Which wedding planning book/mag is a must for a scared newbie?

[cajuncutie]

Hi Yahooers,

My guy is starting to speak details on the Big Step and seems ready to propose shortly. I am creative but have no clue where to start; I am not one of those women who has been planning my wedding since I was 12 (no offense lol).

But, this is the situation- my fam is small and mainly in the South, his family is huge, as in Dugger huge, and they're in Virginia.

I want it to be classy and romantic but we can't afford some tens of thousands of dollars wedding. I don't want to go "cheap" either w folding chairs. An in between, you know?

I'm thinking Vegas. Not cheesy, but we love Vegas.

Around to my question- what book and/or magazine did you get that really cut to the chase and helped you plan practically? I don't want a wedding planner. And don't hold back girls, I want the one that you wrinkled and found really really handy.


Thanks so much!!!

PS I already know about The Knot
BTW I do see a church or traditional wedding. Nothing like Elvis or Michael officiating. Thanx!

 

[fizzy stuff]

My favorite is Martha Stewart Weddings. I tore out countless pictures and used them for inspiration in my own wedding. I think the reason it appeals to me so much is because that magazine is all about doing a few things just right. I think, less done right is always more. You will notice a lot of DIY in her magazine, and even details like favors are usually cookies or other inexpensive items, but they are done well and give a feeling of abundance. She tends to not go overboard with flowers and decorations, but rather use them strategically and thoughtfully. I am totally in line with this thinking. For our wedding, we chose a beautiful secluded outdoor location that required very little extras. It was so beautiful on its own we didnt need to spend heaps on flowers. The venue provided simple white chairs and linens as standard, we saw no reason to upgrade or rent our own. From the magazine, I took this philosophy and applied it to my own wedding. I also copied a few things like a cherry blossom wish tree (our scheme was cherry blossoms), and our cake was literally a page torn out that I faxed to the cake artist. Here are a few pics. You can see the location and the cake:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38528542@N00/2416669936/in/photostream/

Oh and by the way, I didnt use any official planner. I found them to be overly detailed. I just used Excel on my computer for a few spreadsheets, plus a notebook binder of my own notes and lists. I found that worked for me very well.

 

[Constellation]

There is a book called "Bridal Bargains" that comes out every year that I thought was a godsend. It gave lots of really good tips on how to save money, it gave great descriptions of bridal designers, and it was really funny! And it's cheap-the book only costs around $12.99 (And you can probably find the latest edition used somewhere on Amazon!).

It's really great.

 

[zeureeka]

I would tell you to go with Offbeat Bride, by Ariel Meadows Stallings. It's a great book because it's all about having a wedding on yours and your groom's terms and not buckling to pressure to have the generic white wedding.

There's also a website: http://www.offbeatbride.com/ and an online community where lots of brides (and grooms) share their money-saving tips, ideas, and photos. It's huge and a really neat resource.

I'm not even engaged yet, and it's awesome; it will be my planning bible when the time comes.

 

[?Who Am I?]

This type of wedding might not be your style but she has some good info on the actual planning process. This site is what I've found most helpful so far.
www.2000dollarwedding.com

It changed the whole way I approached planning my wedding.

Good luck.

 

[ElleZ]

Congratulations on your soon to be coming engagement!

I found "Real Simple Weddings" a super helpful magazine to pick up with examples, checklists and tips and tools. You can pick it up at the store or order it from realsimple.com .

I also picked up Wedding Planning for Dummies, I love those books. It was amazing.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Mrs♥B]

I know you already know about the knot, but honestly, that was my lifesaver! I don't think I could have planned my wedding the way I wanted with out it.

Another thing I found useful was Brides Magazine. All the bridal mags are mostly ads, but Brides seemed to have more helpful content than the rest.

Another site that helped me with DIY stuff was cheapchicweddings.com

I used weddingwire.com to help pick out songs

Something else you should do, is get on the mailing list for Nevada/Las Vegas brides. Most states have a bridal magazine that is very helpful for finding the best local vendors.

I bought a notebook and that became my planning bible. I cut out pictures and pasted them in there, hairstyles, cakes, dresses, I wrote all of my ideas down in there, all of my vendor contact info, everything. You name it, the info I needed was put in it. My husband got so sick of seeing me carry it around that he would start telling me not to bring it places because he said I didn't need it where we were going, but you never know when an idea will hit you, so I carried it everywhere! It was a diary sized notebook, so it fit in my purse.

 

[Ash]

I went to a Bridal store and got a planner. Most have them and it has every little detail in them along with stores local to your area and coupons. I found it really helpful and was able to recieve 20% off my bridesmaid dresses.