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A Practical Wedding Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Wedding You Want with the Budget You've Got
The author of A Practical Wedding offers a no-nonsense wedding planner, with all the tools, tips, and strategies to get the celebration you want, on a budget you can actually afford Whether you're newly engaged or haven't quite made anything official yet, but you know you want to spend your lives together, you're going to need help planning your wedding. When you're ready to take a deep breath and start, this is the book you want--need--to have. From figuring out what you really want--as opposed to what everyone else thinks you should want--to helping you keep an eye on the ceremony itself and the vows, Meg Keene covers all the essentials. With checklists (such as flowers, food, final venue walk-through) and key spreadsheets (guest list and seating chart, budget, venue search, and more), A Practical Wedding Planner helps a budget--and stick to itChoose a traditional, non-traditional, and everything in betweenHire good vendors and keep your friendors (and tells you why DIY doesn't always save money)Figure out catering, rentals, and everything else Pinterest forgot to tell you
255 pages, ebook
First published December 8, 2015
95 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 16, 2016
This book was a breath of fresh air. It didn't refer to me as a princess and never called the wedding my "special day." Definitely recommend to anyone who questions the wedding industry's habit of steering you toward gold rimmed silverware and away from meaningful vows.
January 4, 2023
Keene wrote a super helpful book to set the tone and goals for your wedding, make a guest list, choose a venue, and navigate the other 5,000 details. I really enjoyed reading it! Refreshing. She offers many ideas for all budgets.
Also, she puts everything in perspective. You don’t need personalized cocktail napkins. You do need to feed your guests on time. You don’t need gold rimmed wineglasses. You do need to surround yourself with people you love!
The exercises are super fun too, including a huge list of possible wedding priorities that you can circle or cross out with your partner. Eg, we both wanted personalized vows and neither of us cared about the tablecloths.
Also, she puts everything in perspective. You don’t need personalized cocktail napkins. You do need to feed your guests on time. You don’t need gold rimmed wineglasses. You do need to surround yourself with people you love!
The exercises are super fun too, including a huge list of possible wedding priorities that you can circle or cross out with your partner. Eg, we both wanted personalized vows and neither of us cared about the tablecloths.
June 14, 2016
I really appreciate that this book gives you options rather than saying you *should* do so and so. It also uses a more couple-centric than bride-centric viewpoint.
September 2, 2018
Detailed, low-pressure (as in, it doesn't say do THIS THING OR ELSE) overview of planning a wedding. It had many excellent points! I was going to say unfortunately, but it's actually THANKFULLY, many things in here just plain don't apply to my situation. I'm grateful to attend a church that doesn't charge for use of the building or the family life center as a reception hall! And along with that comes a church family full of vast talents that are willing to help a girl out. Thank you, Lord.
My biggest takeaway was the author's reiteration of remembering how the day will feel versus look. Such an excellent perspective. I love it.
My biggest takeaway was the author's reiteration of remembering how the day will feel versus look. Such an excellent perspective. I love it.
June 4, 2019
I love the...well, practical approach to wedding planning this book provides, along with the suggestions about non-traditional weddings (their blog is awesome, too)!
February 9, 2017
"I will remember how my wedding felt, not how my wedding looked."
Don't let the bride on the cover fool you. Meg Keene writes in gender-neutral and LGBTQ-friendly terms, making this book a great resource for just about anyone planning a wedding!
When you're newly engaged, it's easy to spend hours mindlessly clicking through online wedding resources. You begin feeling like you need all-the-things, even if you originally wanted a simple ceremony and reception. A Practical Wedding is that dear level-headed friend that brings you back down to earth.
We enjoyed the long list of "wedding things," roughly 100 items, where you circle what you really care about, cross out what you don't, and add anything that's missing. We did the exercise individually and compared lists afterward. It helped us get on the same page and identify top priorities.
This is a must-read. Seriously. It will make you realize there are always way more questions to ask when finalizing your plans! But more importantly, the tone of the entire book is to relax and have fun at your wedding.
