The Knot's Complete Guide to Weddings
by CARLEY RONEY
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 December, 1998)
list price: $19.95 -- our price: $13.57
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Editorial Review

Promoting the idea that "there's only one thing that really matters: that you have the wedding you want, not a nervous breakdown," Carley Roney and the editors of The Knot Web site have compiled all the information any modern bride and groom may need to plan and execute their dream wedding. Equal parts wedding consultant, marriage counselor, best friend, and cyberresource, this is not the guide your grandmother--or mother, for that matter--used to plan her wedding. Much of The Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World is culled from the experiences and questions that users of their successful Web site, www.theknot.com, have written in about. This interactivity gives the guide credibility for the engaged couple of the '90s. Readers will find the Web site a useful accessory to the book.

In a humorous, hip, and engaging style, Roney runs down the basics of betrothal starting with the engagement and ending with the honeymoon and postwedding "reentry." In between, we get specific instructions on details like budgeting essentials, selecting locations, arranging the ceremony and reception, hiring photographers and musicians, and registering for gifts. Roney also presents a "Sticky Subjects" section that covers the more sober side of weddings: what to do when your families' religious or political beliefs collide, how to keep the physical side of a relationship alive during the turmoil of wedding planning, the potentially explosive issues of money and wedding budgeting, what to do when your friends or family disapprove of your intended, and even "Top Ten Family 911s."

Snapshots of actual weddings and their budget breakdowns, comprehensive checklists and worksheets, and extensive information on wedding resources with phone numbers, addresses, and Internet addresses (when available) will both help you untangle the knots that can come with getting hitched and make your day one that brings tears of happiness, not dismay. --Stefanie Durbin ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Useful book to have for those planning their weddings!
"The Knot: Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World," written by Carley Rodney, the founder and editor-in-chief of www.theknot.com provides tons of information on weddings. There is information from the announcement of the engagement to the big day, from reception to the selection of honeymoon destinations. Other useful information includes the roles of the wedding party, wedding gown selection, vows and ceremony details, budget planning as well as dealing with the stress of planning for a wedding. There are inserts of real life stories that I find quite fascinating.

I think this is definitely a useful book to have for those who are planning for their weddings. It's extremely comprehensive as the author does an excellent job in covering the various aspects of wedding. There are always issues or things that were not thought of before but will be brought to attention in this book. "The Knot" is definitely a lot more "down-to-earth" compared to some of the other wedding planning books out there which are useful only if you are planning for a extravagant wedding. In addition, this book also comes with a wedding checklist as well as worksheets which would help couples with their planning. This is definitely a must have for couples!

GREAT Book!!
I would recommend this book for any new Bride who wants great advice on weddings.I have read several books and this one has nice quality information - in great detail.If you want to READ a book, not just look at pictures, this is the book for you.It's the best!!

Great!
This book is a must for all brides to be or even to wedding planners. It offers not only a practical checklist, but also experiences of other couples that walked the aisle before us. With great advices on how to make your wedding what you want: a beautiful and personal ceremony...I recommend it without hesitation. ... Read more

Isbn: 0767902467
Subjects:  1. Love / Sex / Marriage    2. Planning    3. Reference    4. Wedding etiquette    5. Weddings    6. Reference / Weddings   

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner : Worksheets, Checklists, Etiquette, Calendars, and Answers to FrequentlyAsked Questions
by CARLEY RONEY
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (28 December, 1999)
list price: $16.00 -- our price: $10.88
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Editorial Review

This practical companion to The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World acts as a stand-alone guide to the nuts and bolts of planning a wedding. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner is where the bride and groom can record wedding ideas, create budget guidelines, check items off their to-do list, generate the guest list, store contact information for their wedding vendors, and get tips and advice on the best way to plan their big day.

Chapter by chapter, the planner walks the bridal couple through each major step: for example, choosing the reception site, picking a photographer, and deciding on a menu. Author Carley Roney and the editors of The Knot Web site have talked with both wedding professionals and hundreds of thousands of brides and grooms, and have a good idea of the necessary ingredients for a successful wedding. Most helpful and thorough are each chapter's "Questions to Ask" checklists and the "Knot Knowledge" tips, which include money-saving ideas. The book also contains a gift log, a budget tracker, and a wedding-day phone contacts sheet.

Roney offers loads of helpful advice, such as recommending that the bride and groom declare "wedding free zones" where the couple makes time for activities together that have nothing to do with planning the wedding. Each chapter also includes her down-to-earth answers to commonly asked questions, such as whether it's appropriate for a relative to host a shower or if the wedding couple should pay for guests' travel expenses. With all of its tips, advice, and organizers, The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner may just be, next to a wedding coordinator, the best way for modern couples to ensure their wedding is a smoothly run, stress-free affair. --Kris Law ... Read more

Reviews (15)

How could a site like the Knot put out a book this bad?
I bought this book the day after I got engaged, and the sentimental value the book has is really all that it has to offer.I don't understand how a website so complete like "The Knot" could manage to put out a book like this.

The information inside the book is vague and in reality, mostly meaningless.Take the "Invitations" section, for example.The chapter is 7 pages long, and out of those 7 pages, 5 1/2 of them are worksheets.Advice on how to word the invitations?This is what the book has to say: "Spend some time familiarizing yourself with all of the (frighteningly) specific wording conventions and addressing rules - if only to understand what others will expect. (We don't go into minute detail here.)"That last part isn't an understatement, since there are no pages that contain sample layouts of invites or suggested wording or phrasing for invitations.How can a wedding planner consider itself complete if it doesn't even offer one suggestion for wedding invitation phrasing?

I wish I had gone through this book better before buying it, since all this book has to offer is mediocre lists and worksheets, which, again, you could get better versions of if you went to "The Knot" website.I also have to say that the information inside is surprisingly inaccurate with some questionable etiquette outlines.If you are planning a wedding that is anything other than the conventional wedding, like a destination wedding, you'll find this book next to useless since it doesn't spend any time discussing how to arrange destination, theme, or double weddings.Another thing this book doesn't have that all books of this nature should is a back index...So there is no fast way to look up specific information.

When it comes to this book, pass.Save the $16 and just get all the info off their website.I give this book 2 stars for the quantity of worksheets it has (even though they are highly basic), and because I'm sure that everybody will find a couple of items of interest in the book, but that's about it.

Same info as their website for free
The Knot also has the sad habit of condoning "rituals" that are and should continue to be socially unacceptable, such as family-hosted showers, money dances and Bridezilla behavior. Read Miss Manners or go to etiquettehell.com if you really want to know what to do - or not.

Do KNOT bother
I suppose the book is straight forward, and such.

It has a clean "style" to it-- probably because it contains NO useful information inside.

I only bought this book because I am really impressed with theknot.com, so I assumed they'd have a fabulous book too. WRONG. Skip this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0767902475
Subjects:  1. Love / Sex / Marriage    2. Planning    3. Reference    4. Wedding etiquette    5. Weddings    6. Reference / Weddings    7. Journals    8. Wedding   

Wedding Kit for Dummies
by MarcyBlum Laura FisherKaiser
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (21 September, 2000)
list price: $24.99 -- our price: $15.74
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Editorial Review

If you're planning a wedding, accept it now--there's a ton of details mucking up the happy path to the altar. There is so much on your mind that it's easy to freeze up and forget everything, or go crazy and paper the house with cryptic post-it notes. "After all," say authors Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser, "a wedding is a complex affair to orchestrate, and keeping track of all those details, phone calls, expenses, and decisions is a job and a half." Organization is key.

Wedding Kit for Dummies breaks the whole planning process down for you with a series of questions, charts, and spreadsheets. Intended as a companion piece to Weddings for Dummies, this book does not help you word your invitations or tell you where your step-grandmother should be seated. Rather, it helps you knowledgeably talk with your stationer (How much extra are the vellum invites? Should the date be written out or numeric?) and helps you chart who will escort whom down the aisle and when.

Weddings can be ridiculously complicated, and almost everyone involved--especially the bride--is running on high. Wedding Kit for Dummies aims to lessen the stress with its comprehensive checklists, examples of contracts (for the caterer, hotel, flowers, DJ, etc.), and Excel spreadsheets (invitation list, RSVP list, budget tracker). Included is a CD-ROM that prints out hard copies of the lists and runs the spreadsheets (you'll need Windows 95 or later or Mac OS 7.5.5 or later to use the CD). And since so many couples plan on using the Internet, Wedding Kit for Dummies includes the Web addresses of many wedding-oriented sites. --Dana Van Nest ... Read more

Reviews (14)

BUYER BEWARE
The CD doesn't include the software that it says it does.You have to hunt in the book to find the information that the software included is TRIAL versions only (you can get full versions for a "nominal" fee).It says it includes excel and excel documents which are simply NOT present on the CD.DO NOT BUY!

Don't waste your money
If you know how to read, you're too smart for this book.Marcy Blum's approach is 1) condescending and 2) geared toward a big-budget crowd.The CD-ROM is difficult to use and the anecdotes in the text are tired.I'd suggest buying another dozen roses and saving your money.

Wedding Kit for Dummies
The wedding kit book constantly refers to chapters you should reread in the weddings for dummies book, so if you do not own BOTH books, it's useless. The wedding planner on the cdrom is only a demo version, and only allows you to add ten guests, and expires after a few weeks. I did however find some of the standard planning forms very useful, but you could find all and more of the info included in this book online if you really wanted to save yourself the money. ... Read more

Isbn: 0764552635
Subjects:  1. Customs & Traditions    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family Relationships    4. Family/Marriage    5. Manners And Customs    6. Marriage    7. Marriage service    8. Planning    9. Reference    10. Wedding etiquette    11. Weddings    12. Family & Relationships / Family Relationships    13. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

The Budget Wedding Sourcebook
by MadelineBarillo Madeline Barillo
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 March, 2000)
list price: $17.95 -- our price: $12.21
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Reviews (5)

350 pages in length, 50 pages in content
I downloaded this book and read it in about 90 minutes. Its not poorly written, but I found it to be very low on substance. I would say I only found about 5 cost saving tips that weren't immediately obvious and I've seen those same tips on wedding websites. The 3 case studies of low budget weddings weren't relevant to what most couples (in the North East) would be experiencing. In my opinion, the author is using oddball cases to support the idea that her advice will save you money, when in fact the weddings referenced would have been frugal anyway.

Overall, I'm very disappointed in this book. I rate it better than a single star in that its not a bad reference book if you know nothing about weddings. However, all of this information could be found on the web with little or no effort.

A Sigh Of Relief!
I've never been married and I've never planned a wedding reception...let alone a reception for 150+ people! Faced with the task of planning my parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary, this book has been a great source of comfort for me with it's practical suggestions and "real-life" accounts of couples and their budgets. The book may have been published in March 2000, but its principles and examples still apply! What seemed like a daunting task at first is now an exciting and creative process! A great book for a great price!

Great Book!
I recently purchased this book and it has been a GREAT source of useful information.Madeline not only tells you ways to save money when planning, she gives her readers an idea of what you should really spend your money on and where you can afford to cut costs. There are also specific examples of how couples have planned their weddings on a budget of only $3000!!In addition to all of this information, Madeline stresses the importance of setting your "goals" for your wedding to determine what is most important to you and your fiancee' so that you can decide how you would like to spend the money in your budget. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who is planning a wedding. ... Read more

Isbn: 0737303077
Sales Rank: 81796
Subjects:  1. Budgets, Personal    2. Costs    3. Family/Marriage    4. Planning    5. Reference    6. Weddings    7. Cooking / General   

Modern Bride
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Magazine
list price: $35.94 -- our price: $11.97
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Editorial Review

If you want a sophisticated wedding, but you don't necessarily have the Martha Stewart instincts to sew your own ring-bearer pillows, Modern Bride will help you plan an elegant day nonetheless. The many style tips for the bride (from gowns to lingerie to makeup and hair), ideas on flowers and favors, accounts of real weddings, registry information, and honeymoon suggestions are bound to stir your imagination. Also included is postceremony advice on topics such as finance and sex. This is not the magazine to help you with the nitty-gritty--there are no monthly planning calendars or details on how to find the perfect reception hall or photographer--but it will give you great ideas for making your wedding day your dream day. As with any bridal magazine, much of what is useful is the abundance of ads, especially if you're still scouting for the perfect gown. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

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Reviews (9)

Helpful Magazine, Horrendous punctuality
I subscribed to Modern Bride as a gift to my fiance.Aside from not receiving our first issue until 3 months after the subscription, I only received about 3 issues total.Months went by without anything being delivered.While customer service at Modern Bride was very accomodating and helpful, nothing happens immediately.When planning a wedding, each and every month is precious.Especially during the initial stages of wedding planning.To have finally gotten this subscription problem under control was exhausting.Plus, by this time most of the wedding details were finalized, the magazines I received became useless.If you're under 12 months to your wedding date, you should strongly consider if now is a good time to begin a subscription with Modern Bride.

A must for the bride-to-be and fun for everyone else
Bride's magazine is probably the best, but Modern Bride runs a close second and is more in line with the average bride of today who isn't going to have anything close to one of those "average cost of $25 grand" weddings. Of course the gowns are showcased, but MB gives priceless information on honeymoon planning, registering, wedding etiquette, even buying and setting up your first home. The subscriber gets more than their money's worth. Highly recommend!

It's great to indulge yourself in all the details
This magazine is so beautiful, and helps so much to live in that fantacy fiance stage.I love looking at the dresses and cakes, and reading about the individual love stories.
I decided that one must fully indulge in the time period before they get married because it is such a short period of our lives.I as a result have done a lot of things to get me involved with the process.
I have been working-out regulary with girlfriends to look amazing for the big day, I started a calligraphy course so that I could do the invitations- it's really fun.

I bought singing lessons on CD "Voice Lessons To Go" by Vaccarino- (they're so good!) because I want to sing our special song to my fiance at the reception as a surprise for him.

I even bought the "New Sex Now" DVD which I am saving for the hotel on our honeymoon (It came highly recommended by my girlfriend-!)

It should all be about the process of celebration. God knows we have such hard times in our lives that we have to endure.This magazine just helps me ejoy life a bit more! ... Read more

Asin: B00005NIOE
Subjects:  1. Bridal (Weddings)   

Bride's
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Magazine
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Editorial Review

If you're going to the chapel, you'll want to have Bride's magazine by your side to help you navigate the ins and outs of your wedding day. Brought to you by the publisher ofVogue, Glamour, and Mademoiselle, Bride's has the same down-to-earth tone as its sister magazines. Lots of Q&As help answer all the niggling questions (topics covered are fashion, health, reception, and sex) and accounts of real weddings give you plenty of ideas to borrow. A bride's calendar and a separate groom's calendar will help you plan month by month, and a registry guide will advise on what (and how much) you'll need to set up your new home. You'll get lots of details--working with florists and photographers, creating a program, understanding etiquette, building a wedding Web site, and such--plus a smattering of honeymoon and postwedding life advice. As with any bridal magazine, the abundant ads are useful, especially if you're still shopping for the perfect honeymoon destination. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

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Reviews (7)

Satisfies my every yearning for tons of inspiration/ideas
Bride's magazines are absolutely loaded with useful information and inspiration. A very practical and fun read for any bride. The best, most complete, bridal magazine available. I don't want to put these issues down once I start flipping through them. There's a wealth of ideas and information here that no bride should be without.

BRIDES is for BRIDES
You will love this magazine if you are a bride-to-be. Packed full of helpful hint, ideas, advice and hundreds of pictures of beautiful wedding gowns. Believe me, for the low price of this subscription you can't go wrong.

Bride's will always be the best
Okay, so most of us snort at the idea of having the "average" $25,000 wedding, nor can we afford the designer gowns in the slick magazine ads, but Bride's still gives the average bride good advice, from the planning timetables to etiquette questions. There's excellent advice on bridal registries and what you should register for and wedding party attire. The honeymoon section alone is worth the cover price, with its detailed information on destinations and costs. Destination weddings are also featured. The magazine, while showcasing high-end designer bridal wear, still manages to feature exquisite gowns for every budget, with its photos and buying advice for designers from Vera Wang to David's Bridal store chain. This magazine gives the subscriber more than their money's worth. Highly recommend. I've been married for 8 years but still enjoy reading it and looking through it just for fun. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7P2
Subjects:  1. Bridal (Weddings)   

Bridal Guide
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Magazine
list price: $29.70 -- our price: $11.97
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Editorial Review

In a world where we're barraged with the most expensive wedding planning options, Bridal Guide is a breath of fresh air. For the bride planning a wedding without unlimited resources, this title supplies all the usual and necessary wedding-planning tips and advice, but not every solution is expensive-a refreshingly low-key and realistic approach. Beyond the wedding, relationship advice and home planning are also discussed. Published six times a year, Bridal Guide includes regular features on fashion, beauty, health, and wedding planning, as well "Budget Basics" with money-saving tips, shopping guidelines, and Q&A. As in all bridal magazines, advertising focuses on wedding attire, honeymoon destinations, registry information, and other nuptial necessities. --Elizabeth Bowker ... Read more

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Reviews (1)

Best of the Wedding Mags
The three real contenders are Bridal Guide, Bride's and Modern Bride.Bride's and Modern Bride seem to be the same magazine sometimes, and in fact are now owned by the same people.If you want something more suited to a "real bride", it would seem that Bridal Guide is your best choice.

If you have...to spend on your dress, then by all means go for Bride's magazine, but if you are like the rest of us, then Bridal Guide has, BY FAR, the best selection for you.The advice seemed to be geared for regular people trying to have a fabulous wedding, and for the right price too!

There's a wealth of information on planning the event, dealing with inlaws, Honeymoon destinations, buying the dress ... EVERYTHING you could want and more.I love this magazine.Thank you Bridal Guide. ... Read more

Asin: B00005NIRS
Subjects:  1. Womens    2. General    3. Manners And Customs    4. Bridal (Weddings)    5. Women's Interest