Books » Wedding Books

The classic indispensable, comprehensive guide to creating the wedding of your dreams. Today's weddings are more complicated than ever, with new traditions replacing old, and new relationships to consider as family life grows more complex. In this new edition, Peggy provides sensible solutions to wedding questions old and new, showing how to manage the big decisions and the little details with tact, consideration and confidence?? leaving you free to enjoy all of the happy times along the way! With new chapters on the groom's involvement and incorporating today's technology into your wedding plans, plus updates and expansions on destination weddings, same?sex unions, wedding expenses, and more, the 5th edition answers every couple's contemporary questions. And Peggy Post continues to provide the tried and true guidelines every couple needs for a memorable wedding, from announcing the engagement, to budgeting for the ceremony and reception, to choosing the perfect caterer, florist, photographer and music?? and bringing it all off with minimum stress and maximum style.

While family and future in-laws squabble over the menu and the table decorations, brides are supposed to sit and smile and bask in the prospect of their happiness-even though that prospect is guaranteed to include the post-wedding depression that hits some 90 percent of women during their first year of marriage.

This is a must-have book for any woman who has found the partner she wants to be with for the rest of her life and has made up her mind to celebrate that commitment.

Bridal counselor Sheryl Paul interviewed a diverse group of women who share their true feelings about the many concerns that can make an engagement a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs. Along with practical advise and support, you will find welcome acknowledgement of shared doubts and feats that so often run amok as wedding bells take their toll.

From the author of The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World, a thoroughly modern, must-have workbook to help you pull off the perfect wedding.With so many nerve-wracking details to tend to, planning the perfect wedding can seem an impossible task. Now The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner guides you step-by-step through the countless stages of planning your big day. Packed with easy-to-follow checklists and worksheets, and the hip, insightful wisdom that has made theknot.com an indispensable resource for millions of couples worldwide, The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner provides: A one-year calendar with monthly and weekly to-do lists leading up to the moment of marriage Worksheets to help you: Organize the attendants, the guest list, and the invitations?? Design the ceremony--from the site and officiant to the dress Arrange the reception--from the cake and caterer to the music and the photographer Checklists to keep track of finances, contracts, and post-marriage legalities Money-saving tips and answers to Frequently Asked QuestionsThis practical companion to The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World acts as a stand-alone guide to the nuts and bolts of planning a wedding. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner is where the bride and groom can record wedding ideas, create budget guidelines, check items off their to-do list, generate the guest list, store contact information for their wedding vendors, and get tips and advice on the best way to plan their big day. Chapter by chapter, the planner walks the bridal couple through each major step: for example, choosing the reception site, picking a photographer, and deciding on a menu. Author Carley Roney and the editors of The Knot Web site have talked with both wedding professionals and hundreds of thousands of brides and grooms, and have a good idea of the necessary ingredients for a successful wedding. Most helpful and thorough are each chapter's "Questions to Ask" checklists and the "Knot Knowledge" tips, which include money-saving ideas. The book also contains a gift log, a budget tracker, and a wedding-day phone contacts sheet. Roney offers loads of helpful advice, such as recommending that the bride and groom declare "wedding free zones" where the couple makes time for activities together that have nothing to do with planning the wedding. Each chapter also includes her down-to-earth answers to commonly asked questions, such as whether it's appropriate for a relative to host a shower or if the wedding couple should pay for guests' travel expenses. With all of its tips, advice, and organizers, The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner may just be, next to a wedding coordinator, the best way for modern couples to ensure their wedding is a smoothly run, stress-free affair. --Kris Law

Many couples want a spiritual but not a religious ceremony that truly celebrates their unique set of beliefs, values and life circumstances. They want their ceremony, their way but don't know where to begin or what questions they need to ask. The Wedding Ceremony Planner is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide. It covers everything you need to know to create a beautiful ceremony text and to anticipate and address all the profound and mundane logistics with ease, grace and fun. It includes hundreds of text excerpts reflecting the many voices with which our hearts speak. There are also ten sample ceremony texts, including those used to address such situations as the inclusion of children, the telling of the couple's story, the renewal of vows and a commitment ceremony. Checklists and worksheets are included to manage all the details. The Wedding Ceremony Planner is also an invaluable resource for clergy of all faiths, wedding planners and location coordinators. Sprinkled with anecdotes about lessons learned by couples creating their weddings, this book is filled with the wisdom of experience.

They don't call them maids for nothing. Being a fabulous bridesmaid calls for much more than throwing on the dress and throwing back a few drinks. Enter The Bridesmaid Guide-a hip and informative book on being the best best woman a woman can be. With good humor and plenty of tips, author Kate Chynoweth covers everything the bridesmaids and maid of honor need to know. Whether the dilemma is how to throw a perfectly pitched bridal shower, wear the bridesmaid's dress with panache, wow the crowd with a speech, or support the bride on her big day, here are solutions a-plenty. This illustrated guide is the perfect sourcebook for a girl's best friend.

