Mrs. Pineapple, Pittsburgh
Age and Occupation: 24, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Student Affairs Administration
Engagement Date: August 4, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: April 14, 2008
Venue: The Rivers Club
About Me: Being a transplant from sunny south Florida I am learning to live with all four seasons while playing with our cat collective, line dancing, and doing a ton of DIY projects for our wedding (seriously, like a thousand)!
The Toaster Broke, So We’re Getting Married
June 25th, 2008 @ 2:33 pm by Mrs. Pineapple
With surgery approaching I assumed that I would have a lot of free time to lay around and not move my right arm. So, I decided to look for some new reading material. Since I love reading wedding blogs so much I thought that wedding memoirs would be right up my alley. I searched amazon and ordered two, both were less than $1.50, brand new from the “used” books section. This is probably the only time in my life I could really relate to the authors and possibly get some insight as well.
The first to arrive was “The Toaster Broke, So We’re Getting Married.” It was short and sweet with a bright pink cover, fun right?
After reading the book I thought you might appreciate a review from a certain bride-to-be with too much time on her hands.The author, Pamela Holm, writes about planning her second wedding. She has been a single mom for 16 years and decides that this is a wedding she wants to do “right.” The book is broken into sections, much like our blogs are here at Weddingbee, with a chapter entitled “The Dress” and another “The Guest List.” She describes many of the same issues that most brides go through during the planning process and the effect it has on her family-to-be. Her view of the wedding is pretty realistic with my favorite excerpt being the content of a postcard sent to their guest list:
“On the subject of gifts, we love burlwood clocks and brass-plated fondue dishes as much as the next happy couple, but aside from needing a toaster we have more than enough possessions to run a household. In lieu of gifts we would like to suggest you celebrate our marriage in one of the following ways.
A. Donate money to your favorite charity
B. Dance naked in a rainstorm
C. Call your mother once in a while, it won’t kill you”
Overall I would give “The Toaster Broke” 3 out of 5 pineapples (arbitrary, but cute, no?) a fun, quick read and sometimes quite funny, but she’s no David Sedaris.
Would anyone like to trade wedding reading materials? (or I can just give it to you if you have nothing to trade)
13 Responses to “The Toaster Broke, So We’re Getting Married”
Not wedding related, but I just finished the new David Sedaris and, as usual, I was laughing out loud in public.
Oh… The BEST wedding / marriage related book that I read was “The most important year in a woman’s life” (by Devries and Wolgemuth)
It’s actually two books, one is for the woman, and one is for the man, and it just covers all the topics that newlyweds would find useful to know about.
I highly recommend it because I felt like a light bulb switched on inside my brain so many times when I was reading it.
Also on the plus side, it’s not overly religious (I think there is one religious chapter) like most of the marriage / newlywed books out there, which really appealed to me.
Sorry this is so long!
Becky
Many summers ago, I read “As Long As She Needs Me,” by Nicholas Weinstock. It’s about a (male) admin assistant for a very unpleasant woman who ends up planning her wedding. He falls in love with a writer for a wedding magazine at the same time… yadda yadda yadda, everyone gets what was coming to them. It’s interesting in that it comes from a male perspective.
It was a good beach read.
I’ll have to check out David Sedaris! I’ve never read his stuff, but I love laughing in public! (Picture me in the Charles De Gaulle Airport making a scene with Dave Berry’s Travel Guide. One very sweet man actually stopped because he mistook my muffled giggle for crying!)
I looooove Amanda Hesser’s “Cooking for Mr. Latte.” It’s a food memoir about her courtship with a latte-loving man, complete with recipes relating to each chapter. There’s romance involved, but I won’t spoil it for you. Highly recommended to all Hive foodies!
I have some wedding related novels that I am waiting to read, but I can’t remember all their names….just Lucy Sullivan…I think “Diary of a Mad Bride”…I will hopefully crack those open after I finish my summer paper! 
I had to chime in that I’m a Sedaris fan as well. DH has been reading the new one and also laughing out loud in public. Will steal and read it as soon as he’s done.
@ Becky
My FI and I also read that book and it led to many good discussions. Great read. I have yet to find a similar book that I like better.
Since you asked…I would love to send you a copy of my new book, “Help! I’m a Newlywed…What Do I Do Now? Wife-Saving Advice Every New Bride Must Know to Survive the First Year of Marriage,” scheduled for release on September 20 - Wife Appreciation Day.
October will be here before you know it and you’ll soon be “Mrs.” Pineapple - smiles! Just let me know if you’d like a complimentary copy, where to send it and I’ll mail it off asap.
I’ll definitely send you Laurie Notaro’s “Diary of a Fat Bride.” Again, she’s no David Sedaris (or Sarah Vowell for that matter), but she hold her own with natural wit. PM or email me!
For a juicy read, I just finished “Not Quite a Bride” by Kristin Sawyer” Great read..I highly recommend it!
I have to agree with you Jenn, “Not Quite a Bride” is fantastic…
Oh my gosh, “Tied in Knots” is great for taking away the stress and really puts things into perspective. It’s a collection of weddings that went horribly wrong but still turned out to be wonderful marriages. It would seem like that would be the LAST thing you’d need when planning a wedding, but it’s really great to think that things can’t go THAT bad.
[…] thanks everyone for your suggestions on wedding related reading. I have ordered a 4 or 5 of your recommendations (one of which was $0.30!) […]
