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Wedding Season
Sarah is a wedding planner hiding a rather inconvenient truth—she doesn’t believe in love. But as the confetti flutters away on the June breeze of yet another successful wedding season she finds herself agreeing to organize two more events, on the same day, and only two months away. And while her celebrity bride is all sweetness and light, the other bride, Sarah’s own sister, quickly starts driving her crazy with her high expectations and very limited budget. Luckily, Sarah is aided in her seemingly impossible task by two best friends, Elsa, an accomplished dress designer, and Bron, a multi-talented hairdresser. All three are very good at their jobs, but romance doesn’t feature very prominently in any of their lives. As the big day draws near, every moment is spent preparing for the weddings, and they certainly haven’t got any time to even think about love; or have they?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 5, 2008
168 people are currently reading
3389 people want to read
About the author
Katie Fforde
96 books2,312 followersCatherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK, the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She has three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing until after the birth of her third child. She has previously worked both as a cleaning lady and in a health food cafe.
Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."
Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit. The writers she likes herself is also in the romantic genre, like Kate Saunders.
Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."
Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit. The writers she likes herself is also in the romantic genre, like Kate Saunders.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 385 reviews
March 18, 2023
I couldn't get into this at all. I just couldn't get into the story line or relate to the characters and found the whole thing a bit of a slog.
Two stars.
Two stars.
July 16, 2010
I read a book of Fforde's a long while ago - believe the title was Highland Fling - and found it impossibly twee and very unrealistic. However, I'm usually prepared to give an author another go when they've written so many books in the hope that they've improved somewhat, so, when I saw this book cheap in a bookstore, I snapped it up.
The thing is, there was nothing massively wrong with this book. The writing was pleasant and flowed effortlessly to the inevitable conclusion where everyone hooked up with everyone else in a suitably romantic fashion; the characters were, on the whole, pleasant individuals who you felt deserved happiness; and the plot, although very slight, was enough to keep the book romping along. Competent enough really.
And yet all those factors were not enough to garner this book an additional star to bring it to an average rating (the home, I feel, of most chick lit endeavours). I think this is because everything was too neatly closed off. For instance, there was one protagonist - name of Bron (hmm, that wasn't a good sign - I've literally just finished the book and had to check up her name) - who seemed to be going it alone quite happily after the sudden end of her relationship (which was handily signposted to us about a chapter before it actually happened). She moved into a nice little cottage and was setting up a freelance hairdressing business - but apparently needed a man to complete the picture. It's almost as though Fforde is terrified of leaving a book finished without ensuring that all her women are paired off and safely in a relationship.
Anyway, the thrust of this book is wedding planning, and the quite ludicrous situation that comes up when Sarah (the wedding planner, who, we must assume, is fairly knowledgeable about just how must work planning a wedding entails) agrees to take on a celebrity wedding with two months notice and also ends up planning her sister's wedding for the same day. Neither of the two can be moved. Neither of the two can be refused. Despite the fact she's just completed a wedding that took her TWO years to sort out! And her two new best friends - handily, a dress designer and a hairdresser/stylist/amazingly skilful cake-maker - pitch in to help out.
As is usual, the man Sarah is destined to end up with shows up in the first couple of pages - and it couldn't be more obvious that the frivolous little 'obstacle' to their getting together is simply created to prevent them from heading into relationship bliss two hundred pages earlier. Why people can't just communicate properly in these books, I don't know.... but apparently meaningful glances and not sorting things out head on are the done thing.
Hmm, I'm sounding just as cynical as the main character is purported to be! Don't get me wrong, I love DECENT chick lit. There is nothing better than losing yourself in an involving plot with three- dimensional characters, while cosily knowing that, whatever goes wrong in between times, the heroine and her perfect man will end up together. However, Fforde goes for the too-perfect ending and it is extremely false and cloying - as one of the other reviewers said, like eating too much milk chocolate (what a great description!)
In this book, I particularly disliked Lily (Sarah's sister) and her continual whiny complaints about how her wedding had to be special even though she had no money, and how she wanted the perfect wedding gown but couldn't contemplate the idea that at five months pregnant she would have to be a little less choosy. I also found Fforde's attempts to give her a 'humourous' verbal tick (like mixing her metaphors) distinctly annoying and something that tailed off enormously quickly.
Sadly, despite the fact that this author has a rather large back catalogue of books, I won't be making the effort with any more. One poor book can be forgiven. Two means that an author and I part ways. There is just too much good fiction out there to waste time with Katie Fforde.