Don't let the bride on the cover fool you. Meg Keene writes in gender-neutral and LGBTQ-friendly terms, making this book a great resource for just about anyone planning a wedding!
When you're newly engaged, it's easy to spend hours mindlessly clicking through online wedding resources. You begin feeling like you need all-the-things, even if you originally wanted a simple ceremony and reception. A Practical Wedding is that dear level-headed friend that brings you back down to earth.
We enjoyed the long list of "wedding things," roughly 100 items, where you circle what you really care about, cross out what you don't, and add anything that's missing. We did the exercise individually and compared lists afterward. It helped us get on the same page and identify top priorities.
This is a must-read. Seriously. It will make you realize there are always way more questions to ask when finalizing your plans! But more importantly, the tone of the entire book is to relax and have fun at your wedding.
October 21, 2019
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this book! Keene got it right! Her whole premise is to focus on what your wedding will FEEL like, not what it will LOOK like. The wedding industry is so focused on selling things that it is outrageously easy to focus on the extras, the oh so expensive extras, that nobody remembers. What is great about this book is Keene isn't judgy about anything. If you want a wedding with all of the things then go for it, buy your grooms cake (whatever that is). And if you just want a few friends in a backyard, Keene helps with that too. She provides just the right amount of information so you know about most of what's out there, you know what's key (like licenses and permits), and you can put it into practice. I do believe this book will prove useful.
February 7, 2025
No content warnings for this one!
A great resource for figuring out how to plan the wedding you actually want with a reasonable budget. The author does a fairly good job of catering to a diverse audience, with tips for plus-size dress shopping, queer outfits, and various types of religious considerations, although the book could have used some pointers to additional resources on each of these topics.
I also really appreciated that this book advocates fair treatment of workers. There are lots of tips on how to save money, but also explanations for why some things cost as much as they do (white dresses need liners, how long a wedding cake actually takes to make) and which expenses will save your sanity. This book advocates saving money by figuring out what you actually want, instead of pressuring your friends into doing more work for free than they can comfortably handle.
A great resource for figuring out how to plan the wedding you actually want with a reasonable budget. The author does a fairly good job of catering to a diverse audience, with tips for plus-size dress shopping, queer outfits, and various types of religious considerations, although the book could have used some pointers to additional resources on each of these topics.
I also really appreciated that this book advocates fair treatment of workers. There are lots of tips on how to save money, but also explanations for why some things cost as much as they do (white dresses need liners, how long a wedding cake actually takes to make) and which expenses will save your sanity. This book advocates saving money by figuring out what you actually want, instead of pressuring your friends into doing more work for free than they can comfortably handle.
December 26, 2019
I've had this book for months and only decided to actually look at it when my wedding was mostly planned - total fail because it has some really helpful tips for all levels of wedding. There are a few things I wish I did, but also plenty of useful things for what I still have left. There's a ton of spreadsheets and forms in the back for you to check off as you go. Definitely would recommend for newly engaged people who feel overwhelmed over where to start.
April 29, 2024
Loved this, but the industry has changed a lot since 2015! The pricing guidance is a little outdated, as an example
June 7, 2019
Preliminary rating I guess since our wedding hasn't actually happened but this has been a great resource.
December 30, 2023
Very helpful for those that like to stay organized and be involved in crafting every part of their wedding.
October 31, 2016
Super helpful, acts as the best wedding planning aide a gal could ever ask for. Super inspiring to all other aspiring wedding planners!
May 10, 2017
Love this book! I'm going to read her first one now, A Practical Wedding. These books have gotten outstanding reviews and I am with the rest of the gang on this. I am a "practical" bride; yes I have a Pinterest wedding board, but that's more to gain inspiration and gather ideas than anything (read: what can you do with a particular color scheme). Meg Keene describes using Pinterest to Start your wedding planning as doing it "backwards" because you can't plan your wedding decorations without actually seeing what your venue looks like first! This is probably something that practical brides would learn while taking the first steps to planning, but I appreciated it all the same.
