Planning Books

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Carley Roney

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Carley Roney Amazon Marketplace: 82 new & used starting at $3.30

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The Knot Wedding Planner 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book as a gift for my sister to help her plan her wedding and from what she tells me, it is a big help and she carries it around everywhere. Great product, I wish I knew about it in time for my wedding.

Leave it... 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

In my opinion, it isn't worth paying for this book--all the same information is available, for free, at wedding websites. I bought a ton of wedding books--and never used them becaue I had all I needed online for free. If you aren't a computer-y person, then go for it...but if you know how to browse websites, save your money for the centerpieces, photography, or other wedding detail.

Additionally, if you want to purchase a wedding organizer (really, all you need is an expansion file folder or a 3-ring binder & folders): DO NOT BUY THIS ONE! You really are going to need: one that lays flat (read: sprial bound or 3-ring bidner style), and one that has pockets for reciepts, swatches, contracts, etc. I found that since this had none of these--I used it once, and refused to lug it around with me.

Editorial Review:

Filled with easy-to-follow checklists and worksheets, contract guides, and the hip insight you love on TheKnot.com, this comprehensive guide will take you through the countless stages of wedding planning and help you stay organized so you can pull off a the perfect wedding -- without losing your sanity! Planning timelines, important questions to ask vendors, contract checklists, budget spreadsheets and tips, attendant cheat sheets, and much more are included in this thoroughly modern, must-have wedding planning resource. 200 pages. Published by Broadway Books (a division of Random House).

How to Organize (Just About) Everything: More Than 500 Step-by-Step Instructions for Everything from Organizing Your Closets to Planning a Wedding to Creating a Flawless Filing System

Peter Walsh

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Free Press Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $13.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Don't Waste your Money or Time! 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I was so disappointed in this book!! I read almost every chapter unless it was something that would obviously be a waste of time like "How to Become a Model or Movie Director", what does that have to do with getting organized? 98% of this book is just plain stupid. The only good tip I got was to use a cross stitch fabric to hold earrings, ha! This book is huge, but has very little real advice on getting your home organized. I'm glad I borrowed it from my library before purchasing it!

Editorial Review:

Professional organizer Peter Walsh presents this witty and enormously practical guide to getting it -- and keeping it -- all together. With more than 500 easy-to-follow how-to instructions, How to Organize (Just About) Everything is packed with shrewd advice and insider tips to make your home, your workplace -- indeed, every imaginable aspect of your life -- run more smoothly. Step-by-step solutions help even the most organizationally challenged take on:

Kids

Schedules

Storage

Photos

Lists

Politics

Education

Remodels

Meals

Weddings

Finances

Holidays

Parties

Vacations

Emergencies

The Complete Wedding Planner & Organizer

Elizabeth Lluch

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: WS Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $18.37

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Keeps me organized! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This binder has been very helpful for keeping things neat during this crazy planning time. Every time I meet with a vendor they always comment on how organized I must be. The pictures and checklists in the binder are helpful, but most things you can easily find online. The included hole-puncher is super helpful for immediately hole-punching contracts!

A must have for every bride 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After I searched and searched at the bookstore for the right book I came across this one and thought it was the best match for me. I am a very organized person and this planner and organizer is exactly how I wanted things to appear in the book. There are many pages to write in your possible vendor information when comparing which one you want to go with. Also lots and lots of inspiration pictures at the beginning of the book and they are pictures of weddings that are in style with the trends going on right now. Many pages full of tips and "do and dont's". The only thing I didn't like about this (and a very small detail) is that the write-in pages don't leave you a lot of room to write in stuff. Other that small negative, this book is wonderful. And if you want to add in pages there is a three-hole punch you can use.

Overall, great book. And the tabs are a miracle saver. Have fun with this one!

Editorial Review:

A new title from America's top wedding experts, Elizabeth & Alex Lluch. The Complete Wedding Planner & Organizer provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date wedding planning information in a handy 3-ring binder designed to help brides stay organized and on top of their wedding plans. The binder includes a back cover pocket to store important documents, dividers to keep track of information, a 3-hole punch to easily add pages, and inspirational wedding photos.

The Engaged Groom: You're Getting Married. Read this Book.

Doug Gordon

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Collins Living Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $3.47

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pracitcal AND funny, a good mix 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book has a lot of good practical advice, like when to get a marriage license. For someone getting married out of state, this was very helpful. I also thought some of the money-saving tips were unique and not your standard fare. There was a part on dealing with problem guests that has been very helpful since we've had to deal with a lot of these types of people and as the groom I usually have to smoothe over a few egos and play peacemaker. To top it off, there's a great section about bachelor parties goes beyond other books and talks about how people really feel about strip clubs, both men and women.