The thing is, there was nothing massively wrong with this book. The writing was pleasant and flowed effortlessly to the inevitable conclusion where everyone hooked up with everyone else in a suitably romantic fashion; the characters were, on the whole, pleasant individuals who you felt deserved happiness; and the plot, although very slight, was enough to keep the book romping along. Competent enough really.
And yet all those factors were not enough to garner this book an additional star to bring it to an average rating (the home, I feel, of most chick lit endeavours). I think this is because everything was too neatly closed off. For instance, there was one protagonist - name of Bron (hmm, that wasn't a good sign - I've literally just finished the book and had to check up her name) - who seemed to be going it alone quite happily after the sudden end of her relationship (which was handily signposted to us about a chapter before it actually happened). She moved into a nice little cottage and was setting up a freelance hairdressing business - but apparently needed a man to complete the picture. It's almost as though Fforde is terrified of leaving a book finished without ensuring that all her women are paired off and safely in a relationship.
Anyway, the thrust of this book is wedding planning, and the quite ludicrous situation that comes up when Sarah (the wedding planner, who, we must assume, is fairly knowledgeable about just how must work planning a wedding entails) agrees to take on a celebrity wedding with two months notice and also ends up planning her sister's wedding for the same day. Neither of the two can be moved. Neither of the two can be refused. Despite the fact she's just completed a wedding that took her TWO years to sort out! And her two new best friends - handily, a dress designer and a hairdresser/stylist/amazingly skilful cake-maker - pitch in to help out.
As is usual, the man Sarah is destined to end up with shows up in the first couple of pages - and it couldn't be more obvious that the frivolous little 'obstacle' to their getting together is simply created to prevent them from heading into relationship bliss two hundred pages earlier. Why people can't just communicate properly in these books, I don't know.... but apparently meaningful glances and not sorting things out head on are the done thing.
Hmm, I'm sounding just as cynical as the main character is purported to be! Don't get me wrong, I love DECENT chick lit. There is nothing better than losing yourself in an involving plot with three- dimensional characters, while cosily knowing that, whatever goes wrong in between times, the heroine and her perfect man will end up together. However, Fforde goes for the too-perfect ending and it is extremely false and cloying - as one of the other reviewers said, like eating too much milk chocolate (what a great description!)
In this book, I particularly disliked Lily (Sarah's sister) and her continual whiny complaints about how her wedding had to be special even though she had no money, and how she wanted the perfect wedding gown but couldn't contemplate the idea that at five months pregnant she would have to be a little less choosy. I also found Fforde's attempts to give her a 'humourous' verbal tick (like mixing her metaphors) distinctly annoying and something that tailed off enormously quickly.
Sadly, despite the fact that this author has a rather large back catalogue of books, I won't be making the effort with any more. One poor book can be forgiven. Two means that an author and I part ways. There is just too much good fiction out there to waste time with Katie Fforde.
January 25, 2025
2⭐️ = Below Average.
Hardback.
This wouldn’t be my usual choice of book, but I was given it by a relative, so gave it a go. I’ve had mixed ratings with this author in the past.
Mmm…all rather predictable I’m afraid. Not offensive but a tad boring, due to it literally being about wedding planning.
Hardback.
This wouldn’t be my usual choice of book, but I was given it by a relative, so gave it a go. I’ve had mixed ratings with this author in the past.
Mmm…all rather predictable I’m afraid. Not offensive but a tad boring, due to it literally being about wedding planning.
August 12, 2009
I have enjoyed many of Fforde's books in the past, but unfortunately, it seems that the quality has declined quite significantly over the years. The last few I've read, including this one, just weren't as good as the earlier novels. This one focuses on three friends (a wedding planner, a hairdresser/makeup artist/baker, and a dress designer) as they work together on two very different weddings. I think having essentially three heroines instead of just one is part of the problem with this novel: there just isn't enough time spent on any one of them to make them feel like a real person. The three male love interests are even more one-dimensional. It was obvious early on how things were going to work out, and there were none of the interesting plot twists Fforde used to include to make things more exciting. A lot of the novel really dragged. In addition, the dialogue seemed stilted to me and nothing like the way real 20-something women would speak, and some of the plot points ("I lost my cell phone and my laptop battery died so I couldn't contact you") just seemed lame. The book did pick up a bit at the end when the weddings finally arrived, but it was a long slog to get there.
On a more positive note, there was an excerpt from her next novel, "Love Letters," at the back of this book, and it seemed much more promising.
