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Diary of a Mad Bride
Once I was a sane, levelheaded professional woman. Then I said “yes.” Now I am the lunatic bride I always made fun of!
What is it about getting married that turns normal people into total freaks?
A savvy, riotously funny novel, Diary of a Mad Bride is for anyone who has ever been a bride, is about to become a bride, yearned to be a bride, or suffered the sheer indignity of appearing in public in the world’s ugliest bridesmaid dress....
My wedding was starting in less than twenty minutes, and I was stuck in a 7-Eleven parking lot with popcorn kernels wedged in my gums and vanilla ice cream melting on my dress. It was a disaster too large to comprehend. After an agonizing year spent planning my wedding, could it really end like this? The voices chronicling a year of wedding hysteria swirled in my head....
— My grandmother upon viewing my engagement
“What do you mean he gave you an emerald! Diamonds are eternal, emeralds say, maybe five years.”
— My future father-in-law on the night of my engagement
“To a happy marriage and, if necessary, a painless divorce!”
— My best friend,
“Oh, screw congratulations. Of course I’m happy for you. Stephen’s a major piece of ass and he’s got a sense of humor. Just as long as you’re certain this is what you want.”
Would I survive this day after all....?
What is it about getting married that turns normal people into total freaks?
A savvy, riotously funny novel, Diary of a Mad Bride is for anyone who has ever been a bride, is about to become a bride, yearned to be a bride, or suffered the sheer indignity of appearing in public in the world’s ugliest bridesmaid dress....
My wedding was starting in less than twenty minutes, and I was stuck in a 7-Eleven parking lot with popcorn kernels wedged in my gums and vanilla ice cream melting on my dress. It was a disaster too large to comprehend. After an agonizing year spent planning my wedding, could it really end like this? The voices chronicling a year of wedding hysteria swirled in my head....
— My grandmother upon viewing my engagement
“What do you mean he gave you an emerald! Diamonds are eternal, emeralds say, maybe five years.”
— My future father-in-law on the night of my engagement
“To a happy marriage and, if necessary, a painless divorce!”
— My best friend,
“Oh, screw congratulations. Of course I’m happy for you. Stephen’s a major piece of ass and he’s got a sense of humor. Just as long as you’re certain this is what you want.”
Would I survive this day after all....?
294 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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3829 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
abandoned
February 26, 2012Every once in a while, I get this strong urge to read something that is the absolute opposite of everything I think is worthy and tolerable. It's the same impulse that drives me to want to watch The Glam Fairy once in a while, even though I don't wear makeup, don't own a single skirt or dress, and only comb my hair out of utility rather than style. I have less than zero interest in fashion, glamour, celebrity, or wealth, which is to say that I place far more importance on the quality of the internal person rather than the external. Of course, I know that not everyone who loves fashion or cares about "personal style" is shallow -- god, no. There is a big difference between smart, creative, feelings-intuitive people who love fashion as an extension of art and, y'know...A2.
There is also a big difference between insightful books about women, geared towards women, and this.
These characters and their concerns are so foreign to me that reading this truly feels like anthropology. Who cares if your wedding dress is white or off white? Who cares that your wedding has to be in your parents backyard so you don't go friggin broke, or that they "only" gave you $5000 to spend on the occasion in the first place? Who cares if you were proposed to in the concession stand line of a movie theater? Do we really need to read your to do list printed over and over ten bazillion times? I mean, I know that the book is really just wedding planning porn with a side of "OMG everyone is not giving me the love and congratulations I want" characterization (lovely), but it is so boring. The main character lives in New York (of course), and her fiance is this generic hot guy (of course), and it's just the most uninteresting thing I have read in recent memory that I couldn't even make it through 290 pages of large font and diary format, at least 30 pages of which are the aforementioned "to do" list reprints.
Why is it this hilarious cultural meme to think that women (and only the women, of course) are expected to become raging masses of consumption and selfishness over their weddings?
There is also a big difference between insightful books about women, geared towards women, and this.
