Weddingbee Blog

I have read many, many wedding planning books and guides, both online and in print. So when I saw the above title on sale for $4.98 at my local Barnes and Noble, I eagerly snapped it up to add to my collection.

Now, I sort of wish I had my $4.98 (plus tax!) back. Because I could buy a grande skim chai latte and a slice of reduced-fat coffee cake with that money, and I would have gotten more enjoyment from the Starbucks than I did from this book.

I have to give “TCIGttPW” a bad review. I completely understand that there are people who might be somewhat clueless on all aspects of wedding planning. If that’s you, hang around on Weddingbee for a while, or read Weddings for Dummies (which is actually very well-written and helpful, even for more experienced readers) instead.

Overall, TCI….etc. was very limited in its scope and amateurish in tone. As one book reviewer on Amazon said, the guide’s advice was almost solely aimed at the young, inexperienced, Protestant bride holding a church wedding. However, it also seemed to assume that she has the money to toss around to hire a wedding planner, as every other paragraph seems to direct you to do. The book seems to deliberately try to sway its readers against any kind of unusual wedding. “Another hard fact of life with outdoor weddings is that you have to bring everything you’ll need to the outdoors; you must be completely self sufficient!” it admonishes. Elsewhere, it warns against silk flowers or contemporary arrangements, against “making do” with a DJ instead of hiring a band or wedding singer (?!), against offering your guests anything less than a sit-down meal, etc. I’m sure their advice is well-intentioned, but it comes across as very close-minded and judgmental of anyone who doesn’t like their exact idea of what a wedding should be.

The little tidbits of trivia interspersed throughout the book were interesting, though. But unless you are having a protestant, church wedding and don’t intend to do any of the planning for the event yourself, this guide is pretty worthless.

Now is the time when I put forth my obligatory plug of the Bridal Bargains book, which I hold dear and have used repeatedly as my wedding planning bible. Definitely a better use of your money!

Have you read any wedding books that you found disappointing?