Wedding Planning Books

Well with both of my children getting married, we had to have somewhere to start. This journal was highly recommended. I will let you know of my satisfaction or dis when it is all over.

In my opinion, it isn't worth paying for this book--all the same information is available, for free, at wedding websites. I bought a ton of wedding books--and never used them becaue I had all I needed online for free. If you aren't a computer-y person, then go for it...but if you know how to browse websites, save your money for the centerpieces, photography, or other wedding detail.

Additionally, if you want to purchase a wedding organizer (really, all you need is an expansion file folder or a 3-ring binder & folders): DO NOT BUY THIS ONE! You really are going to need: one that lays flat (read: sprial bound or 3-ring bidner style), and one that has pockets for reciepts, swatches, contracts, etc. I found that since this had none of these--I used it once, and refused to lug it around with me.

I bought this book as a gift for my sister to help her plan her wedding and from what she tells me, it is a big help and she carries it around everywhere. Great product, I wish I knew about it in time for my wedding.

Good product. I thought it was going to be a spiral bound binder though. Good Tips!

This is a very well organized book with beautiful illustrations. As a wedding director for my church, I would definitely recommend this book to brides and their mothers.

This book has great ideas, but I would NOT recommend reading it from start to finish as soon as you get it. The book is packed w/so much information that it is overwhelming at first, especially for a newly engaged bride. And the book tends to paint a negative picture of the wedding industry, which left me feeling somewhat hopeless. Rather I found it most helpful to read in sections when I was working out the details for specific parts of the wedding such as attire, reception, ceremony, etc. The oddest thing about the book is that it jumps around from one topic to another in a disorganized fashion. The chapters are broken down into topics, but the authors allude to other parts of the book in each chapter of it.

Still sorting through.....as I said with both of my children getting married, we need all the bargains we can find.

Bridal Bargains gave me SO many fantastic money saving ideas. I will use this book as a guide throughout our entire wedding planning process. Some ideas were ingenious (It helped me fine my dream wedding gown for only $124 - You CANNOT beat a bargain like that!!) The book offers many questions to ask that are probably very often overlooked, tactful ways to ask them, a WIDE spectrum of ideas for every aspect of your wedding (Ex. From do-it-yourself Ipod wedding to full fledged orchestra) What's to lose!! (Other than a couple hundred dollars off your wedding budget of course :)

This is a great book for Bride's to have. There is a lot of information you would have never thought of threw out this book. When you invest in your wedding, you should add this book in your budget.

I found this book to be extremely helpful in terms of scams to watch out for, unexpected places to look for bargains, etc. I also found it helped get me thinking outside the box in terms of decorations, music, etc - not only to save money, but also to make my wedding fun and unique. I would recommend complementing it with at least 1-2 other books, though. Personally, I am using one etiquette book and one detail-oriented planning book to keep everything running smoothly.

Simple Stunning Weddings has beautiful visual images to get the gears turning towards planning a gorgeous event. The book didn't meet up to my expectations as far as being a guide for designing & creating the "perfect celebration", but I definitely appreciated the ideas it gave me & will use this book as a visual guide for color schemes, floral arrangements, etc.

I was hoping that this book would help me get creative and plan my idea wedding. Some of the photos were nice to choose color schemes, but I really found more luck with that on the internet. The book is geared toward helping you choose the type of wedding that you want. I had already chosen my venue, so most of the book was not applicable. I found the text to provide really common sense descriptions and I don't think that I would have found it to be helpful at any stage of wedding planning.

The title says it all, lots of pictures, ideas and suggestions to host your own simple and stunning wedding. Gives good comparisons of different types of weddings, ie hotel vs tent vs home. I highly recommend it!

This book is good for the gorgeous photos. It tells you how to make your wedding look great in different kinds of venues (ie. hotel, tent, barn, etc.). This book should not be used as a wedding planning tool--it's not that.

In all seriousness this book isn't really that ingenious. Everything that's in this book revolves around the advantages and disadvantages of your "reception location". Although it does provide some good advice, it's quite lackluster. I went off the reviews of this book and I'm not impressed.

I must mention that I'm an artistic & strong minded person who knows what she likes. For those of us who have a clear idea of their reception, skip the book, it's not worth the money.

If you have no idea how or what you want your reception to be like, this book will most likely come in helpful. It has the run down on the "typical" types of wedding reception locations. I stress the word typical. It does not include reception/banquet halls whatsoever.

Even if you fall into the catagory above, I strongly recommend you save your hard earned cash for something actually useful.

Logical sequence of events given to plan everything from organizing your home to organizing a trip to organizing a run for the White House! As entertaining as Mr. Walsh's TV program. A good reference manual to keep - you never know when you'll need to plan a safari or a trip to Europe (or a baby nursery!)

My goal was to get organized and this book helped!

It has over 500 suggestions on how to organize everything, from the pile of papers in the office to the laundry room to the family schedule.

It's full of little organizing tips that I would have never thought of.
This book is great for the person who wants to be organized but just doesn't know where to start!

This book has its good points and bad points.

THE GOOD: The 500+ lists cover a number of organizational topics including organizing your spaces at home, organizing your finances, preparing for life events (sending kids to college, wills, etc) and just miscellaneous tasks (organizing a block party, preparing for house guests. The sections on organizing spaces and paperwork/finances contain quick lists on how-to organize your life, which I will probably use. These contain some good information since I would assume this is the area of the author's expertise. Other lists have fun and inspirational ideas, like "Decorating for the Seasons", which provides some suggestions of how to freshen up your home's look as the seasons change.

THE BAD: With so many topics covered, I just can't imagine that the author is an expert on them all. If I am looking to prepare for childbirth, I would be more comfortable reading an entire book on the topic written by someone who is an expert in the area, rather than reading a one-page summary. I had similar thoughts about the list for Feng Shu. Many topics are really too complex to be adequately covered in a short list, but the lists could serve as a quick refresher for someone who already knows something about the topics. As other readers have mentioned, some lists I'd never use and seem almost silly like "Become a Movie Director" (not one of my goals in life) or "Win the Tour de France" (not likely for me).

Overall, it's an okay book that I'll probably refer to as a starting point for some of my organizational projects. But, I'm not looking to it as "expert advice" in all areas since some topics just can't be covered in a short list. Certainly there are a number of sections that I will never use or read at all because they're just not relevant to my life.

My every-day life seemed chaotic after the birth of my second child in August. Being a mother of another 2year-old girl and with my husband working for many hours, I needed a really working-out day-to-day program,not to mention some absolutely necessery tips to run my home smoothly.
The book gave me excactly what I was looking for:step-by-step solutions and not only theories about how to manage with clutter,kids' all around the house mess, and every day's meal planning.I have already created my own Household Organizer and I've stocked my diaper bag according the very practical steps suggested in the book.And it worked out!
My life as a working mother won't be the same again:it will be more organized and eventually more happy,because I will always have this book as a referance.

Seems like he tries to organize the whole world in this book. Because of that, each little tidbit is not thorough enough. I guess if you need some hints to get started on something, he's got it in here, but for a more thorough and step-by-step process, try another resource.

Beverly Hills maestro of weddings shares her style and approach for making a dream wedding come to life. This is one of the best books on the market for anyone anywhere who wants to make their special day magical. Mindy Weiss is a highly respected celebrity wedding planner and this book is packed with wisdom. It made a perfect gift for a friend of mine who got married and wanted to plan it herself but make it a day to remember.

This is my new favorite engagement gift to give. All of the brides-to-be that I have given it to have LOVED it and say they can't put it down! What an amazing resource to help with every aspect of planning the perfect wedding. Mindy's flair and creativity make it fun to read, with all of her wonderful suggestions taken from her endless experience as a top wedding coordinator. I love that she emphasizes that each event should reflect the individual bride and groom so that they feel it's really THEIR Big Day!

this book won't give you the specifics on how to personalize your wedding, but it's a comprehensive, start-to-finish, practical guide that has been invaluable for taking the complex, overwhelming (and slightly insane) process and helping you think about it in manageable chunks.

I bought this book as a gift for my fiancé (mostly so she would stop bugging me to get it for her). I actually read some of it too and really found it helpful. The book even had some sections geared towards guys which I thought was kinda cool - especially the list of what to stock the bar with and the different types of suits to wear since that's all I will get a say in anyway.

Take a look at the reviews: 10 out of 10 reviewers give this book 5 stars. That's 100% satisfaction and a "perfect score."

I have nearly every wedding related book, guide and planner from Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette to Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner, Real Simple Weddings, The Bridesmaid Guide, Emily Post's Planner and a few other, lesser quality products, a slew of online tools and of course every wedding-related magazine I can get my hands on - what can I say, I'm obsessed - but I really wish I would have waited for this book because IT HAS IT ALL AND MORE.

Just as much etiquette as Emily Post, just as much planning as Martha Stewart and most importantly detailed drawings and instructions on how to dress the men in every style, from tie to shoes, as well as the niftiest: a minute-by-minute countdown of the final days. Yes, a sample wedding schedule from rehearsal dinner to honeymoon. In fact not one but two sample schedules.

I know this sounds like an infomercial but it really is too good to be true, but it's true!

This book is a must for anyone involved in a wedding in any way.
It's beautiful, well written and most importantly, expertly organized.
You can start in the beginning (if you've just become engaged - congratulations) and you can read through as you need to. Or you can use the wonderfully detailed table of contents to navigate topically.

This book is a life-saver. I will be ordering more copies for those involved in my wedding and giving it as a gift for any friends that become engaged.
This books is PRICELESS.

BUY IT!

My fiance and I (the Engaged Groom) are planning our wedding, and have less time than you'd normally have to make all our arrangements. We are also trying to be budget concious and not go overboard. So far there is nothing a-typical about our wedding. The Engaged Groom has been so very helpful of providing a good overview of what needs to be done, when, and how. I thought I had all the answers until I read this book. I feel better prepared now and have a much better grasp on where we can cut corners, and the do's and don'ts of the wedding world....but primarily the message is, make sure you have the wedding YOU want, and not the wedding everyone TELLS YOU you need.....thanks Doug Gordon, your book is a life-saver.

All of the other books for grooms are condescending, treat the groom like he's an idiot, or warn him about his "bridezilla". This one's the antithesis of all of that, and actually provides good information for the groom with a question about any part of the wedding. It doesn't need to be read cover-to-cover, and provides a positive spin on handling tough situations.

This book has a lot of good practical advice, like when to get a marriage license. For someone getting married out of state, this was very helpful. I also thought some of the money-saving tips were unique and not your standard fare. There was a part on dealing with problem guests that has been very helpful since we've had to deal with a lot of these types of people and as the groom I usually have to smoothe over a few egos and play peacemaker. To top it off, there's a great section about bachelor parties goes beyond other books and talks about how people really feel about strip clubs, both men and women.

To keep it interesting Gordon puts in a lot of funny stuff, like lists of songs that are inappropriate to play at a wedding and an answer to the question of whether or not throwing rice at a wedding is harmul to birds. (It's not, but his explanation is really amusing and well written.)

I got this as a gift and thought it was really helpful, one source for all of my questions. Four months to go before my wedding and there's still a lot I learned.

I gave this to my future son-in-law so he wouldn't feel so left out, but more importantly, so his mother would realize it's my daughter's wedding not hers. Worked both ways. I haven't read it, but so far, so good.

My bride gave me this even though I didn't think I'd help out too much. But I had a few questions and this really helped. It was funny, which helped, since any book that takes things too seriously wouldn't work for me. I had questions about the budget, since I was paying for somethings and trying to figure out who would pay for the rest, and I also had questions about invitations, who to invite, etc. This worked for me. I will pass it on to friends when they get married.

This book covers every detail you can think of and those you can't think of. You can tell the author has experience and she offers great advice about contracts and financial matters. Something that I think tends to get overlooked in the whirlwind of wedding dreams. She also walks you through the entire planning process and combines all the sections at the end to form a flow plan for the day of the wedding.

Your wedding vision is the starting point in Your Stress Free Wedding Planner - Expert's Best Secrets to Creating the Wedding of Your Dreams by Judy Allen. After couples complete an independent questionnaire, they will have a better understanding of their thoughts and dreams about creating a custom wedding. This planner gives careful attention to all wedding tasks, therefore, leaving no assignment unaccomplished. The only drawback for this planner would be difficulty removing the pages from its spiral binding as the planner recommends for copymaking.

I bought this book/organizer because I can be a little [...] retentive with details and I wasn't sure exactly where to start since I'm the first in my family to plan a wedding in the last 20 years. it has been extremely helpful in both information and organization. It does work! Plus, there are a ton of worksheets in it that think of things I would normally have forgotten about until it was too late. Very helpful!

This is my go-to wedding organizer. It is comprehensive and full of worksheets and checklists so that you do not forget a thing when it comes to planning and orchestrating your wedding. The author is experienced in planning large-scale events so some of the tips may not apply to your wedding. However, since I had no idea where to even start planning when I got engaged, this book has been a lifesaver. I use this book with theknot.com planning checklist as well as a checklist from realsimple.com in order to make sure nothing is overlooked.

This gift has given a great deal of well deserved advice to a very special bride-to-be!

I've been planning my wedding for the past few months and I've been relying on this book, Easy Wedding Planning Plus by Elizabeth and Alex Lluch, and Bridal Bargains by Denise and Alex Fields. This book covers all the etiquette questions that crop up when planning a wedding (who are you supposed to buy gifts for, who is expected to pay for what, etc.) It also offers a tremendous amount of other information such as tips for saving money, things to think about when selecting flowers, music, etc. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it won't stand alone. I used the planning book to really keep everything organized, and the budget book offered a lot more specific advice on saving money (specific vendors, websites, etc.)

A well organized book, that answers a lot of these difficult questions and saves a lot of precious time. All what any bride and groom need to know from A to Z. From how to announce your engagement? to how to prepare your Thank You Notes?

Although the book covers mainly traditional weddings, it definitely gives ideas to any couple who want to prepare their own custom wedding.

I highly recommend this book for any couple to get ready for their wedding

This is a fabulous book. It's a great classic, informative guide for those who want to have a proper wedding. If you only want to buy one book this would be it. It goes through just about every aspect of planning and enjoying your wedding. (Contracts, Invitations, Dresses, Expenses and more) I read it cover to cover and continue to return to it for reference.

Excellent information! Very detailed, easy to read and understand.
Highly recommended. One of Emily Post's better books on "Wedding Ettiquette."

for a first time bride, theres a lot of good info in here. But i really dont have any others to comapre it to. I am getting alot of use out of mine though. I made copies of certain chapters for people and will use some of the suggestions.

Purchased this binder twice--each time with fewer than 5 additional sheets it broke! Purchased from Amazon--rings detached from binder upon arrival! Returned, bought from local bookstore, rings detached from binder while in a meeting with the florist! What a mess and how disappointing. Poorly executed and poor quality--not what you think of when thinking of Martha Stewart. Buy a book-skip this binder.

A very good wedding planner, the 3-hole puch style is very practical and comfortable to use. It is a very well organized book with a lot of useful tips, timelines, checklists, etc.

It covers every aspect in the long way to these remarkable days. The different chapters include: Getting Started, Guests and invitations, Stationery, Fashion & Beauty, Ceremony, Reception, Flowers, Music, Photography and up to the Honeymoon.

In all fairness, few sections needed a little more attention like the reception.
The flower section is by far the best and the most detailed section, with a lot of color photos of flowers.

Mine arrived broken already. The 3 ring binder part had completely separated from the top so the binding could just swing right out. My fiance did some surgery and fixed it using a brad and it's been fine (and hardly noticeablely different) since. But for $20+ it'd be nice if it didn't arrive needing surgery.

This review is written with a heavy heart. I am devoted to Martha Stewart products. This product does not meet the high standards that are typical of the brand. The Planner arrived and upon opening we found the center post was not attached to the cover.The Planner was returned and a new one was sent. Sadly the same problem was observed before the shrink wrap was removed.That one was returned as well. We will go to a brick and mortar store to find a useable Planner.

I ordered this planner as a gift for my best girlfriend who recently got engaged. A few reviews mentioned that the materials are excellent, but the binder arrived broken. I thought, hey that would never happen to me, those people are crazy. Um, it arrived broken. I would recommend purchasing this planner as the materials are great, but be prepared to purchase a new binder and transfew the materials. This binder is very un-Martha-like.

Being a wedding officiate for four years, I wish I had found this book for my first wedding. This book gives it all to you. The ABC's of a Wedding. Out of all the books I have purchased over the years (now collecting dust) this is the book that stays within my reach at all times. You have just become engaged, now what, or you have been officiating for a while and need something to inspire you for the next wedding. For the engaged couple this will walk you threw the questions, answers, and things you have not thought of. It will answer the questions that everyone keeps telling you has to be done this way or that. You now have the guide to know what you want to do and not what family and friends say you should do, your wedding your way. For a new officiate or the officiate who has performed for awhile this book will help you understand things you might not have encountered before, it will give you new phrases to get the creative ideas flowing so you can create the perfect ceremony for your couples. Even if you are renewing your vows this guide will walk you threw it all. If you are a couple with children from a past relationship this book will give you all the guidance you need to include your children in your wedding ceremony, creating a family wedding ceremony. I often use post it notes on pages that I want to refer back to for future ideas that will fit a specific client. I started marking pages of Judith's book and had to stop, the pages were all posted with sticky notes. I love how this book will help me when I become stumped on a phrase or wording for a new ceremony, this book will give me the ideas and words that I need. I receive compliments all the time from guests and the couple how the ceremony wasn't a cookie cutter ceremony and it wasn't like all the other weddings they have been to. I start out with ideas and phrases, then search Judith's book to see if there is a phrase or sentence that will blend with my ideas, I always find something that is better and more inspirational for my ceremonies than the last ceremony. Everything from Religious to Non Religious. This book has given me so much that I will be able to create ceremonies for a long time to come.
Thank You Judith for such a Complete wedding guide. I recommend it to all future Brides and Grooms at our first meeting. It is a great resource for them to know what questions to ask, it gives them a piece of mind knowing this is the only book they need to buy, this is the number one guide to a wedding.

I highly recommend this book for anyone planning a wedding. It takes one through each step of the wedding and write the ceremony. The Wedding Ceremony Planner is a must for those arranging their own weddings.

This book was extremely helpful to my husband and I as we planned our wedding. When we decided to get married, we knew that we didn't want a church wedding, but beyond that, we weren't sure what we DID want. We didn't even know where to begin. I found this book, and it immediately put my mind at ease that we'd be able to create a beautiful, personalized wedding.

The book itself is logically laid out and simple to use. And the various writings provide a wide range of styles and tastes. Working from the book, my now-husband and I mixed and matched, edited and rearranged, deleted and added, and ultimately came up with a ceremony that truly spoke to who we are and who we hope to become together. The word "elegant" was used by many guests to describe the ceremony.

There is a particularly useful section on "special circumstances," such as children from previous marriages, friendship circles, ethnic traditions, etc. My husband has a six-year-old son from his first marriage; we always knew he was going to be the ring bearer, but we didn't have any other ideas of how to incorporate him into the ceremony. When we read the "special circumstances" chapter, we found exactly what we wanted to say. It expressed perfectly how I feel about my stepson, and how we all felt about becoming a family. It was the highlight of the ceremony, and I don't think anyone in the audience survived without crying!

I would highly recommend this book to any couple who wants to write their own ceremony, or to any officiant who is new to the field.

Great book, really useful! We didn't have a "real" officiant who did weddings a lot so we wrote our own ceremony using this book. Lots of options with different ceremony aspects which was great. There are no readings in here, however, which would have made it 5star.

I bought this book on the recommendation of another bride and I am SO happy I did.

We are having a first time officiant (uncle) and wanted to a) identify the elements that were most important to us in a ceremony b) give him a guideline of words that spoke to us and c) write our vows.

We aren't religious, and wanted a very comtemporary ceremony and this book was a huge help. It has religious passages, spiritual ones, and secular ones. Helps you customize and gives you great ideas while keeping you organized and focused.

We were able to put our ceremony together is a few hours, and it was nice bonding time focused on the most important part of what is going to be a big day!

One of the best recommendations I've received for my wedding planning, hands down!