Bridal Book Giveaway

Shortly after Hubs and I got engaged, the daughter of a family friend - Hubs' former baby sitter to be exact - gave me a bunch of bridal books. I've since passed a few of them on, but I have a few more that I'm looking to pass on.

You see, to give a little background, Hubs and I are moving. Finally! I thought when he accepted the job last week, except he's already working up in Connecticut, and I'm down here sorting through everything and trying to get everything packed, sorted, given away in two weeks.

So, expect more recaps/vendor reviews in the coming weeks, I'm waiting on our pictures to do the recaps which should be coming soon :)


The books are all in great condition, and since they were given to me, I'm going to pass them down to the first commenter.

Enjoy!

Getting The Groom Motivated

This gem ($12 - amazon.com)my friends, is a Godsend. A friend of ours gave it to Fiancé Saturday night at a party. Last night, after working on the Save the Dates (they're half way done!!! mission ready to be addressed before 12/20 is on a roll!!) Fiancé busted it out while I was still making envelope liners, and was smitten with the book.

It essentially fills the groom in on his role and clarifies the role of the bride along with a time line in layman's terms, and a who's who of who's paying for what.

If you gals want to get your groom something for the holidays, this book would make an excellent stocking stuffer or even just a "here you go honey" gift just to get the hint across. Whereas I have a shelf full of books that have been given to me since we got engaged, this is the only one he needs, and then when he's done, he'll pass it on to the next man getting hitched.

What books are on your bridal planning book shelf?? Any that you consider a must have?

[image from Amazon.com]

Wedding Planners of the Paperback Variety

As I mentioned in my previous post, a friend, The Librarian, dear dear friend of my Co-Worker, recently got engaged (hurrah!)! Co-worker is the Maid of Honor so after hearing about the engagement and having the requisite happy hour to see the ring, Co-worker asked me to join her on a Barnes & Noble trip to pick out a wedding planning book as a gift for The Librarian.

Just as no two brides are quite alike or have quite the same vision for their wedding , no two wedding planners are quite alike. The Librarian is no question a simple elegant girl, and a simple elegant planner was in order.

I went straight to what I consider to be the standard in all wedding planning: Martha (obvi!).


The Martha Stewart Keepsake Wedding Planner incorporates Martha's vast (and vast it is) universe of wedding knowledge into an attractive mid-size binder. There are little pockets for holding business cards and even a three-hole punch inside. I like this wedding planner because I like the Martha aesthetic and I know I'm generally going to like whatever Martha throws at me. This would also be great for a bride who is really the scrap-booky type and wants to savor every moment of her engagement and planning. Like it says on the cover, it's a keepsake planner, so it has lots of checklists, fill-in sheets, pockets, etc. to preserve your wedding planning experience. You might also like this book if you might have the opportunity to pass on your wedding knowledge to a friend or sister.

We decided Martha and her keepsake-ness might be a little too much for The Librarian and moved on to another of my favorites (I'm a master of the B&N wedding section), Simple Stunning Wedding Organizer.


Simple Stunning Weddings is actually a whole line of books by Karen Bussen, a New York-based floral and event designer. Karen has a whole line of books in addition to the organizer, including the one above which focuses on overall ceremony decor, another that focuses on florals and yet another on etiquette. Type "simple stunning" into the search bar at B&N.com and you'll bring up all of her titles. I looooove this line of books. You just sigh and relax when you look at the pictures because everything is so simple and effortless looking. The overall aesthetic that Karen presents in the book is really, as she says, simple yet stunning. This is a great book for someone who already knows what's what in wedding-planning-land and has a lot of ideas, but wants to get organized and get some extra inspiration. If you need more guidance, more precise check lists of what to do precisely 82 days out, etc. You might want to try the next book...

The Knot ULTIMATE Wedding Planner (emphasis my own) by Carley Roney and The Knot Team.


It says ultimate on the cover and it certainly has enough advice, organizing charts and check-lists to merit the adjective. I think this is a great book if you are looking for a solid guide on how to go about doing the basics: booking a venue, considering a florist, etc. Carley and The Knot team cover the bases of wedding planning in a comprehensive, easy to understand manner. This book would be my top pick for a gift, especially if I was unsure of the type or style of wedding the recipient might want, or how "wedding savvy" a couple might or might not be. Mother's of the Bride and Groom who want to help out and give a great engagement gift--I would recommend this book hands down.

However, we opted for this last selection for the The Librarian, Emily's Posts Wedding Planner by Peggy Post.

Image from Emily Post

After looking at and considering all the great option on the B&N shelves, Co-Worker opted for the Emily Post Wedding Planner. It covers all the basic bases (creating a budget, finding a venue, questions to ask your vendors) with a good dose of Emily Post's timeless etiquette advice. Co-Worker felt The Librarian would appreciate the simple and straight forward planning advice and enjoy the etiquette aspect of the book as well.

There are many more excellent Wedding Planners on the shelves. These are just a small selection of titles available! If you're looking for some guidance on how to get started or how to accomplish a specific task, you might want to look into investing in one. The books I've mentioned here range in price from around $15 up to $29.99 and if you purchase online, they're discounted anywhere from $5 to $10. Again, most of these books would be perfectly appropriate to pass along to someone later with all your wedding information inside. The Big Sister passed her planning notebook down to me and it's been invaluable as a resource to us.

Happy Planner Planning!

All images from Barnes & Noble unless otherwise noted.