Altared Readings
August 18th, 2007 @ 4:30 pm by Mrs. Petunia
There is something incredibly narcissistic about taking great delight in reading anything and everything on weddings when one herself is a bride, but I justify it as a subtler and more private way of being a bridezilla.
I just finished reading May’s release of Collen Curran’s edited collection of essays, Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings.
The Overlooked Part of Preparing For Marriage
May 25th, 2007 @ 5:46 pm by Mrs. Tomato
Among my many confessions in life, I am a self-help book whore. Or should I say “couple-help” book whore. This is not to say Mr. Tomato and I have a troubled relationship, but I never understood why people wait until they are on the brinks of divorce before they evaluate their relationship and communication skills. I think most of us could benefit from a little counseling now and then. I’m a strong believer that even the dumb little fights stem from something bigger that needs to be addressed. The sooner you nip that in the bud, the better.
But I noticed that while the bookstores are filled with dating books and marriage books, there are hardly any that address the engagement period. Some of my single friends don’t quite understand. You’ve already weathered through the dating process; shouldn’t everything else be a breeze?
If you ask me, being engaged is tough! Of course I’m excited to marry the man of my life in a month(!) but trying to balance work, wedding planning, dealing with parents and future in-laws, buying (and selling) a house is stressful. Sometimes I find myself feeling so angry, and I don’t even know why. It’s no wonder couples tend to fight more as the engagement period wears on. Several times this past month, I nearly considered eloping. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mr. Tomato feels the same way and I’m sure it would cause a great uproar from BOTH sides of our families.
One of the greatest things in this world is love, right? This is why we love hearing stories about how couples met and why they “knew.” As a soon to be married, I want to know everything about our family history. I want to know more about the grandma who passed away before I could ask these questions that bubble up constantly.
Although raised as poor as can be, she managed to go to Idaho State and become valedictorian of her class during the Great Depression. When I asked my dad how she could afford to do that, he said she worked as the “help” in my grandpa’s family’s boarding house. This led to how she met Grandpa. I was overjoyed to learn this little tidbit of Grandma and Grandpa’s history, but it made me a little sad. I wish she was still around to answer these questions. When I was younger, she was just “Grandma - the one who buys us ding dongs and makes us play the piano.” I can’t help but feel that I am missing out.
Still, when I start feeling melancholy about what could have been, I pick up “Love Stories of World War II,” compiled by Larry King.
Reading Is Fun
March 23rd, 2007 @ 4:48 pm by Mrs. Kiwi
At what age do you think the ring bearers and flower girls can remember the experience? I ask because our FG and RB are both going to be four, and I hope the wedding is a fun experience for them. My cousin Karen, the FG’s mom, thanked me for giving her daughter a memory like this one.
To help the kids remember their important role in the wedding, there are a ton of books out there specifically directed towards them.
I found some picture books, like this one called “The Little Flower Girl” by Linda Trace Brandon. The story centers around a young girl who is going to be part of her uncle’s wedding. .
How Dare They Mock Martha!
March 21st, 2007 @ 4:36 pm by Mrs. Strawberry
I’ve been kind of stressed out about the wedding as of late. I feel like I’m drowning. I’m the Titanic and I’m going down. Okay, I’m being overly dramatic. I think I’ve just run out of steam. I just wish I wasn’t doing everything myself. For example, the guest list. I asked my parents to give me their list of people this weekend. No, they wanted me to do it. It is my wedding after all, they said. Well, it’s THEIR friends. So I spent a few hours coming up with THEIR list. I’m bitter. They are footing the bill however, so I can’t be that bitter. 
Anyway. My coworker knows the issues I’ve been having and bought me this. It made my day.
Another spirit lifter from goingbridal.com, is Sara’s Evil Wedding Planner. It’s a nice little pick me up for all of you girls that are at the end of the rope and don’t want to tie a noose in it and slip it over your head quite yet!
Bride in Overdrive
February 28th, 2007 @ 12:04 pm by Mrs. Kiwi
When I first got engaged, I swept up any and all books with the words “marriage”, “bride” and “wedding” in the title. Now, almost a year later, I finally finished one of them.
The book is “Bride in Overdrive” by Jorie Green Mark - it’s a non-fiction book about her descent into wedding insanity, and how she came out of it unscathed. This book is hilarious!
One of the things that made me laugh out loud: after reading a few wedding magazines, she demanded that her father provide a budget for lobster as the main course. Oddly enough, she doesn’t even LIKE lobster, but hey, that’s what the magazines said (yes, she realizes her mistake). Another time, she and her fiance got into an altercation while registering for gifts - all things the magazines said she had to have. I can relate to that doubt that comes with reading magazines like that, because I myself felt the same way.
Wedding Chic: The Savvy Bride’s Guide to Getting More While Spending Less
February 21st, 2007 @ 1:58 pm by Mrs. Orchid
I absolutely love this book.
It’s savvy, stylish and well written, giving wonderful tips on how to save money and what to know before meeting with your vendors. The tone of this book is very light, making it fun and readable unlike your usual wedding how-to book drone. In each of the sections, the author not only goes through how to approach vendors to ensure that you don’t get ripped off, but also the alternative do-it-yourself methods as well.
I’ve had this book since we first got engaged, and I already have the pages all marked up with sticky flags everywhere. This book was definitely worth my $10. I already have some girlfriends that have dibs after I’m finished with it!
The Complete Idiot’s Guide To The Perfect Wedding
February 20th, 2007 @ 2:28 pm by Mrs. Blueberry
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.
The Five Love Languages
January 5th, 2007 @ 4:44 pm by Mrs. Poppy
Mr. Poppy and I are doing a premarital counseling thing with our wonderful officiant/pastor since we’ve been engaged. The first thing that was recommended was a book entitled: The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment To Your Mate by Gary Chapman. I am not one that likes reading books that are along the self help line, but I have to say that this book changed my whole outlook on relationships.
The book talks about how there are five primary love languages and that each of us has our own “language.” It explains in depth about the five languages: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. The interesting thing is that Chapman goes on to explain that sometimes we try to show our love in our primary love language and we wonder why our spouse doesn’t appreciate or feel loved. Unless your significant other speaks the same primary language, s/he’s not going to know.
I love how this book says that love is not a magical thing, it is a choice. You choose to love someone, you also choose to show that love. After reading this book I realize that my fiance and I do speak each other’s love language, and we feel more loved already. But this book actually really brought perspective in my other relationships with people, and made me realize that I wasn’t speaking the primary love language of some friends. While I was reading I was thinking in my head: “Oh Sarah’s love language isn’t ‘receiving gifts’ but it’s ‘words of affirmation!’” or “Oh, all this time I was spending ‘quality time’ with my mother when she really feels loved by ‘acts of service.’”
Books for the Bride
December 27th, 2006 @ 4:49 pm by Mrs. Plumeria
Lately, if you happened to bump into me at one of the local Barnes and Noble bookstores in the East Bay Area, chances are you’d find me browsing through the ‚”Bridal/Etiquette‚? section. They have a pretty large selection of all books wedding-related, from cake and flower photo books, to numerous publications by The Knot, to countless different wedding planner/journal-type books. While I opted to buy a roomy expandable file box to organize my wedding notes, instead of invest in a planner, I still have made a few book purchases that I felt were really worth the money.
First pick- Bridal Bargains, by Denise and Alan Fields
[Image from http://www.bridalbargainsbook.com/]