These characters and their concerns are so foreign to me that reading this truly feels like anthropology. Who cares if your wedding dress is white or off white? Who cares that your wedding has to be in your parents backyard so you don't go friggin broke, or that they "only" gave you $5000 to spend on the occasion in the first place? Who cares if you were proposed to in the concession stand line of a movie theater? Do we really need to read your to do list printed over and over ten bazillion times? I mean, I know that the book is really just wedding planning porn with a side of "OMG everyone is not giving me the love and congratulations I want" characterization (lovely), but it is so boring. The main character lives in New York (of course), and her fiance is this generic hot guy (of course), and it's just the most uninteresting thing I have read in recent memory that I couldn't even make it through 290 pages of large font and diary format, at least 30 pages of which are the aforementioned "to do" list reprints.
Why is it this hilarious cultural meme to think that women (and only the women, of course) are expected to become raging masses of consumption and selfishness over their weddings?
September 25, 2019
Fun and funny book!
While the chick lit plot of the trials and tribulations of planning a wedding is not an original plot, Diary of a Mad Bride is charming. The book is in diary form, almost in a texting format—which makes it funnier.
Amy loves Stephen, and of course accepts when he proposes to her. Despite vowing to NOT be a “bridezilla” to her friends and family, she of course becomes completely obsessed with planning her wedding. And her friends are not helping. Neither are her family members. Her grandmother stages some drama every time the attention is on Amy or her wedding. Her sister is distinctly NOT thrilled and tells Amy she is not “the marrying kind”. Her mother barely seems interested.
Amy can't decide which of her two best friends should be her maid of honor. She is embarrassed by the actual wedding proposal (in line at the concession stand at the movie theater). She is not in love with her wedding ring (an emerald instead of a diamond). She doesn't look good in any of the wedding dresses she tries on. Her level of anxiety keeps ramping up to comic effect—and she truly becomes a “mad bride”.
While this book is obviously not “literature”, it is a good, fun, beach-style read. Excellent choice for a vacation!
While the chick lit plot of the trials and tribulations of planning a wedding is not an original plot, Diary of a Mad Bride is charming. The book is in diary form, almost in a texting format—which makes it funnier.
Amy loves Stephen, and of course accepts when he proposes to her. Despite vowing to NOT be a “bridezilla” to her friends and family, she of course becomes completely obsessed with planning her wedding. And her friends are not helping. Neither are her family members. Her grandmother stages some drama every time the attention is on Amy or her wedding. Her sister is distinctly NOT thrilled and tells Amy she is not “the marrying kind”. Her mother barely seems interested.
Amy can't decide which of her two best friends should be her maid of honor. She is embarrassed by the actual wedding proposal (in line at the concession stand at the movie theater). She is not in love with her wedding ring (an emerald instead of a diamond). She doesn't look good in any of the wedding dresses she tries on. Her level of anxiety keeps ramping up to comic effect—and she truly becomes a “mad bride”.
While this book is obviously not “literature”, it is a good, fun, beach-style read. Excellent choice for a vacation!
February 2, 2010
I absolutely loved this book! It was just what I needed during the midst of wedding planning. I could relate because I am not a person who has planned her wedding since she was a child but do want to throw a nice, small party that is meaningful. The parts about fixating on small details and trying to deal with all the different personalities in a family were hilarious! That being said, I don't know that I would have enjoyed this book as much if I were not coming to the end of my own wedding planning. For someone who never thought they'd obsess about any details and finds themselves sometimes turning into a "mad bride," this is a good read.
January 3, 2009
This was a laugh out loud book for me. I picked it up while I was in Colorado at a used book store. It is written in diary format of a recently engaged woman trying to plan her wedding on a fixed budget.... sounds oddly familiar. Her new fiance pretty much leaves all the planning to her and it just about drives her nutso.
I read this book in less than a day. It was such an easy and fun read and I felt like it is going to be me here coming up! I loved it!
I read this book in less than a day. It was such an easy and fun read and I felt like it is going to be me here coming up! I loved it!
April 1, 2020
3.5/5 stars
Cute read!
Cute read!
March 30, 2018
This book is SHIT! I am honestly embarrassed to say I read it. Literally the worst book i have ever read, and I have read some bad books recently. This book made me feel bad for everyone involved. From the editors, to the publisher, for everyone who has ever read it. But not for the author, nope she deserves no sympathy. Actually I am mad at her friends too for telling her to follow her dream and write a book. It’s your fault we have this book on this planet.
Quick synopsis....the main character is getting married. She is a huge bitch. Have you ever seen that awful lifetime movie about that one girl who gets mad that nothing for her wedding goes right and just complains and wants everyone to do everything for her and only wants to pay 5 dollars. Okay that’s this book but worse.
How did I come in possession of this book you wonder. Well a relative gave it to me and I am too nice to say no and I’m too stubborn to stop reading a book I hate. I would burn it but that’s not nice so I am going to put it on one of those give a book take a book shelves, but in the back where no one can see it.
The one saving grace here is that I did not buy this book so no one made any money for it. It’s the little things I guess.
Quick synopsis....the main character is getting married. She is a huge bitch. Have you ever seen that awful lifetime movie about that one girl who gets mad that nothing for her wedding goes right and just complains and wants everyone to do everything for her and only wants to pay 5 dollars. Okay that’s this book but worse.
How did I come in possession of this book you wonder. Well a relative gave it to me and I am too nice to say no and I’m too stubborn to stop reading a book I hate. I would burn it but that’s not nice so I am going to put it on one of those give a book take a book shelves, but in the back where no one can see it.
The one saving grace here is that I did not buy this book so no one made any money for it. It’s the little things I guess.
January 21, 2008
I have never laughed to hard out loud than with this book. I should not be reading this in public, but I was reading it while I traveled and the people in the airport must have thought I was nuts, they just kept staring at me, but I couldn't stop laughing, i was crying it was so funny.
April 9, 2017
Nette Unterhaltung für zwischendurch.
March 24, 2020
Its not that this is necessarily a bad book. It just didn't hold my interest so I ultimately had to put it down at 31%
March 14, 2020
A fun, quirky, hilarious novel about how stressful wedding planning can be especially on a limited budget and when everything seems to be going wrong. I enjoyed the writing style and the cynical viewpoint of the protagonist. It truly felt like I was reading a diary and the most inner thoughts of the protagonist. I couldn’t put it down once I started it as it kept me hooked till the end.
September 29, 2025
Leuk boekje, leest als een romcom!
December 6, 2008
Marriages are made in heaven, but weddings are made in hell. What is it about getting married that can turn a sophisticated, level-headed woman into an obsessed wreck? That's what our feisty and so-self-aware heroine Amy wonders as her friends plan to tie the knot. In her opinion, these soon-to-be brides drop 100 points in IQ, lose all fashion sense, and dramatically increase their ability to cry. The whole thing sends shivers down Amy's spine. She vows that it will never happen to her!
But oh, how the mighty fall ...
When Amy's boyfriend unexpectedly drops to one knee at the concession stand in their neighborhood movie theater, she can't help but say yes. And before she knows it, she too has been struck by the madness. Can our formerly independent, career-minded New Yorker overcome her mania? Regain her senses? Stop agonizing over the perfect white satin pump in time to get to the wedding day of her dreams? Or will it all go horribly, hilariously wrong?
But oh, how the mighty fall ...
When Amy's boyfriend unexpectedly drops to one knee at the concession stand in their neighborhood movie theater, she can't help but say yes. And before she knows it, she too has been struck by the madness. Can our formerly independent, career-minded New Yorker overcome her mania? Regain her senses? Stop agonizing over the perfect white satin pump in time to get to the wedding day of her dreams? Or will it all go horribly, hilariously wrong?
February 12, 2011
This book has got to be one of my most favorite humorous books ever. I can't remember when or how I even got this book but this one is truly a keeper. Anytime I need a pick-me-up, I just pick up this book and my day doesn't seem so bad anymore.
What really made me enjoy the book is Amy's narrative. The book is written diary-style, spanning almost a year, from Amy's boyfriend proposing to the day they get married. Her interactions, the dialogue is so funny and witty; it's a real gem.
The characters here are really distinctive and while I won't go as far as to say that they are all fully-fleshed out, I definitely enjoyed reading about them as much as I had fun reading about Amy.
Amy's neurotic, OCD, and as much as she hates her best friend, Mandy for being a bride-zilla, she's becoming exactly like that and it's actually not bad to see her acting that way. I think this book is one where readers can just kick back and have it as a relaxing read.
What really made me enjoy the book is Amy's narrative. The book is written diary-style, spanning almost a year, from Amy's boyfriend proposing to the day they get married. Her interactions, the dialogue is so funny and witty; it's a real gem.
The characters here are really distinctive and while I won't go as far as to say that they are all fully-fleshed out, I definitely enjoyed reading about them as much as I had fun reading about Amy.