The Definitive, Completely Up-to-Date Guide to Planning a Jewish Wedding

Since its original publication in 1986, The New Jewish Wedding has become required reading, assigned to engaged couples by Conservative, Reform, and Reconstruc-tionist rabbis alike. In this new revision, Anita Diamant, one of the most respected writers of guides to Jewish life, continues to offer step-by-step guidance to planning the ceremony and the party that follows -- from hiring a rabbi and wording the invitation to organizing a processional and hiring a caterer. She also includes:

• A new chapter focusing on converts, non-Jews, and same-sex couples
• Essential Web sites
• All new art, with examples of ketubot, invitations, and other wedding paraphernalia
• New poems and new translations of the seven wedding blessings

Complete, authoritative, and indispensable, The New Jewish Wedding is a must-have resource for anyone who wants a wedding that combines spiritual meaning and joyous celebration.

From the #1 wedding Web site and the author of The Knot Complete Guide To Weddings In The Real World, a comprehensive guide to choosing the perfect words and music for your wedding.In her third book in The Knot series, Carley Roney has created a complete guide to wedding vows, toasts, and readings that is the perfect resource for wedding couples, bridesmaids, best men, and parents alike. Drawing on wedding traditions and customs from around the world, The Knot Complete Guide To Wedding Vows And Traditionsincludes real-world information on:—Vows, from the traditional "to have and to hold" to creating your own—Rituals from a variety of traditions–breaking the glass, cutting the cake–and their history and significance—Toasts, from the classics to advice on writing your own, as well as toasting etiquette and tips on choosing your toastmaster—Readings, spanning various customs and heritages, poetry and prose, plus sources for finding your own selections—Music–complete lists of popular options to help you chose the perfect songs from the processional to the last danceWhen planning for the big day, it's very easy to get caught up in beaded white dresses, boutonnieres, and how many platters of mini crab cakes to order, but the most important part of the wedding is the most-often overlooked--the ceremony itself. A wedding ceremony can vary hugely depending on the religious (or not) beliefs of the couple, their cultural backgrounds, and their personal preferences. The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions can help you sort through all the choices and come up with just the right vows and music for you and your intended. Do you want the traditional "I, so and so, take thee, so and so, to be my lawfully wedding husband/wife before God" or do you want a looser style: "I love you. And I look forward to being your friend and companion, your wife/husband and lover for life"? Carley Roney, author and editor-in-chief of The Knot (www.theknot.com), strongly suggests taking a stab at writing your own vows, but if that's just too much, cull what you like from the many different styles--from Buddhist to Quaker--offered. Readings can be from the Bible or other spiritual writings, from poetry or even song lyrics. A diverse selection of writings and excerpts are included as are a lengthy lists of songs and music for before the ceremony, the processional, the recessional, and the first dance (everything from Bach's "Brandenberg Concerto No. 4" to Martina McBride's "I Love You"). Also included here are chapters on the wedding program, ring exchanges, and speeches and toasts. Interspersed are stories and pictures of real couples and how they arranged their wedding day. Meant as a jolt to your imagination, The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions helps you to put a very personal touch on an age-old ceremony. --Dana Van Nest

Dr. Patricia Allen's jam-packed seminars in Los Angeles have resulted in over two thousand marriages. Now you too can take advantage of this proven step-by-step program.

Here's what you'll learn:

In this downturn economy, planning a wedding on a budget is more challenging than ever. Weddings For Dummies, 2E will come to the rescue providing expertise on everything from bridal gowns to the honeymoon with the emphasis on getting the most for the least amount of money. This edition will also include a new section on forms and tracking sheets to simplify the planning process. Weddings For Dummies, 2E will cover all the essentials including: planning the wedding you can afford that is still be the wedding of your dreams, getting the best price for the ideal location for the ceremony and reception, tips on how to hire caterers, florists, photographers, and more, choosing music and food for the reception without breaking the bank, insights on handling even the stickiest situations the right way?even tricky family dynamics, tips for keeping track of gifts, guests to thank you notes, the latest bridal fashions, floral arrangements, and cakes, ideas for fun, unique, and romantic receptions, picking the ideal honeymoon location that fits your budget.  Includes a new section with planning forms and worksheets intended to simplify the planning process

Planning for the big day? Here are the most up-to-date answers to all of your questions in the book from the editors of the acclaimed wedding website, The Knot.

Overwhelmed by the countless questions and details your wedding entails? Don't despair! The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World takes you step-by-step from your engagement to the big day, from the reception to the honeymoon. Inside you'll find checklists, worksheets, insider advice, and in-depth sections on:

How to personalize your wedding
Updated wedding etiquette
Creating a realistic budget
Sneaky cost-cutting tips
Dress shopping advice
Tips for working with florists, caterers, officiants, and others
Invitation wording
Vows and ceremony details
Unique wedding customs

ALL NEW SECTIONS ON: Planning Online and Destination Weddings