On a more positive note, there was an excerpt from her next novel, "Love Letters," at the back of this book, and it seemed much more promising.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2015
Yes it is "impossibly twee" and unashamedly contrived but I absolutely loved it. A really good easy read providing a bit of welcome escapism. Nothing wrong with that in my book.
November 21, 2010
When I saw this book I was intrigued. So sue me, I'm getting married and everything that has the word "wedding" on it seems to stand out with great neon signs.
The story of the Wedding Season is about 3 different women; Sarah the cynical, straight-laced Wedding Planner who doesn't believe in happily ever afters and has serious trust issues. Elsa the gifted yet shy dressmaker who, despite her talent, always dresses in black and finds comfort in regular boring routines normal people might find dreadfully dull. And last but not least Bron, a very gifted hairdresser/make up artist of many hidden talents who is stuck in a rut of a relationship with a possessive, chauvinistic prig of a man who I wouldn't mind hitting over the head with a frying pan.
The brief professional relationships between these three women blossom into true friendship when they are given the chance to take part in the celebrity wedding of the year. One catch, they have only a couple of months to plan and put together the wedding from scratch, which so happens to fall on the same wedding date as Sarah's little sister Lily, who is on a deadline. Two weddings, three women and a lot of stressful planning to be done, you wouldn't think there would be enough time to actually fit any romance in the story right?
Bachelor #1 is Hugo, a talented photographer with a Casanova reputation who has his eye on Sarah but with her heart broken previously is Sarah strong enough to put it all in the past and trust again?
Bachelor #2 is Laurence, very dependable and friendly, who seems to be destined to always be the Bestman but never the Groom but is sweet & shy Elsa the girl who will change his mind?
Bachelor #3 is James, the boy next door with a green thumb whose conversation, smiles & omelets seem to go a long way in healing Bron's broken heart but with a broken heart of his own, will Bron have enough courage to take the first step?
Sure this book was complete fluff but fluff is occasionally good for the soul. It's a feel good book with a couple of laughs thrown in. I enjoyed reading it and seeing these three women grow as the story progressed, even though it was pretty predicable and had almost no surprises. But like I said, it's fluff but entertaining fluff that doesn't make you think too hard. Read it with a cup of something yummy.
The story of the Wedding Season is about 3 different women; Sarah the cynical, straight-laced Wedding Planner who doesn't believe in happily ever afters and has serious trust issues. Elsa the gifted yet shy dressmaker who, despite her talent, always dresses in black and finds comfort in regular boring routines normal people might find dreadfully dull. And last but not least Bron, a very gifted hairdresser/make up artist of many hidden talents who is stuck in a rut of a relationship with a possessive, chauvinistic prig of a man who I wouldn't mind hitting over the head with a frying pan.
The brief professional relationships between these three women blossom into true friendship when they are given the chance to take part in the celebrity wedding of the year. One catch, they have only a couple of months to plan and put together the wedding from scratch, which so happens to fall on the same wedding date as Sarah's little sister Lily, who is on a deadline. Two weddings, three women and a lot of stressful planning to be done, you wouldn't think there would be enough time to actually fit any romance in the story right?
Bachelor #1 is Hugo, a talented photographer with a Casanova reputation who has his eye on Sarah but with her heart broken previously is Sarah strong enough to put it all in the past and trust again?
Bachelor #2 is Laurence, very dependable and friendly, who seems to be destined to always be the Bestman but never the Groom but is sweet & shy Elsa the girl who will change his mind?
Bachelor #3 is James, the boy next door with a green thumb whose conversation, smiles & omelets seem to go a long way in healing Bron's broken heart but with a broken heart of his own, will Bron have enough courage to take the first step?
Sure this book was complete fluff but fluff is occasionally good for the soul. It's a feel good book with a couple of laughs thrown in. I enjoyed reading it and seeing these three women grow as the story progressed, even though it was pretty predicable and had almost no surprises. But like I said, it's fluff but entertaining fluff that doesn't make you think too hard. Read it with a cup of something yummy.
April 29, 2019
Another brilliant read by Katie and such an easy read and has great characters and the story plot is very good and you just want to see if they get the happy ever after. Full of friendship romance and humour and of course weddings. So heartwarming and witty a great read.