To keep it interesting Gordon puts in a lot of funny stuff, like lists of songs that are inappropriate to play at a wedding and an answer to the question of whether or not throwing rice at a wedding is harmul to birds. (It's not, but his explanation is really amusing and well written.)

I got this as a gift and thought it was really helpful, one source for all of my questions. Four months to go before my wedding and there's still a lot I learned.

Editorial Review:

Today's groom expects and is expected to take on a large and often times equal role in the planning of the big event. The days of the husband–to–be just showing up with a nice suit on and having no idea of what went into the planning are long gone. This is not to say that the groom's interests need to be the same as the bride's. This book will help the groom to choose what interests them and works well with their talents. If it is not picking out the table cloths to match the flowers, than it could be working on the menu or the invitations or even designing the wedding website. For the groom who wishes to be actively involved and not be limited by traditional wedding elements, the book will suggest ways to create a modern wedding. For example turning the focus to the enjoyment of the guests and thinking of the day as a big party, while still respecting the wishes of the families.

Simple Stunning Weddings: Designing and Creating Your Perfect Celebration

Karen Bussen

Amazon Price: $21.45 List Price: $32.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harry N. Abrams Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $13.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The three biggest trends in weddings today are simplicity, personalization, and color. Wedding design expert Karen Bussen highlights these elements as she shows couples how to design their own weddings without going crazy or broke.

Simple Stunning Weddings is the first wedding design book to focus on the where of the wedding. Location is the first and most important decision brides and grooms must make: everything else flows from that. Bussen showcases 12 popular wedding settings, including the city loft, country inn, art gallery, botanic garden, and private club, and demonstrates how to make them extraordinary. With the site as the starting point, she creates unifying themes with color, flowers, and personal touches. She explains how to deal with vendors, how to spend the wedding budget, and when it makes sense to hire a specialist.

Sharing all her trade secrets, Bussen teaches the power of simplicity and the impact of color, which can be tailored to any budget, always to stunning effect: substituting cotton tablecloths for silk in the same eye-dazzling color combinations, for example, or creating striking flower arrangements using only one or two types of blooms. Whether for a barefoot union on a beach or a formal affair in a hotel ballroom, this fully illustrated, information-filled book is like having Bussen on hand as your personal wedding designer. AUTHOR BIO: KAREN BUSSEN is one of Manhattan's most exciting wedding designers. Her work has been featured in such magazines as Modern Bride, Martha Stewart Weddings, Home, Food & Wine, and Interior Design. In the past six years, she has designed more than 100 weddings.

ELLEN SILVERMAN's photographs have appeared in Charmed Bracelets and New Soul Cooking (both STC).

Your Stress-Free Wedding Planner: Experts' Best Secrets to Creating Your Dream Wedding

Judy Allen

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sourcebooks Casablanca Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $7.21

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Every wedding moves through the same series of planning steps, but the time, money, energy and emotion invested can vary tremendously. Couples who use the tools and techniques the experts use are prepared to do what matters, when it matters most. With the logistics in order, they have the freedom to enjoy the events leading up to their special day as well as time to relax and plan their future life together.

As they work their way through the planning stages, couples will find that their initial stress over planning their wedding day has disappeared. Couples committed to creating a memorable, meaningful wedding day will come to view the wedding planning process not as an ordeal to get through, but as a fun experience.

Judy Allen is a professional event planner and shows brides a step-by-step approach to minimize the complexity of planning the wedding day. When an event is planned in these 10 stages, whether over six weeks or a year or longer, the planner will always be in control of the process, will not go over budget and will find the whole process relaxed and stress free.

The 10 stages:
1. Visualization: Wedding-Day Dreams
2. Decision Making: What Matters Most
3. Designing a Realistic Blueprint
4. Choosing the Perfect Wedding and Reception Site
5. Selecting the Right Wedding Vendors
6. Before You Sign on the Dotted Line: Questions to Ask
7. Organizing Wedding-Day Timelines and Wedding-Day Flow
8. Wedding-Day Flow Sheets
9. Wedding Supplier Previews and Wedding-Day Rehearsal
10. On-Site Wedding-Day Orchestration

Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner

Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Clarkson Potter Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $14.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

So excited!!!....until I opened it 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I ordered this planner as a gift for my best girlfriend who recently got engaged. A few reviews mentioned that the materials are excellent, but the binder arrived broken. I thought, hey that would never happen to me, those people are crazy. Um, it arrived broken. I would recommend purchasing this planner as the materials are great, but be prepared to purchase a new binder and transfew the materials. This binder is very un-Martha-like.