I also love that Keene includes all manner of weddings in her wedding planning book. While the cover clearly shows a stock bride (white dress, female, thin, brown hair, flowers), she includes same-sex marriage and when describing example couples, I really, really appreciated that she used gender-neutral names, such as Alex and Sam, which can designate a hetero or same-sex couple. In her sample vows, Keene always designates "I take you to be my (husband/wife)" to make the same point, rather than just assuming that the people reading the book are man and woman. Further, the section on ceremonies was outstanding. I took full-length photos of the example vows. The point of this section: "You don't have to write your own vows for it to be meaningful. Here are some traditional secular, Hindu, Jewish, Quaker, Protestant, and Episcopalian examples of vows for you to draw inspiration and expand your worldview." These vows range from "short and sweet" to freeform paragraph/poem length. And the advice for how a ceremony should proceed is on point.
I checked this book out of the public library expecting it to be more about having a low-budget wedding (due to the "practical" in the name), but found it more to be about how to have a stress-free wedding and that you don't need "ALL THE WEDDING THINGS" (i.e., the bells and whistles that commercial websites, shows and your peers show you are important) and what to prioritize. That's not a big deal though!
My bigger nitpick: in the Flowers chapter, which is rather short, Keene addresses the obvious. However, I was disappointed that the "DIY" sections only focused on literal flowers, like, from the grocery store. I was extremely confused when the DIY section mentioned DIY flowers can be more time-consuming or expensive than a florist, so just hire a florist... but that's because she stopped at real flowers rather than the, I don't know, practical flowers that I'm planning on using -- those made from silk or paper. Other nitpick: the book doesn't reeeeeally go into depth about DIY stuff at all (what's practical to do yourself and what isn't, for example). Oh well. I have other books for that!
All-in-all, read this book. It's a quick read and I was able to skip over some chapters (i.e., the ones on hiring particular vendors like a tent, caterer, etc.) that weren't relevant to me.
September 15, 2021
I was a bride that:
A) Never daydreamed about her wedding at any point in her life
B) Had to plan a very DIY wedding. We had the keys to venue and that was it. Everything else had to be figured out by us.
C) Was intent on keep costs as low as possible, without cheapening out.
D) Was excited to get married, but not excited about planning the wedding in any way whatsoever
Right after we booked the venue I started to lose my mind. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. When do I buy a dress? How do I even pick a dress? When do we invite people? How much is this dang thing going to cost?
Every search on Google led to people trying to convince me that you need to spend $30,000 on crap you don't even want.
After much frustration, I stumbled upon this book. I knew it was for me after the first few pages. A book for brides that never dreamt about their weddings.
And look at me now! I'm married! And I had an actual wedding! And it was delightful!
All thanks to this book, the subreddit weddingsunder10k, and some time spent on Pinterest.
If you need someone to tell you exactly when to sent invites, what to write in them, what sort of tablecloths to get, how much glassware to order, when to get your dress altered, etc. then this book is for you. You get almost all the answers you need without being treated like you're some princess that needs a fairy tale wedding.
4 stars since it didn't give me ALL of the answers I needed (I had to buy an additional book to help me with the ceremony portion). Otherwise, highly recommended.
You really don't need a wedding planner. This book will get you there. The process will suck quite a bit, but you CAN do it.
A) Never daydreamed about her wedding at any point in her life
B) Had to plan a very DIY wedding. We had the keys to venue and that was it. Everything else had to be figured out by us.
C) Was intent on keep costs as low as possible, without cheapening out.
D) Was excited to get married, but not excited about planning the wedding in any way whatsoever
Right after we booked the venue I started to lose my mind. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. When do I buy a dress? How do I even pick a dress? When do we invite people? How much is this dang thing going to cost?
Every search on Google led to people trying to convince me that you need to spend $30,000 on crap you don't even want.
After much frustration, I stumbled upon this book. I knew it was for me after the first few pages. A book for brides that never dreamt about their weddings.
And look at me now! I'm married! And I had an actual wedding! And it was delightful!