Sarah organises weddings and loves sorting other people's weddings out but she has had a bad relationship and says they aren't for her she's happy to plan for everyone else. Problem is two have come up for the same day one being her sister and the other a big celebrity so she feels she can't turn either down. She has two months to sort them out can she do it. She also has her two friends elsa and Bron and elsa makes dresses and Bron is a hairdresser. Both ladies give their all to helping plan the weddings and elsa tries to keep herself to herself and Bron has just left her boyfriend after finding him in bed with her boss. The big day comes and things are stressful but can they find love and gain their own confidence for all of them and can they be happy it not.
A great feel good read.
Sarah organises weddings and loves sorting other people's weddings out but she has had a bad relationship and says they aren't for her she's happy to plan for everyone else. Problem is two have come up for the same day one being her sister and the other a big celebrity so she feels she can't turn either down. She has two months to sort them out can she do it. She also has her two friends elsa and Bron and elsa makes dresses and Bron is a hairdresser. Both ladies give their all to helping plan the weddings and elsa tries to keep herself to herself and Bron has just left her boyfriend after finding him in bed with her boss. The big day comes and things are stressful but can they find love and gain their own confidence for all of them and can they be happy it not.
A great feel good read.
April 7, 2010
Frothy/Gauzy/Summery…any of these three adjectives would apply to this book. It doesn’t claim to answer the big questions of life but does promise to be a perfect holiday read.
Sarah, the cynical yet super-efficient wedding planner; Elsa, the hides-her-light-under-a-bushel dressmaker and the multi-talented hairdresser, Bron make an engaging trio. As the team tries to pull off two essential weddings on the same day in a limited time span, they hurtle through the usual vortex of panic, chaos and last-minute goof-ups. Adding spice to the proceedings are their respective love-stories that are entertaining and non-smutty.
So, if you have been doing some brain-jogging reads of late and need a respite…this is just what the doctor ordered. Also recommended for those who love the Brit's whimsical turn of phrase.
Sarah, the cynical yet super-efficient wedding planner; Elsa, the hides-her-light-under-a-bushel dressmaker and the multi-talented hairdresser, Bron make an engaging trio. As the team tries to pull off two essential weddings on the same day in a limited time span, they hurtle through the usual vortex of panic, chaos and last-minute goof-ups. Adding spice to the proceedings are their respective love-stories that are entertaining and non-smutty.
So, if you have been doing some brain-jogging reads of late and need a respite…this is just what the doctor ordered. Also recommended for those who love the Brit's whimsical turn of phrase.
July 16, 2010
Normally I quite enjoy books by this author, but this was kind of a disappointment. I don't know why - maybe I just don't like all the wedding stuff - but I felt like it dragged on too long. Also, three romances/heroines in a book is just too much. I never got the feeling that I really got to know anything about them, except for the fact that Sarah's always busy, Elsa's extremely shy and Bron has an annoying boyfriend and can do almost everything you ask of her perfectly.
Not something I'd like to re-read again.
Not something I'd like to re-read again.
January 30, 2016
This was my first Katie Fforde book. Like most chick lit it has an improbable string of good luck for the main characters (they all meet the "one" and all end up in dream careers) but somehow it doesn't detract from the charm of the story. Add in the British setting and it made for a very satisfying Saturday afternoon read.
February 26, 2018
Een gezellig en vrolijk boek. Hoewel er soms wat problemen zijn, lossen die ook zo weer op. Aan de ene kant maakt dat het verhaal wat ongeloofwaardig. Toch vond ik dat bij dit boek niet storend. Ook is het verhaal wat voorspelbaar. Maar ook dat stoorde mij niet. Ik had echt zin aan een ongecompliceerd en vrolijk boek en dat is ook precies wat ik kreeg.
January 15, 2015
Oh I loved this book! Maybe it's a season or a phase I am going through,but I have been coming across some really nice reads.
OK. what I loved about this book is, I could relate; to situations,to emotions. I got hooked.
The story is about 3 ladies : Sarah,Elsa and Bron. All three have different personalities and their different lines of work bring them together to make other people's weddings a success.
I truly am a sucker for love and cannot write this review without spoilers. Sooooo instead I will extrapolate on my opinion of the book. More how it made me feel and behave :)
First off,I liked the book from get go-and then at some point I got really excited and wanted to know more. this was like in Chapter 5 and from there well there's a night I slept really late trying to soak up as much of it as I could and then on a different morning a day later I woke up 3hours earlier than usual to get going.
I wanted to finish the book because I wanted to know how everything would turn out.The only sad thing is that I couldn't get to actually see some of the events,or actually be there to see some things;like the cake,the dresses,the photos,the weddings.It is sooo well narrated I actually felt like I missed seeing the most extra ordinary,most amazing events. simply,it made me really want to be part of that story. I could visualize every little detail so vividly I kinda felt like I was missing out*honestly don't know a better way to explain it.
It is the first Katie Fforde I own and I look forward to getting another. I got hooked *starry eyed and a little in Love with the book :)
OK. what I loved about this book is, I could relate; to situations,to emotions. I got hooked.
The story is about 3 ladies : Sarah,Elsa and Bron. All three have different personalities and their different lines of work bring them together to make other people's weddings a success.
I truly am a sucker for love and cannot write this review without spoilers. Sooooo instead I will extrapolate on my opinion of the book. More how it made me feel and behave :)
First off,I liked the book from get go-and then at some point I got really excited and wanted to know more. this was like in Chapter 5 and from there well there's a night I slept really late trying to soak up as much of it as I could and then on a different morning a day later I woke up 3hours earlier than usual to get going.
I wanted to finish the book because I wanted to know how everything would turn out.The only sad thing is that I couldn't get to actually see some of the events,or actually be there to see some things;like the cake,the dresses,the photos,the weddings.It is sooo well narrated I actually felt like I missed seeing the most extra ordinary,most amazing events. simply,it made me really want to be part of that story. I could visualize every little detail so vividly I kinda felt like I was missing out*honestly don't know a better way to explain it.
It is the first Katie Fforde I own and I look forward to getting another. I got hooked *starry eyed and a little in Love with the book :)
April 8, 2015
4.5 stars *spoiler alert*
I loved this book - got into it right from the start. I wouldn't say it was really a romance - more like a light and fun woman's fiction. I loved all the intricacies of the wedding planning, the baking, the sewing - I enjoyed being taken into the three lady's worlds. Phew, the author sure knows a lot or her research abilities are to be emulated. It was such a pleasurable relaxing read and hard to put down. I was a little bit disappointed about the romances at the end. They just seemed a bit rushed. Like they really weren't going well and then suddenly they're all fully in. But the romances were sweet and I did adore Hugo. Who wouldn't? The characters were great and fun, but my favourites were Sarah and Bron. Katie's books are the perfect escape without any dark, depressing or boring moments. They never disappoint in providing me ample entertainment. I somehow feel, as a romance writer, I don't have to think too hard when I read them like I do every other book. I usually crit books to pieces and every book I read is part of my work, but I don't feel that way about Katie's books. It's like I'm just allowed to relax when I read them. Although, I do get inspired to become a better writer when I read them.
I loved this book - got into it right from the start. I wouldn't say it was really a romance - more like a light and fun woman's fiction. I loved all the intricacies of the wedding planning, the baking, the sewing - I enjoyed being taken into the three lady's worlds. Phew, the author sure knows a lot or her research abilities are to be emulated. It was such a pleasurable relaxing read and hard to put down. I was a little bit disappointed about the romances at the end. They just seemed a bit rushed. Like they really weren't going well and then suddenly they're all fully in. But the romances were sweet and I did adore Hugo. Who wouldn't? The characters were great and fun, but my favourites were Sarah and Bron. Katie's books are the perfect escape without any dark, depressing or boring moments. They never disappoint in providing me ample entertainment. I somehow feel, as a romance writer, I don't have to think too hard when I read them like I do every other book. I usually crit books to pieces and every book I read is part of my work, but I don't feel that way about Katie's books. It's like I'm just allowed to relax when I read them. Although, I do get inspired to become a better writer when I read them.
February 8, 2015
I do love Katie Ffordes books - fun romances to get stuck into on your lunch break. This one counts as part of my 2015 Reading Challenge as 'A book your mum loves'.
Like with The Rose Revived this story revolves around the love lives (or lack of at the beginning) of three main female leads - Sarah, Bron and Elsa. The first female lead in both books always seems to have the hardest job of finding the right person to be with. Or better yet getting out of their own way to see that the right person is in front of them to begin with!
All their romances revolve around the last minute celebrity wedding that they have to plan. Fun seeing how the different couples all come together and the friendship that forms between Sarah, Bron and Elsa.
The sneek peak at the end showing first chapter of Love Letters is also a bonus. Want to read that now! :)
Like with The Rose Revived this story revolves around the love lives (or lack of at the beginning) of three main female leads - Sarah, Bron and Elsa. The first female lead in both books always seems to have the hardest job of finding the right person to be with. Or better yet getting out of their own way to see that the right person is in front of them to begin with!
All their romances revolve around the last minute celebrity wedding that they have to plan. Fun seeing how the different couples all come together and the friendship that forms between Sarah, Bron and Elsa.
The sneek peak at the end showing first chapter of Love Letters is also a bonus. Want to read that now! :)
May 31, 2009
I LOVE this story! I enjoy all of Katie Fforde's books and Wedding Season has jumped to one of my all-time favourites.
This is one book I never wanted to end because I didn't want to say goodbye to any of the characters - I love them all.
As with all Katie Fforde's books I learned loads about different professions. The most intriguing for me is when Elsa (who always dresses in black) is dragged to an appointment to have her colours done - I want mine done too!
Wedding Season is such a fun story (I had many laugh-out-loud moments that I'm sure Gray must be curious to find out what he's missing) and I know that this is a book I'll return to time and again.
Perfect.
This is one book I never wanted to end because I didn't want to say goodbye to any of the characters - I love them all.
As with all Katie Fforde's books I learned loads about different professions. The most intriguing for me is when Elsa (who always dresses in black) is dragged to an appointment to have her colours done - I want mine done too!
Wedding Season is such a fun story (I had many laugh-out-loud moments that I'm sure Gray must be curious to find out what he's missing) and I know that this is a book I'll return to time and again.
Perfect.
August 27, 2015
I liked this book. i really did and the 3 stars is more reflective of the fact that we didn't get a lot of interaction between Hugh and Sarah..the interaction was there, but i had wished there was more. it seemed that a lot of time was spent on the B and C stories and the A story was kind of lost a bit. It was a fun read to be sure, but not my favorite. I did like the relationships sarah forged with the other girls and i have read some subsequent novels by Katie where we have seen these characters pop up again which is a lot of fun. If you're looking for a light quick read this is probably a good bet. It's not breaking any new ground and fairly formulaic, but still entertaining.
April 28, 2010
Super fun British chick lit (my favorite kind! but rather hard to get in the States ...) Easy to get in-to and follow story, even with the focus being on 3 separate friends and how their lives interweave and affect each other. Fun story, and while there's romantic elements it's not all sexed up and tawdry. (I could, and will, comfortably suggest it to my younger cousins.) Totally loved it, looking forward to reading more of Fforde's books now!
March 4, 2016
Meh. I loved the characters! I used to plan weddings so I read any book I find where wedding planing is a focal point of the story. Unfortunately, the story didn't quite develop fast enough. It was choppy and it detracted from the fabulous leads. I wished she had gotten on with it sooner than she did. Still, it's an easy read for the days you just need a comfy book in your life. :)
September 17, 2020
"But if you knew how many women are ignorant of the fact that the nipple should be halfway between the top of the shoulder and the elbow. You see more nipples at elbow height than you can shake a stick at."
While it started well, I guess I wasn't in the right mood to read a romance and this had too much girly stuff. It was cute just the same. Adorable characters and scenarios, as always.
While it started well, I guess I wasn't in the right mood to read a romance and this had too much girly stuff. It was cute just the same. Adorable characters and scenarios, as always.
December 10, 2012
This is chick lit but a bit clever chick lit. It is an easy enjoyable book but it is well written and if you want an easy , light, enjoyable read, this is good. I have read a number of books by the author and she delivers well and consistently.
March 22, 2015
I've read all Katie Fforde's books and am now rereading. They are all well written and polished with believable characters, but more importantly the situations and scenarios are true to life. I find the writing well researched whether she's writing about weddings, gardening, textiles or houseboats.
August 5, 2015
I haven't read a Katie Fforde book in years, but I spotted this at the library and grabbed it. Fforde's books are breezy, light romances. You can relax and enjoy the happy ending that's coming. I did.
July 18, 2016
I found it incredibly sweet, but shallow. The three couples (Elsa and Laurence, Bron and James, Sarah and Hugo) each had their own struggles and moments, and yes, they all followed a pretty predictable plot, it was a nice way to escape the world.
March 16, 2015
Loved this book. There were three separate romances within this one story, all compelling relationships. It was also funny and light. Everything I wanted in a book to read while nursing =)
April 4, 2015
its one of these books that u know the end of it but still enjoy reading it....
October 5, 2015
Very cute story. Katie writes very well, and she makes them fun to read. Lighthearted, happy endings. Just my cup of tea!
June 26, 2019
Sarah Stratford is a wedding planner, she enlists the help of Elsa, a talented dress designer, and Bron, a hairdresser and make-up artist, at the wedding of Ashlyn Lennox-Featherstone. Each meets a man at the wedding who will change their lives. There's Hugo the rakish photographer, Laurence the perpetual best man, and James the gardener.