Editorial Review:

This planner is overflowing with useful features to help you plan and organize the perfect wedding—in addition, you can preserve those memories for a lifetime. The three-ring binder makes it easy to customize it for your needs. Inside you'll find:

• Ten in-depth chapters with planning information, inspirational color photographs, timelines, checklists, and diagrams
• Sturdy pocket folders to hold contracts, menus, and notes
• A clear plastic business-card holder and resealable plastic pouches for fabric swatches, paper samples, and ribbons
• A full-color glossary with photographs of hundreds of flowers

Tying the Knot: The Complete Wedding Organizer (Wedding Planner)

Sara Miller, Karen Berman

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peter Pauper Press Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $19.22

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Need help? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was very overwhelmed by papers, receipts, brochures, pictures, etc... being all over the place. The pockets on this binder really helped to keep that all together. I really love the different sections, they allowed me to organize my stuff into sections and made it easy to find stuff when I needed it most. I kept phone numbers handy right at the front of the binder of the companies involved and the people involved in my wedding. This binder goes everywhere with me. It even has enough room to add things of my own. It is one of the better ones I have seen out there.

Editorial Review:

Use this appealing organizer to turn your wedding dreams into reality! With 108 pages of planning information, this indispensable volume features organizational necessities: essential information and places to record details about budget, parties, attire, invitations, wedding party, flowers and music, ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. Plastic folders within each of the nine category sections store and organize papers, receipts, estimates, and samples. The three-ring binder allows for popping pages in and out, or adding your own. The flexible, plastic cover is durable and light. Measures 10-1/2 wide x 11-1/2 high x 1-7/8 deep.

Wedding Planning For Dummies, Second Edition

Marcy Blum, Laura F. Kaiser

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 77 new & used starting at $4.58

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

EXCELLENT for people planing their own weddings. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After spending months of watching television shows, reading magazines, browsing online, attending bridal shows and reading other books, I found this book and I LOVE it. If you're planning your own wedding, and can't afford a wedding planner, this book is fantastic. It has TONS of details, large and small, on how the typical wedding works right down to the order of who walks down the isle when depending on what type of ceremony you're having, and nice personal touches you can add to your wedding (if you choose to) like using matching stamps on your invitation and RSVP envelope. If you don't have time to plan every detail of your own wedding, maybe you should be hiring a wedding planner so you don't have to worry about the small stuff, but if you're doing it yourself, this has a TON of useful info. It will tell you what elements are traditionally included, and then you can modify them to your own tastes. I've been leaving sticky notes on pages I want to refer to later, and for my wedding with under a $10,000 budget, I have about 50 sticky notes in the book, and I'm not even done reading yet!

Editorial Review:

It's hard to imagine any wedding detail that could have escaped inclusion in the pages of Weddings for Dummies. How to build a chuppah, how to anchor a comb in the bride's hair, who dances with whom and when--everything you ever wanted to know about getting hitched is right here. Fortunately, Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser aren't afraid to give an opinion or two (there's a list of "Ten Tacky Temptations We Beg You to Resist"), but most of the information is entirely nonjudgmental. It's best to have a much-married older sister plan your wedding, but if you have to do it yourself, this is the perfect book to tell you how.

The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day

Mindy Weiss, Lisbeth Levine

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Workman Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $18.98

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Announcing the wedding bible: the most complete, lively, handholding, step-by-step guide to help every couple have a perfect wedding—no matter their budget, taste, or personalities. More than 2.2 million North American couples tie the knot each year; until now, only a mere fraction could work with celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss. But the significant fact is not Ms. Weiss's clientele, but the reason for it: She's so very good at what she does. And now she shares all of her hard-won experience, wisdom, inspiration, and style tips.

The Wedding Book covers everything, in a voice filled with understanding: announcing the engagement, and what to do when someone isn't happy about the news; creating a budget; the pros and cons of destination weddings. Drawing up the guest list; planning the ceremony (and how to personalize your vows); menus to inspire; contracts and wedding insurance. Shopping for the dress, six great hairstyles, tuxedo vs. dinner jacket, the etiquette of invitations. Style tips for flowers, the tabletop, linens; a cake that says "you"; the crucial "Sixty Days Until I Do"; rehearsal dinner strategies; plus freezing the cake and preserving the bouquet.

Today the average cost of a wedding is $25,000—at $19.95, The Wedding Book is the smartest investment a bride-to-be could make.