All thanks to this book, the subreddit weddingsunder10k, and some time spent on Pinterest.
If you need someone to tell you exactly when to sent invites, what to write in them, what sort of tablecloths to get, how much glassware to order, when to get your dress altered, etc. then this book is for you. You get almost all the answers you need without being treated like you're some princess that needs a fairy tale wedding.
4 stars since it didn't give me ALL of the answers I needed (I had to buy an additional book to help me with the ceremony portion). Otherwise, highly recommended.
You really don't need a wedding planner. This book will get you there. The process will suck quite a bit, but you CAN do it.
June 27, 2022
4.0
An excellent book written by wedding planner Meg Keene that tries to simplify the process. I thought this would be a more straightforward step-by-step tutorial, but I guess it's difficult to give specific advice when people who are getting married have a spectrum of preferences and cultural traditions.
Meg Keene did a good job of wading through the marketing tactics to pare down to the basic outline of wedding preparation while also allowing for customization. She includes action items and questions to discuss with oneself, loved ones, and future partner in deciding what to prioritize for the wedding. I enjoyed reading the anecdotes scattered throughout the book that demonstrate how different weddings across the board can be.
The ultimate message of the book was that weddings can never go wrong as it is the mark of the beginning of a marriage. Let go of the stress and celebrate come what may!
An excellent book written by wedding planner Meg Keene that tries to simplify the process. I thought this would be a more straightforward step-by-step tutorial, but I guess it's difficult to give specific advice when people who are getting married have a spectrum of preferences and cultural traditions.
Meg Keene did a good job of wading through the marketing tactics to pare down to the basic outline of wedding preparation while also allowing for customization. She includes action items and questions to discuss with oneself, loved ones, and future partner in deciding what to prioritize for the wedding. I enjoyed reading the anecdotes scattered throughout the book that demonstrate how different weddings across the board can be.
The ultimate message of the book was that weddings can never go wrong as it is the mark of the beginning of a marriage. Let go of the stress and celebrate come what may!
July 3, 2025
If you are engaged and on a budget, you need this book. If you are engaged and have a million dollars to spend, you need this book. If you are engaged and planning your wedding yourself, you need this book. If you are engaged and have a wedding planner, you need this book. In short: If you are engaged, get this book. Luckily, it's been in print for a while so I was able to find it used for cheap online.
This book breaks down each of the essential parts of a wedding, from venue to food to vendors to the actual ceremony. It is written in a format where you flip to the sections you need, and skip the sections you don't. It has explanations, checklists, what to ask vendors, spreadsheets, and more. And, it's written for the structure of a wedding, not trends. I found the book still very applicable, even though its 10 years old.
This book breaks down each of the essential parts of a wedding, from venue to food to vendors to the actual ceremony. It is written in a format where you flip to the sections you need, and skip the sections you don't. It has explanations, checklists, what to ask vendors, spreadsheets, and more. And, it's written for the structure of a wedding, not trends. I found the book still very applicable, even though its 10 years old.
October 14, 2021
Hey, I’m getting married! Planning for it sucks and is super stressful, and this book is a really down-to-earth guide through that process. With a lively and sympathetic voice, Keene guides you through the options and gives you some sympathetic tips for dealing with the wedding industrial complex.
The historical perspective helps. It’s not just you, American weddings have exploded in scope in the past few decades. Odds are your parents’ or grandparents’ wedding reception was some punch and cake in the church lawn or hall, a scene that nowadays would be painfully austere. But Keene emphasized that if you want something so austere, or even to elope, then that’s still fine, and she gives really helpful tips and tools to do that.
The historical perspective helps. It’s not just you, American weddings have exploded in scope in the past few decades. Odds are your parents’ or grandparents’ wedding reception was some punch and cake in the church lawn or hall, a scene that nowadays would be painfully austere. But Keene emphasized that if you want something so austere, or even to elope, then that’s still fine, and she gives really helpful tips and tools to do that.
