Some Wedding Books That Don't Suck

POSTED BY Kelley Lynn, 02 October 2007

In the world of weddings, the word EXPERT is severely overused. It seems that everyone and their mother thinks they are an expert. If someone simply gets married these days, they start calling themselves a "wedding expert." Hey, I remember this one time I went to the store and purchased some flowers. Now I call myself a "floral expert." When I wanted to write my own vows, I had people telling me I should hire a "wedding vow specialist" to help me word them correctly. Huh? They are MY words, I think I can figure out how to phrase them so they make some sort of sense without having to pay some word geek a fee of $50 per sentence or some ridiculous thing. So in the end, I did not hire the specialist. And guess what? Our vows turned out just fine.

The wedding industry wants you to believe that you are not capable of doing anything yourself; that you desperately need help. You need a wedding planner, a makeup expert, a ceremony expert, a dance instructor, a bridal assistant; the list goes on and on. At this rate, after all the planning, you might need a therapist too. The bottom line is that there are many of these such experts; some of quality and others, not so much. You need to decide which of these things; if any, are important to you. You can plan your wedding on your own. I did. Right down to the last favor. The question is, do you WANT to? Some people prefer to have some experts in their planning process; or at least some good old fashioned help. So if you are one of those Brides or Grooms, then I did a little bit of homework for you and found some books that may help you with your wedding planning process. Since most wedding planning type books seem to suck, I could only find a few that were not mind - numbingly annoying or very old-fashioned. So if you'd like a bit of entertainment, help, or fun; check these out:

"It's My Wedding" by Jean Ramsden and Corinne Weldon

This book is kind of cool. Instead of simply giving you some ideas of what to do during wedding planning, this included several "real" stories from actual brides who have already gone through it. In each story, there is a crisis of some kind that the bride describes; and then tells the story of what happened. After each tale, a solution from various "experts" is offered as to how they would have dealt with that issue. It is fun to read, and after reading some of these stories, it will make you feel better about your own somewhat tame situations.

"The Bridesmaid Handbook" by Sharon Naylor

This book also doesn't suck. It offers some modern day advice about being a bridesmaid in an easy to follow; fun to read way. Included are things like the bachelorette party, Bridal Shower, how much money you should expect to spend, picking dresses, your time, ceremony and general etiquette. Many so-called "experts" weigh in on these issues, but overall, they aren't annoying enough to make me hate this book. If you are going to be a bridesmaid, this one might be helpful and a good read.

"The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weddings" by Piven, Borgenicht, Jordan

I liked this book because I was never quite sure if the stories I was reading were real, or if I was being "punked." Some of the tales here are so bizarre or just plain nutty, you are not quite sure if you are being taken for a ride ... or did it really happen? DJ's not showing up, wedding dresses getting lost the day of the event, reception hall catching fire. What to do? This book will tell you ... sort of. Their solutions are just as baffling as their scenarios. And yet, oddly enough, I think it is a helpful book. And very funny. The authors come up with some pretty good and creative stuff here; such as creating bouquets from wrappers, and how to deal with a drunken bridesmaid. (you'll have to read for yourself. ) The best thing about this book is that it does not take itself too seriously. It sort of mocks the whole idea of "experts," which I really really liked. If you are stressed out right now planning your wedding, this should make you laugh and help you put things into perspective.

"Thirty To Wife" by Craig Michaels

Very funny book. Great gift for a Groom-to-be, from the male perspective. This one tells the story of Craig Michaels, a man who just proposed to his now fiance. In this book, he writes about the 30 days before the wedding from his personal experience ... the engagement, the wedding planning, the changes in the relationship, and everything else that happens during this happy and strange time. Michaels is very real and down to earth, funny, and obviously very in love. This is really a perfect read for any man who feels like he is not a big part of the wedding planning process, or who feels left out. (waah.)

"The Best Wedding Reception Ever" by Peter Merry

Who is Peter Merry, you ask? Well he is a wedding expert, of course! Not exactly, but close. For over 20 years, he was a "Wedding Entertainment Director," which gives him a lot of knowledge in a lot of areas of planning the perfect wedding reception. This book is incredibly helpful, and I actually read it while planning my own wedding. Someone gave it to me as a gift, and I have to say, it was a favorite of mine during the process. I loved how Perry referred to the typical cookie - cutter wedding as a "McWedding." He gives great tips on how to avoid this type of wedding, how to make it your own, and do it on a tight budget. He speaks about the most important part of the reception - the entertainment, the company, the food, the atmosphere. The ideas are concrete and very creative, and the book definately doesn't suck.

One more thing: if you are going to read any of the above books or others while planning your wedding, by all means do not pay for them. There is a little thing called a library, and it is a wonderful place. Save some money, and use it. And happy wedding planning.

Email Kelley at kelley@brideorama.com