, user-friendly style with astrological insight into the complexities of modern love. When I read about my own (now defunct) "Sun-in-Cancer Marriage," I laughed out loud at the accuracy of the portrayal. Wish I could have read this prior to our break-up! I've shared this book with family and friends, and everyone has commented on how "right on" April's descriptions and advice are, and everyone has shared how much they've enjoyed her literary style. If you're thinking of taking your relationship to the next level and want some ideas about the timing of that vow, do yourself a favor and consult "Star Guide to Weddings...." I think you'll be glad you did!

I loved this handbook and so did my friends...it's kicky, engaging, and downright fun.

From the wedding cake graphic on the cute, cute, cute cover to the real meat and potatoes content inside, Ms. Kent's book is a must give gift for every bride-(or very hip groom)to-be.

I can't wait for her to do another!

An excellent resource with a unique angle that is sure to assist in the practice and study of astrology on all levels.

`Star Guide to Weddings' is a no nonsense little book that will surely hold it's own the astrological bookshelf.

~Anna Davis

Scholarly but never dull, this fascinating chronicle of the changes in the American wedding over the past century reveals the extent to which so many of our wedding "traditions" are actually fairly recent inventions -- lifted straight from the movies, or foisted upon us by the many industries that profit from the lavish wedding. Though the authors approach their task as researchers and seem to have no particular ax to grind, readers who feel that the opulence of the American wedding has spiraled out of control will likely find plenty of support here for making a change.

I'm married, but I read this book anyway and loved it. Far from the dreadful dryness and patronizing tone of most self-help and how-to books, reading Well Groomed is like lounging on the couch in front of the tube with your wisecracking best buddy while he rattles off about your impending nuptials. It's a great read for anyone looking for a laugh, even if you aren't engaged yet or have already gone through the process.

I sat down to start reading this book this afternoon, and didn't get up from my chair until I was finished a few hours later. I was laughing out loud so often that I was beginning to alarm my dogs, who were trying unsuccessfully to sleep at my feet while I read. It brought back great memories from my wedding four years ago, and Scott was able to put into HILARIOUS words so many of the things that my now husband and I went through. We definitely would have appreciated having this before we got married, and we will be sending it as a gift to everyone we know who is now planning their own wedding. Insightful, poignant, at times hysterical, and always right on the money (and it's all about money, right?), this is the best wedding prep book I've seen!

Peter Scott has written a witty, hysterical book on the marriage process. This is a laughing-out-loud read, with every nuance from engagement to honeymoon described in uproarious fashion. A must read, and perfect gift, for anyone who has ever contemplated marriage, taken the big step, or been invited to a wedding. I will never attend one again without feeling intense sympathy for the bride and groom.

I bought this book for my brother-in-law, who is recently engaged. I wish my husband (and I!) had had it for our wedding. The analysis of wedding craziness is sharply, painfully right on, the advice surprisingly heartfelt, and the smart, clever tone in which it is all delivered makes it an easy and fun read. A perfect tonic for the wedding crazies, and an excellent gift for any to-be groom.

This book is a compilation of poems, quotations, and short stories related to weddings - just as it says it is. Use it to plan your wedding - or a wedding toast, if you are the best man or maid of honor. One of my personal favorites is "Marriage Vow" by an unknown Chinese poet, from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 221), on page 12:

"O, celestial beings
Let our feelings for each other
Continue without diminishing
Only when mountains are leveled
To basins, when ocean waters run
Dry, when winter is ripped
With thunders, when the summer sky
Rains snow, and heave and earth
Are smashed together, shall we
Ever dare to be parted."

From the back cover:

This bridal day with gold I will enchain,
And wear its hours like rubies on my heart,
That you and I from Love may never part
While still these jeweled monuments remain...
- From "Bridal Day" by Compton Mackenzie

"Every wedding where true lovers wed, helps on the march of universal Love." - Herman Melville (1819-1891)

"One should believe in marriage as in the immortality of the soul." - Honore de Balzac (1799-1850)

This charming treasury contains over 100 classic poems, quotations and short stories from many lands - all on the subject of weddings! From bridal preparations and the wedding day itself, to advice for newlyweds about married life - these verses, quotes and short stories celebrate weddings throughout time and from all around the world.

Beautifully illustrated, this collection includes the works of Edgar Allen Poe, John Donne, Judah Halevi, Goethe, e.e. cummings, W. S. Rendra, Ovid, George Bernard Shaw, Anne Bradstreet, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Stephen Crane and A.A. Milne among many other writers, both ancient and modern.

I gave this to my boyfriend (hint, hint) and it has excellent advice. I know he's going to propose and do everything right now that he's read this book. It helps that it's written by a guy, too. I think groomsmen will be more receptive to the advice.

This is everything you wished your fiance already knew about weddings! Do yourself and your fiance a favor and get him this book. In Colin's special way, he shares with grooms the things brides may not even know about manners and etiquette and style. If your fiance follows even one of Colin's suggestions - you will be elated!

BREADFRUIT is one of two books thus far in a series written by Celestine Vaite, a Tahiti native, that centers on Materena Mahi and her family and friends on the island of Tahiti. FRANGIPANI introduced Materena to America; "the best listener in Tahiti" is warm and generous, a natural problem solver. This first novel took us from her early days with her man, Pito, and her three children to focus on her journey to find herself. It was the story of her search for her calling in life, ending with her daughter's entrance into college and Materena's budding new career as a talk show radio hostess.

BREADFRUIT, which was originally published first, features nearly everyone from FRANGIPANI, but the plot focuses on Materena's desire to marry. Most Tahitians don't have a need to marry, but there are a few weddings here and there, and Materena is deep down envious when she sees those newlyweds speeding off in Mama Teta's wedding car. When Pito (in a drunken state) asks Materena to be his wife, she cannot contain herself. It's too good to be true (and it is). She begins planning and researching what she needs to get ready for her big wedding day. In between her planning, life goes on.

As in FRANGIPANI, BREADFRUIT is a series of chapters that takes snippets of Materena's life with anecdotes and stories about various people in her family. The stories, told in a very casual, chatty manner --- as is Materena's way --- are funny, often hilarious and sometimes sentimental. There's the incident with the carpet that her cousin Lily was to give away to Materena, and Materena uses it to give her house a new look. (Unfortunately the carpet is a vibrant green.) There's the time when she is asked to appear in court because she and her children were caught trespassing on private property. (The reader finds out later that she was actually taking her kids swimming next to the airport, running across the runway because she felt it was safer to do that than cross a busy street). Then there is Materena's attempt to buy a new bed, and her visit with her mother to her grandmother's grave. They argue over where Materena will be buried --- next to her own mami or next to her husband (in another town).

This is yet another charming novel by Celestine Vaite. She's the first native Tahitian to win the "Prix litteraire des etudiants" (for BREADFRUIT). Readers will get the feel of what it's like to live in a rural Tahitian village, where hardly anyone has a washing machine, many are unemployed, and it's the women who seem to rule with a heavy stick. Materena herself is a professional house cleaner, but she's proud of her children and what she does. Most of all, despite the problems they have, she loves her man Pito and would marry him in a heartbeat. Of course, she has her work cut out for her, trying to get Pito to own up to his original marriage proposal.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton [...]

Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (8/06)

"Breadfruit" is the tale of Tahitian woman, mother, and professional cleaner Materena Mahi. It is the middle book in a trilogy about this heroine. The first book is "Frangipani" and the expected third will be "Tiare". In this book, Materena is proposed to by her man Pito after thirteen years and three children together. She does not take this drunken proposal too seriously, but it gets her thinking about marriage and how she would like to have a ring on her finger and a marriage certificate on the wall.

Author Celestine Vaite writes knowingly about Tahitian people and their ways as only someone who has had personal experience could. She was born and grew up in Tahiti. She fell in love with an Australian surfer at age sixteen, whom she married and followed to Australia where they now live with their four children.

The story follows Materena as she broods over the thought of a wedding in silence. This is not something she wants to put out on the "coconut radio", the local term for the gossip chain. In this small Tahitian village, Materena is constantly running into streams of cousins, aunts, and other friends and relatives. The book links all of the stories they remember and share as they pass each other on the street or visit in each other's homes.

Vaite's writing style is simple and perfectly portrays the lifestyle of these Tahitian villagers. My favorite part is the cultural lesson you get in a fun way. She throws in native words and phrases among the English in a way that makes it possible to understand their meaning instantly. The names of the characters and Tahitian words are so different and sing-songy, I was tempted to read the book aloud to really get into the flow.

"Breadfruit" was great as a stand alone book, but now that I know there are more I am eager to read the first and third starring Materena and her family. This funny and fast-paced love story was a wonderful summer read. As Materena would say, "Ah oui girlfriend, pick up a copy today!"

Celestine Vaite's Breadfruit is a reviewer's dream. An earthy mix of the literary, the romantic, and the eccentric, Breadfruit follows the love crisis of Materena Mahi.

Materena and the father of her three children, Pito, have lived together on the island of Tahiti for fourteen years, but marriage has been nowhere on the horizon. One night, in a drunken stupor, Pito finally proposes to Materena. Materena is thrilled and wastes no time imagining her perfect wedding: pricing a chocolate cake and a wedding chauffeur and eyeing a luxurious new bed for a wedding gift.

But after fourteen years is Pito what she really wants? And was he even truly proposing? Materena fantasizes about her perfect wedding, all the while wondering if she's just letting her heart overwhelm reality.

Meanwhile, life on the island stops for no woman and daily dramas keep Materena busy. Cousin Giselle gives birth in a Mercedes, Materena's mother insists on talking to her dead grandmother for hours, and there are the free tiles Cousin Lily is giving away--not to mention the kids. Romance runs rampant throughout Vaite's novel, reinforcing what all women know--that love conquers all and family is the toughest job in the world.

Vaite's novel is populated with quirky characters and tales--like the pink peg Materena's daughter wears to give her a more perfectly pointed nose. The short-short chapters that read like flash fiction emphasize the eccentric, free-flowing attitude of the narrative, and the novel's unusual structure, all allow Vaite to work in more fully developed characters and to play with the sense of time, following back stories where appropriate and the side characters' own romantic dilemmas (did I mention that romance runs rampant?).

While Breadfruit's plot is familiar, its Tahitian setting is exotic and full of colorful language, legends and cultural idiosyncrasies that make the novel glow with a South Pacific charm and pragmatism.

Armchair Interviews says: As the follow-up to her novel Frangipani, Vaite's Breadfruit is a laugh-out-loud, feel-good novel that combines heart, wisdom, and an approachable style that will leave readers anxious for the final installment of Materena's trilogy.

BREADFRUIT by Celestine Vaite
October 8, 2006

Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the second book by Celestine Vaite that I've read, and I loved them both. Both books take us into the world of Materena Mahi, a hard working professional cleaner who is raising her two children in Tahiti, with the help (somewhat) of her man, Pito. BREADFRUIT is the story of Materena and her mission to get Pito to fulfill his marriage proposal (of course it doesn't' help that he was drunk when he made the proposition).

Readers will love the antics of Materena and her friends and family, as they get along each day, living in poverty. But their lives don't seem to be that of poor underprivileged people. They are rich in family, and their children, at least Materena's are fulfilling the dreams that the older generation could not. You will laugh and cry along with Materena as she experiences life in Tahiti, surviving as best she can, and making sure the man in her life goes through with that marriage proposal.