September 12, 2017
I highly recommend this book, especially if the thought of planning a wedding makes you break out into hives. (Happy hives, of course, but hives, nonetheless.) I was skeptical because of the cover, but this is one of the only wedding planning books that didn't give me a tension headache or assume that my budget started at $10k. There are so many helpful tips, things to consider, rules of etiquette, and general grounding advice (like shifting the focus from all the material things wedding websites say you need, to creating a unique experience that celebrates your love and is a fun time for everyone).
March 20, 2019
This book demystified the wedding planning process, from setting up a vision of what we wanted for our wedding to getting into the nitty gritty of making a budget. Definitely recommend, particularly if you feel like the "traditional" wedding culture grates on you, and you want to design your wedding for you and your future spouse and your community, not for the crazy wedding industry. Meg helps you make choices about where and how to spend your money, and has helpful tips for DIY projects or how to negotiate with wedding professionals.
July 30, 2019
This book was definitely useful for many aspects of wedding planning. Some things were wildy North-American centric and that was what I expected. I started to write about variations of the advice within that made it more appropriate for Australia. How weddings tend to be regarded, customs, expectations and how much things cost are very different.
However of value was advice for communication with vendors and especially family, some of the checklists, rough timelines for things and questions to ask or find out information about on several vendor fronts.
However of value was advice for communication with vendors and especially family, some of the checklists, rough timelines for things and questions to ask or find out information about on several vendor fronts.
December 13, 2023
This book has been an absolute lifesaver in helping me plan our upcoming wedding. Fantastic resource and I highly recommend. I appreciate that this book is more couple-centric and not so much bride-centric. It has allowed me to really plan my wedding as I need it to be. Too many other books I tried looking at from the library were more bride-centric and that doesn't work for a same-sex male wedding. I will recommend this book to any other couple I know in the future who decides to plan a wedding.
July 20, 2024
As the title suggests, this book provides very practical tips to planning a wedding. The author provides numerous suggestions for all different parts of a wedding, and in a very clear and calming manner. This book helped to take away a lot of the overwhelm of planning, and helped me to really narrow down our priorities. As someone who's having a very non-traditional wedding, I was able to skip certain sections and take notes on others that were relevant. I would recommend this book to anyone who is engaged!
March 20, 2019
Very useful and I loved the tone of the book, keeping you focused on your own values and dispelling myths about weddings "musts." I also read the book A Practical Wedding and rated it 5 stars, but I don't think you need both as a lot was repeat. There were more personal stories from a variety of people in the book, which I appreciated, but if you are not a particularly organized person I would suggest the workbook over the book for you.
May 11, 2022
Really helpful in developing a positive approach to wedding planning, and I love the section on how “traditional” weddings are not actually traditional and how much money a wedding in the 70s would cost now. I’m sure I’ll be picking this up over and over again to revisit chapters in the next few months!
May 19, 2025
I've recommended this book to four different bride-to-be's already, it calmed down soooo much!! It assuaged all my guilt for spending too much or too little at my wedding. It reminded me to simplify and prioritize based on what I wanted. It was honestly the best thing I read to help me with wedding prep, everyone who's getting married should read it.
June 21, 2017
exactly like the title says, extremely practical and useful. I was not overwhelmed with wedding etiquette or should not do's. it told me how to so the things that were right for my wedding and how I wasn't obligated to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding.
June 6, 2018
Super helpful and inclusive with advice for everyone.
It acknowledges that not every wedding is going to be a heteronormative super-formal, super-traditional affair and has great tips for every style and budget type!
It acknowledges that not every wedding is going to be a heteronormative super-formal, super-traditional affair and has great tips for every style and budget type!
April 15, 2025
Overall really good wedding planning book, especially for someone who doesn’t know where to start. As a super Type A person, I had already been thinking of a lot of these things, but the book still did a really good job of adding structure and offering a good starting point. Would recommend!
December 10, 2025
A thorough and no-nonsense guide to wedding planning. It's inclusive of whichever route you choose--nontraditional to traditional, small budget to extravaganzas, and everything in between. Helpful, modern, and realistic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews