Now that the congratulations have begun and as family members and friends have marveled at the ring, it’s now time to get busy on planning your wedding. Your feelings of being overwhelmed may have just begun, but there are many avenues available to help you sort out such questions as: Whom do I invite? Where do we hold the reception? How soon do I need to decide? Don’t panic, as there are many resources to assist you in the wedding planning process.
The Portage County District Library is here to help you with preparations. Here are a few selected titles for this very special planning process:
Emily Post’s Wedding Parties by Anna Post – Separated into two parts, Post covers all the vital party planning activities and provides readers with expert planning guidance. This is a great portable guide for anybody interested in throwing a spectacular, elegant wedding on a limited budget.
Simple Stunning Wedding Showers: Festive Ideas and Inspiration for Prefect Pre-Wedding Parties by Karen Bussen (Photographs by William Geddes)- Drawing on her personal experience as a party planner, Bussen guides the shower-giver through every step, from budgeting and etiquette to choosing refreshments. Also covered is selecting the right theme and then deciding on the guest list, designing the invitations, creating the menu, and picking just the right decorations through careful planning.
Creative Wedding Showers by Laura Dewberry- Dewberry offers a “kit” to an easy and stress-free shower planning experience. Choose between ten shower themes (for several bride’s personality) and learn how to personalize them for a more memorable event.
The Best Wedding Shower Book: a Complete Guide for Party Planners by Courtney Cooke- A handy resource to have around as it is full of themes and activities to make a bridal shower something out of the ordinary. For those looking for somewhat different shower, it’s a great resource to have on hand.
The Everything Wedding Shower Book: Thrill the Bride and Amaze the Guests with a Celebration to Remember by Jennifer Jenkins- The perfect reference guide for anybody planning a wedding shower, this book offers clever tips to throw a shower to fit your budget and busy schedule. There are dozens of handy checklists so that you can track everything from recording gifts to tracking your shopping lists. In addition, the book provides clever shower ideas and themes for every interest.
Throwing the Perfect Party: Fun Games and Activities for Wedding and Baby Showers by Jill Williams Grover- With this book, party-givers will find fun ways to entertain during the pre-wedding event. You’ll find unique themes, games, and activities to plan for a memorable party.
Wedding Showers: Ideas and Recipes for the Perfect Party by Michele Adams (Photographs by Jonelle Weaver)- Adams offers an ideal guide for today’s shower host. With four unique party themes, the book offers menus, decorating ideas, creative projects, and activities that suit a range of personalities.
Bride’s Wedding Planner by the Editors of Bride’s Magazine- This wedding planning guide answers all the important questions, offers every checklist, and provides all the timetables to make a wedding a success. With hints on every aspect of planning a dream wedding, this is the ideal reference tool for wedding planning.
1000 Best Secrets for Your Perfect Wedding by Sharon Naylor- Naylor’s wedding planning expertise shows planners how to plan for a perfect wedding with tips on honoring your family in your ceremony, creative styles for setting tables, and so many more ideas to set your wedding apart.
The Bridesmaid’s Guerrilla Handbook by Sarah Stein and Lucy Talbot- The authors provide a slightly humorous spin on the bridesmaid’s role during the wedding planning process. Described as a “tour of duty”, bridesmaids are given smart strategies and useful maneuvers to make their duties a little less frantic. It also provides answers to the many questions such as expectations, budgeting, and getting to the wedding.
The Knot: Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions, Readings, Rituals, Music, Dances, Speeches, and Toasts by Carley Roney- A comprehensive guide from the hugely popular website, The Knot (www.theknot.com), this book provides classy concepts ranging from the conventional wedding to hip, drawing on a broad array of cultural traditions. This is sure to guide planners into a very special wedding.
Visit www.portagelibrary.org to request any or all of the titles mentioned above. Use the search term “Weddings”. If you have any additional questions on finding resources for planning your special wedding, feel free to contact your local library.
Did you know? The wedding cake has always played an important role in the wedding. Ancient Romans broke the cake over the bride’s head to symbolize fertility or abundance. The early British baked baskets of dry crackers, and every guest took one home after wedding. In medieval times, guests brought small cakes and piled them on a table. Eventually, a young baker decided to put all the cakes together and cover them with frosting, thus the tiered wedding cake was born.
