what book did u use?

[Marsha]

Im going to go get a few wedding books today, or magazines. What ones did you guys use to help out. Im looking for a mag that has lots of ideas, pics and stuff that helps. ill probably end up sitting at borders till the day is dawn. looking for stuff.

[Kelly1Mickey]

Im going to go get a few wedding books today, or magazines. What ones did you guys use to help out. Im looking for a mag that has lots of ideas, pics and stuff that helps. ill probably end up sitting at borders till the day is dawn. looking for stuff.

I am using The Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer by Wedding Solutions. It has helped a lot with keeping contracts, reciepts, etc. organized. It also has plenty of info like how to properly address inner and outer envelopes and what questions to ask your caterer, etc. It doesn't really provide any ideas, just a way to organize them. The only thing that I don't love about it is that it is really big, so I can't realistically carry it everywhere. So, I also use a small notebook that I keep with me and then just transfer the items or ideas that I need to keep into the larger book.

As far as magazines, I would consider getting a subscription if you find one that you like. On the stand they are pretty expensive, but the subscription (which gets you 4-6 mags a year) is about the price of 2 mags on the stand.

[nle5]

I am using Your Perfect Wedding Planner by Cathy Bouchard. This is what the publisher says about the book.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Congratulations, you're engaged! Now it's time to plan your wedding—one of the most important days of your life! Whether you're planning a large, elaborate wedding or a small, intimate gathering, Your Perfect Wedding Planner will keep you organized and efficient, taking you step-by-step through all the preparations needed to plan your dream wedding. Every element of your wedding is included in:

•Over 100 Worksheets and Checklists, many of which are designed to double as vendor contracts
•Insider Tips from Wedding Professionals to help you make decisions and save time and money
•Timelines and Calendars for the entire year, leading right up to the big day!
•Directories and Phonebooks for your wedding party, guests and vendors
•Easy-to-fill-in Personal Budget and Expense Forms to help keep you on target
•A Guest List to assist with invitations, and a Gift Checklist to ensure timely and accurate return of thank you's
•All the elements for a perfect ceremony, from Wedding Attire, Flowers, Photography & Videography to your Choice of Music are included in easy reference sections

•Additionally, every element of your reception is covered, from Music & Entertainment to Decorations and Transportation
•Handy Pockets for safekeeping of all the receipts, fabric swatches and clippings you'll need
•After your wedding, this elegant yet highly durable planner will become a Lasting Keepsake for sharing your most treasured memories!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is another one that I have heard most brides say they are using.


The Very Best Wedding Planner and Organizer by Elizabeth Lluch and Alex Lluch

Here is what the publisher says about this planner.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Contains expert advice for personalizing your wedding plus many tips for making your day the best ever. Includes a free wedding planning cd-rom that allows brides to created budgets, guest list, checklists, gifts received, and much more.

[esp1087]

Im going to go get a few wedding books today, or magazines. What ones did you guys use to help out. Im looking for a mag that has lots of ideas, pics and stuff that helps. ill probably end up sitting at borders till the day is dawn. looking for stuff.
I bought or was given a couple wedding planners, but I honestly glanced at them a couple times and haven't seen them since. I have just relied on my memory, lists, and the checklist on www.theknot.com. For magazines, I remember looking at Modern Bride and The Bridal Guide. I think I may have looked at others too, but those are the ones I remember...

[nle5]

As for magazines, which I forgot in the first post, I looked at Bride, Modern Bride, and The Bridal Guide. Those were useful for helping to find a dress I liked and let me know what I really did not like. I also found a magazine specially for Arizona bride's which I used several copies of to find different wedding vendors. You might see if your state has something like this so you can find vendors easily. I will say that not all wedding vendors in Arizona appeared in this magazine but it really helped when I needed a place to start.

[reecey]

I've looked at a couple of magazines and I looked at a couple of planners, but for the most part, I'm doing it all by my own organization and planning. I haven't bought any books to help me with it - just a lot of internet resources.

[Marsha]

thanks!

i would like to hire one, reecy, kelly and nle (along with anyone else who wants to) to plan my wedding please! it pays nothing except thank you's! haha

[reecey]

thanks!

i would like to hire one, reecy, kelly and nle (along with anyone else who wants to) to plan my wedding please! it pays nothing except thank you's! haha


we'll help in any way we can! :) just ask away and we'll help you find the resources! :)

[nle5]

thanks!

i would like to hire one, reecy, kelly and nle (along with anyone else who wants to) to plan my wedding please! it pays nothing except thank you's! haha

LOL Don't you think it is better to give us thank you's instead of giving a wedding consultant a couple hundred dollars. That is why we are all here helping each other. However, lately I have been told by several people that I should look into becoming a wedding consultant. I think I might have to and then open a wedding consultant business out of my home -- to start.

[Marsha]

ok if you only had 20 people invited and comming to the wedding, what would you do? there is not a budget, and i live in florida but have no desire to get married here.. so it can be anywhere, use your imagination.

(there isnt a budget for real, thats probably why this is so darn hard)

[nle5]

ok if you only had 20 people invited and comming to the wedding, what would you do? there is not a budget, and i live in florida but have no desire to get married here.. so it can be anywhere, use your imagination.

(there isnt a budget for real, thats probably why this is so darn hard)

Well, the first thing I would do is set up a budget. What type of a wedding are you wanting? Could you have a destination wedding? If so, where is a place you have always wanted to go? You know you could just hop on a plane and take off to Vegas. I hear they have some nice wedding chapels there. LOL. One gal from here just got married in Hawaii with very few attending the wedding. We are still waiting for her to post pictures but she did post one message since the wedding saying everything went great. I have also heard of people getting married in the Bahamas, on board a cruise ship, etc.

[reecey]

ok if you only had 20 people invited and comming to the wedding, what would you do? there is not a budget, and i live in florida but have no desire to get married here.. so it can be anywhere, use your imagination.

(there isnt a budget for real, thats probably why this is so darn hard)


are you saying no budget as in you have NO money, or no budget as in you can spend all the money you want? :)

If its the latter of the two, I'd still set a budget. There's no point in spending money you don't have to when you can get the exact things you want at a lower price.
If its the first, then you should probably start saving here and there and plan for a lower cost event.
If you want to do a destination wedding, I would ask you to think of somehwere you've been that you just loved, or somewhere you would like to go and go with that idea.

[SarahK]

I've looked at a couple of magazines and I looked at a couple of planners, but for the most part, I'm doing it all by my own organization and planning. I haven't bought any books to help me with it - just a lot of internet resources.

Reecey!!! I was specifically looking for your answer to this question because whatever you said you used, I was going to go after. Your advice on these forums are so great! Grrr!!!

However, Nle5 and Kelly1Mickey are also extremely helpful and I'll be checking into their suggestions as well.

:D

[Marsha]

we dont have a budget, as in we have done verry well for ourselves and can afford most of the things we need and want with out hesitation. my FH lives on his house boat with 2 staff members- a chef and a skipper. I live in my own home.i want something soficated and verry fancy. Ive been to 16 countries and love to travel so destination is o.k. with me. He is some what into goth things which was our first thing to pick, but now im thinking i want something different. uhhhhh the choices.

[Rev_Hansen]

we dont have a budget, as in we have done verry well for ourselves and can afford most of the things we need and want with out hesitation. my FH lives on his house boat with 2 staff members- a chef and a skipper. I live in my own home.i want something soficated and verry fancy. Ive been to 16 countries and love to travel so destination is o.k. with me. He is some what into goth things which was our first thing to pick, but now im thinking i want something different. uhhhhh the choices.

Budget realities...
.. show's you can be frugle, and thrifty in the eyes of the family (and not out for his money) God says we're to be good stewards of our money for it is a blessing so I'd simply make a list of things you want , need, and hoped for.

The two of you need to sit down, and seriously discuss the wedding plans. Where it will be, and how for starters.. get a feel for his "dream wedding" and then blend the two together. Who's church, who's faith, on land or at sea since his skipper can do it so long as it's in international waters.

Once you have an idea of what you both want, and how. Then you can approach the families for thier ideas for the ultimate wedding, and reception sites.

Again make a list of all these ideas, and talk about them with your FH.
Be realistic, can you afford to take time off for that long, would it cause a burden later if you did. Be open to problems so that you can work around them later. You not only have to plan for you, but for those who are coming as well. So be open thier needs as well.

From this point you can then use any number of planning guides to help you find the sources you'll need for the wedding itself. Most have check lists that you can use This site itself has several links to aid you in your planning if you haven't looked at the site itself yet. I'd recommend the CHECK LIST link found on the home page to get you started for now.