Amy's neurotic, OCD, and as much as she hates her best friend, Mandy for being a bride-zilla, she's becoming exactly like that and it's actually not bad to see her acting that way. I think this book is one where readers can just kick back and have it as a relaxing read.
May 26, 2008
This book was found when i went to the library.
I've read the other book that called the diary of a mad mom-to be, and as i was expected this book is as funny and as "mad" as the other book.
This is a story of a career woman in her late 20 whom doesn't believe the fairy tale of marriage and yet having a "frantic" best friend who also getting married.
But when she decided to get married, with her looooong things-to-do list and the so-called financial problems and also family issues she's even more mad than her best friend and she became a bridezilla.
It's a very light book coz it's only 300 something pages that you can read over nite, and also light story that's very suitable for MRT riding :)
I've read the other book that called the diary of a mad mom-to be, and as i was expected this book is as funny and as "mad" as the other book.
This is a story of a career woman in her late 20 whom doesn't believe the fairy tale of marriage and yet having a "frantic" best friend who also getting married.
But when she decided to get married, with her looooong things-to-do list and the so-called financial problems and also family issues she's even more mad than her best friend and she became a bridezilla.
It's a very light book coz it's only 300 something pages that you can read over nite, and also light story that's very suitable for MRT riding :)
September 21, 2007
Yippie buku ini bener2 seru..
Have you ever wondered gimana rasanya jadi calon mempelai wanita.. iya how you will prepare your wedding.. what the colour that you will choose for the wedding for your gown, for the decoration.. even bunga jenis apa yang bakalan dipakai..
dan gimana rasanya jadi sahabat baik orang yang mau menikah hahaha.. harus denger segala curhatan dan tetek bengek masalah persiapan pernikahan dll, dsb.. bahkan sampe di telp lebih dari 10 kali per-hari dan harus pasang kuping buat dengerin problem2 yang biasanya muncul mendekati hari H..
hehe kalo mau tau gimana rasa-nya ..
YOU really have to read this book..
Have you ever wondered gimana rasanya jadi calon mempelai wanita.. iya how you will prepare your wedding.. what the colour that you will choose for the wedding for your gown, for the decoration.. even bunga jenis apa yang bakalan dipakai..
dan gimana rasanya jadi sahabat baik orang yang mau menikah hahaha.. harus denger segala curhatan dan tetek bengek masalah persiapan pernikahan dll, dsb.. bahkan sampe di telp lebih dari 10 kali per-hari dan harus pasang kuping buat dengerin problem2 yang biasanya muncul mendekati hari H..
hehe kalo mau tau gimana rasa-nya ..
YOU really have to read this book..
April 30, 2010
This book was interesting and scary all at the same time. I am planning a wedding myself and at the beginning of the book I kept saying 'I've said that', 'I've done that'. This was definitely good to read early in the planning process. I know there will be certain thingsi will try to avoid.
Amy is an interesting character. She goes from anti-wedding chick to "the bride". I feel for her and her struggle between her job, her wedding and her fiancé.
It was nice to see however, that even if a lot went wrong, everything turned out in the end and she realized that even though it was 'the biggest day of her life', she ends up realizing it's only one day out of the rest of their lives.
Amy is an interesting character. She goes from anti-wedding chick to "the bride". I feel for her and her struggle between her job, her wedding and her fiancé.
It was nice to see however, that even if a lot went wrong, everything turned out in the end and she realized that even though it was 'the biggest day of her life', she ends up realizing it's only one day out of the rest of their lives.
June 13, 2009
Great chick lit for a married girl. Quick read, laughed out a few times, smiled through most of the rest. Not sure I would have enjoyed it if I was a single girl other than the opening several pages, which might have been my favorite. So much truth!! So much needless drama with weddings, yet as a bride it's so hard not to freak out over the little details.
Cute read, I definitely recommend for some light beach reading.
Cute read, I definitely recommend for some light beach reading.
March 5, 2009
I really though this was a great read. A friend who recently got married gave it to me, I couldn't put it down. It was hysterical, but will make you think twice before you lose control over flowers, or shoes for that matter. I recommend any one involved in any type of wedding planning check this read out.
August 20, 2009
What a fantastic story! And it couldn't have come at a better time because I needed the laughter this book brought out. My only regret is that the story ended and that I waited so long to get around to picking this up off the shelf. I will be looking for more by this author and hopefully Amy and Stephen will be back in future books. The diary format made it a very quick read.
August 9, 2018
تنها پرسش اساسی که در ذهن من وجود داره اینه که در سال 83 که این کتاب ترجمه شده، این اصطلاحاتی که ما امروز استفاده میکنیم مگه وجووود داشته اصن؟😶 چققدر یک مترجم میتونه عالی باشه و کاملا منطبق بر سبک نویسنده ش آخه... چقدر واقعا..❤ اگه دوست دارین دور از هیاهوی دنیا روزی نیم ساعت بخندین به عنوان یک دختر البته! شک نکنین که این کتاب بهتریینه! (در مورد سبک خنده دار مورد علاقه آقایون اطلاعاتی ندارم :دی)
Read
December 13, 2008Very funny. My wedding was totally different, but there were some things I could relate to. Instead of arguing at the florist, we argued at home about the program and I got a face full of punch. Boy was I surprised. Anyway...very entertaining book.
March 30, 2009
Ofcourse I have to give this book a 5 star rating. This was the first book I read when I was a senior in high school and really got me into the chicklit type of books.
Not to mention it's really really funny
Not to mention it's really really funny
March 27, 2010
Denise loaned me this book. I thought it was excellent. It described a lot of the feelings that I have about wedding planning. It was awesome to read about other insane thoughts! And it was excellent to show that in the end, they did end up married.
April 25, 2016
Interesting read about a bride preparingfor her wedding -& all the worries that go with preparing for a wedding. The writing style is witty and flows. A recommended read but not to a bride, it'll probably make the bride-to-be too scared of weddings :P
April 29, 2012
I was looking for a light read that would make me laugh, this book delivered, when i picked up the book i also bought the second part, i was glad i did, this sits on my bookshelf now as a book i would read again and again.
September 18, 2014
Amy, planning a wedding in NYC, her family relationships, balancing love and work. Very funny.
June 13, 2024
This book surprised me in a way that I did not expect. It's a fluff story about a bridezilla but the author threw a good amount of high level words in to make it seem not so elementary. Much kudos.
On another note though the book did not age well, there's a few off color remarks similar to a pre 90's sitcom. Other than that there are a ton of dated references, Donald Trump (before he was well, the Trump he is now), Dan Quayle, The Hansons, and The Brady Bunch to name a few. Luckily, I am old enough that I did not have to google any of them.
In the beginning of the story, I related to Amy, as a single woman - sometimes arguing against the traditional shackles of 'marriage' but then she turned so quickly once she was engaged, and I felt a tad betrayed, but related to the desire to have the confirmation of conformity.
On another note though the book did not age well, there's a few off color remarks similar to a pre 90's sitcom. Other than that there are a ton of dated references, Donald Trump (before he was well, the Trump he is now), Dan Quayle, The Hansons, and The Brady Bunch to name a few. Luckily, I am old enough that I did not have to google any of them.
In the beginning of the story, I related to Amy, as a single woman - sometimes arguing against the traditional shackles of 'marriage' but then she turned so quickly once she was engaged, and I felt a tad betrayed, but related to the desire to have the confirmation of conformity.
March 2, 2021
Here was a book that I must have gotten while I was in the process of getting married - considering that we just celebrated our 11 year anniversary, I’d say it was past time to read it! I liked the journal format, but all in all, I didn’t like the protagonist- I know she was supposed to be slightly crazy due to the wedding, but I found her to be obnoxious with or without the pending nuptials. That being said, I didn’t hate it - it made me appreciate my small wedding in Gatlinburg all the more!
July 11, 2019
It was a good summer read. A very fluffy novel that somehow PETRIFIES me to my very core as I am not yet married and will have to endure this nightmare that is planning a wedding. However, this book was a quick read and written through diary entries and letters, and script-formatted dialogue. A fast paced whirlwind of an engagement and marriage.
January 17, 2024
I truly enjoyed this book. I had laughs, fear and happiness throughout. Yes, some irritation as the character could be quite bossy or rude but that's the whole point. The book is about a woman who is shocked at how some brides become rude and bossy and then she too did.
I see how this book can be offensive but I think as a 21 year old who is not yet thinking about marriage I was able to read it very objectively.
It is a fast read and it was great for the roadtrip I went on.
I see how this book can be offensive but I think as a 21 year old who is not yet thinking about marriage I was able to read it very objectively.
It is a fast read and it was great for the roadtrip I went on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews