Weddingbee Blog

Planning on spending some time this weekend getting organized around wedding things? Great! Before you head off though, take some advice from a girly who learned the hard way… and Mr. Pencils, who says someone better get some good out of the damn things we’ve learned.

First of all, DON’T take 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon to look through every wedding planning book that Barnes and Noble has… you’ll give your groom good reason to question your sanity…

DO at least look through some wedding organizer books because they give fantastic tips and help you think of things you may have forgotten!

DON’T buy an organizer/planning book until you are absolutely sure it meets all of your needs…

DO acquire something that will allow you to jot down inspiration, notes, your budget, tips and vendors information, even if it is a simple notebook!

DON’T buy an organizer just because of a famous name on the cover or its color…

DO buy an organizer that has ample space for you to take notes during meetings with potential vendors and has space for drafting that initial guest list!

And the last one, from personal experience:

DON’T buy a large oversized organizer if you plan on carrying it around with you (like on a full day of venue walk-throughs)

Some of these may seem like no-brainers, but trust me, it’s easy to get caught up in a snazzy looking giant green organizer… and then kick yourself later for blowing fifty bucks on the fifty pound binder (which I did)!

So, I will share with you the fruits of my two hour labor in the bookstore:

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While useful, I felt that much of what was written here I could find at the website. Overall, a good option, but it didn’t have anything that jumped out at me likem “yes!”

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This was a strong contender. It had lots of pages for notes with vendors and good photos for inspiration. It was too… pink for me. This is funny considering what I did end up going with…

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This guide was witty and creative. However, though it said “anti-bride” I found it to be pretty similar to the other organizers. It did offer creative ideas for venues and attire… but beside that, it was (to me) another pink wedding planning book.

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Ah, the one I chose. Yep, it’s purple. Yep, it’s huge. Yep, it has a three hole punch included so you can put your vendor contracts and notes RIGHT IN THE BINDER! Sweet! I do like it for these reasons, as well as the detailed photos of so many flowers, so that now I know the difference between a ranuncula and a dahlia… don’t hate, we grow sagebrush in Idaho…

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OK, this isn’t a planning binder. But it’s the best possible ceremony planner around, since Mr. P and I are designing our own ceremony. It has so many useful examples of vows, opening prayers, and ring ceremonies. It had exactly what we needed!

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I loved this book, as it offered some fresh perspective on the wedding industry on a down to earth budget. She’s a great writer with an engaging voice, and I found myself referencing her ideas as I began to plan. Side note: she finds a white bridesmaid’s dress in a NY boutique for her wedding dress—glorious.

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A simple, straightforward “solutions oriented” book that offers tips and thoughts on making your wedding as socially and ecologically conscious as possible. It offered great insight into ways to downsize the carbon footprint of your wedding, and I still reference it now!

In spirit of complete honesty, I use the purple planner about never… not nearly as often as the simple leather notebook Mr. Pencils bought me. This is small enough to be carried around, so it has been my go to for our venue hunt, accommodations adventure, and food tasting endeavors. So, if your budget or sanity inhibits a large book, just get a notebook. It works wonders for your recall of all the amazing things you have seen, tasted, or thought!

Somehow, I hope this winding break down of some organization books helps you… and allows you to spend only one hour, instead of two, thus saving you those looks from your fiance that seem to say, “Am I sure I want this woman’s indecisiveness passed to my children?”

Did you choose to buy a wedding organizer? Has it been useful? If not, how are you keeping track of thoughts and notes?