As the women work on the cut-price wedding of Sarah's feckless sister, who just happens to be getting married on the same day as Sarah's latest client, a famous actress, each of them is on a journey to self-discovery and true love.
This is typical Katie Fforde, easy-going, set in bucolic English countryside, featuring lovely heroines and dashing heroes. Although Hugo does have a tendency to boss Sarah around it is less pronounced (and therefore less irritating) than in some other books. I was also delighted to see Rupert and Fenella and their ramshackle stately home - I read a short story featuring these two and I've wanted to read their story ever since -if anyone knows which one it is I'd be eternally grateful.
As the women work on the cut-price wedding of Sarah's feckless sister, who just happens to be getting married on the same day as Sarah's latest client, a famous actress, each of them is on a journey to self-discovery and true love.
This is typical Katie Fforde, easy-going, set in bucolic English countryside, featuring lovely heroines and dashing heroes. Although Hugo does have a tendency to boss Sarah around it is less pronounced (and therefore less irritating) than in some other books. I was also delighted to see Rupert and Fenella and their ramshackle stately home - I read a short story featuring these two and I've wanted to read their story ever since -if anyone knows which one it is I'd be eternally grateful.
January 10, 2019
So I generally enjoyed this. There are three love stories and I felt like enough time was spent on each. And in once cased it helped because it made the annoying obstacle in one of them () less annoying than it would've been if it had been the only romance.
I WAS annoyed by the "two weddings" conflict. BE THERE FOR YOUR SISTER.
Also, I've read other Fforde's, but this is the first one where I remember the British slang standing out to me and baffling me in places. I could mostly get it from the context and this isn't really a complaint because you are allowed to use your natural language!
(Anyway, I don't think I like Fforde as much as I hoped I would, but I'd read more by her if I come across one that sounds good.)
I WAS annoyed by the "two weddings" conflict. BE THERE FOR YOUR SISTER.
Also, I've read other Fforde's, but this is the first one where I remember the British slang standing out to me and baffling me in places. I could mostly get it from the context and this isn't really a complaint because you are allowed to use your natural language!
(Anyway, I don't think I like Fforde as much as I hoped I would, but I'd read more by her if I come across one that sounds good.)
October 30, 2016
A version of this review appeared on my blog, drinkingandink.
Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge: A book that takes place on an island.
Wedding Season started off like your typical chick lit. I checked off the normal items from chick lit bingo early on: Overworked, Underappreciated Heroine Great at Her Job but Hopeless at Communication in Personal Life, Bizarrely Bossy Love Interest, Makeover, Fairy Godmother, Convenient Plot Device (who COULD rent that empty cottage? Goodness!). This book offered three heroines, Sarah (the wedding planner), Elsa (the dressmaker) and Bron (the hairdresser who also makes great cakes). In addition to their poor communication skills, all three were notable for being mindbogglingly passive. People could talk them into pretty much anything because they couldn’t figure out how to say no politely. I’m kind of amazed none of them turned drug mule at any point in this book.
Speaking of substances, there was a stunning amount of alcohol consumed in this book, usually after token protests. I’m a social drinker and like a beer with my dinner, but I could feel my liver curling up and whimpering as I read about yet another bottle of champagne being consumed.
Plot contrivances abounded: Sarah, the wedding planner (distinguished from the other two by being labeled “bossy,” although she very rarely did anything bossy), stops her love interest from clearing up her (spoiler alert: mistaken!) perception that he is engaged, and her totally-looks-like-Hugh-Grant-have-I-mentioned-that? love interest actually lets her. Bron, who starts the book in a shitty relationship, the depiction of which was the most realistic piece of the book, decides to leave her awful boyfriend, and in spite of the fact that we’ve already seen how awful he is, she has to walk in on him in bed with another woman just to establish that it’s okay for her to walk out on him. Elsa (distinguished from the other two by virtue of being actually even more passive than the others) attends a costume ball and just has to win the costume contest even though she hates being the center of attention and totally didn’t want to win. If there were a passivity Olympics, these ladies would take home the gold, silver and bronze by miles.
Now, I realize there are probably people out there who are really curious about how wedding prep logistical problems could be solved. But I would think even the most avid DIY-er would find the amount of that contained in this book to be excessive. By the time we got a 3.5-page scene of bulk baking supply shopping, I was wondering if this book even had editors. It could easily have been half the length without a single important scene getting cut. The focus of many of the scenes also appeared to be off. At the ball, Elsa’s love interest gets called away for a crisis, where a drunk man gashed his arm badly and Love Interest Guy was guaranteed to be sober and so should be the one who decides whether a trip to A and E (that’s the ER for us Americans) is warranted. Instead of focusing on the guy with the bleeding arm and Love Interest Guy’s capability in a crisis, a bunch of characters stand around discussing who should drive what car and who needs to go where. I’m surprised Bleeding Man didn’t bleed out during this tedium.
You can probably tell already that I didn’t care for this book, and didn’t from the beginning. But my husband wants me to mention that my reading of the last hundred pages was liberally peppered with outbursts of “No! No! No! No! No!” Although the first 300 pages were bad, the last 100 truly were worse.
Generally speaking, though, Sarah, Bron and Elsa made your average Dickens heroine look like Xena, Warrior Princess in comparison. I was amazed they managed to walk around so easily when none of them possessed a spine.
Why 2 stars rather than 1? Honestly, because in spite of all my attempts, I know chick lit is not for me. But I like to think even if you do like chick lit, you won't like this.
Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge: A book that takes place on an island.
Wedding Season started off like your typical chick lit. I checked off the normal items from chick lit bingo early on: Overworked, Underappreciated Heroine Great at Her Job but Hopeless at Communication in Personal Life, Bizarrely Bossy Love Interest, Makeover, Fairy Godmother, Convenient Plot Device (who COULD rent that empty cottage? Goodness!). This book offered three heroines, Sarah (the wedding planner), Elsa (the dressmaker) and Bron (the hairdresser who also makes great cakes). In addition to their poor communication skills, all three were notable for being mindbogglingly passive. People could talk them into pretty much anything because they couldn’t figure out how to say no politely. I’m kind of amazed none of them turned drug mule at any point in this book.
Speaking of substances, there was a stunning amount of alcohol consumed in this book, usually after token protests. I’m a social drinker and like a beer with my dinner, but I could feel my liver curling up and whimpering as I read about yet another bottle of champagne being consumed.
Plot contrivances abounded: Sarah, the wedding planner (distinguished from the other two by being labeled “bossy,” although she very rarely did anything bossy), stops her love interest from clearing up her (spoiler alert: mistaken!) perception that he is engaged, and her totally-looks-like-Hugh-Grant-have-I-mentioned-that? love interest actually lets her. Bron, who starts the book in a shitty relationship, the depiction of which was the most realistic piece of the book, decides to leave her awful boyfriend, and in spite of the fact that we’ve already seen how awful he is, she has to walk in on him in bed with another woman just to establish that it’s okay for her to walk out on him. Elsa (distinguished from the other two by virtue of being actually even more passive than the others) attends a costume ball and just has to win the costume contest even though she hates being the center of attention and totally didn’t want to win. If there were a passivity Olympics, these ladies would take home the gold, silver and bronze by miles.
Now, I realize there are probably people out there who are really curious about how wedding prep logistical problems could be solved. But I would think even the most avid DIY-er would find the amount of that contained in this book to be excessive. By the time we got a 3.5-page scene of bulk baking supply shopping, I was wondering if this book even had editors. It could easily have been half the length without a single important scene getting cut. The focus of many of the scenes also appeared to be off. At the ball, Elsa’s love interest gets called away for a crisis, where a drunk man gashed his arm badly and Love Interest Guy was guaranteed to be sober and so should be the one who decides whether a trip to A and E (that’s the ER for us Americans) is warranted. Instead of focusing on the guy with the bleeding arm and Love Interest Guy’s capability in a crisis, a bunch of characters stand around discussing who should drive what car and who needs to go where. I’m surprised Bleeding Man didn’t bleed out during this tedium.
You can probably tell already that I didn’t care for this book, and didn’t from the beginning. But my husband wants me to mention that my reading of the last hundred pages was liberally peppered with outbursts of “No! No! No! No! No!” Although the first 300 pages were bad, the last 100 truly were worse.
Generally speaking, though, Sarah, Bron and Elsa made your average Dickens heroine look like Xena, Warrior Princess in comparison. I was amazed they managed to walk around so easily when none of them possessed a spine.
Why 2 stars rather than 1? Honestly, because in spite of all my attempts, I know chick lit is not for me. But I like to think even if you do like chick lit, you won't like this.
August 22, 2018
Whoop whoop another stonking read from Katie Fforde.
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