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A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for a Beautiful, Affordable, and Stress-Free Celebration
A companion to the popular website APracticalWedding.com and A Practical Wedding Planner, A Practical Wedding helps you sort through the basics to create the wedding you want -- without going broke or crazy in the process. After all, what really matters on your wedding day is not so much how it looked as how it felt. In this refreshing guide, expert Meg Keene shares her secrets to planning a beautiful celebration that reflects your taste and your relationship. You'll real purpose of engagement ( it's not just about the planning) How to pinpoint what matters most to you and your partner DIY-ing your brilliant or crazy? How to communicate decisions to your familyWhy that color-coded spreadsheet is actually worth itWedding Zen can be yours. Meg walks you through everything from choosing a venue to writing vows, complete with stories and advice from women who have been in the the Team Practical brides. So here's to the joyful wedding, the sensible wedding, the unbelievably fun wedding! A Practical Wedding is your complete guide to getting married with grace.
- GenresNonfictionSelf Help
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2019
68 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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April 3, 2022As a person who finds most things about weddings really ridiculous and really hates the wedding industrial complex, I appreciated a book that broke down how to have one without hating the entire experience! 😅
Watch me discuss this in my March wrap up https://youtu.be/KS2pdNwyfaY
Watch me discuss this in my March wrap up https://youtu.be/KS2pdNwyfaY
February 24, 2020
I picked this up at the library out of fascination, because almost all of the books that we have on weddings are aspirational and unrealistic. Either they provide photos and details about other people's lavish, over-the-top weddings for inspiration, or they tell you in painstaking detail how to DIY yourself to death and make sure that your Big Day can stand up next to the most adorable, touching, and personalized corners of wedding Pinterest.
This book does neither. Instead, it provides a thorough guide to designing a practical, affordable wedding that is everything you want it to be, not everything that the wedding industry or the lady at the post office says that it ought to be. Meg Keene is funny, sassy, and insightful, and she helps to de-stress the wedding-planning process by encouraging her readers to keep the end in mind, focus their time, attention, and money on the elements of the ceremony and reception that they truly value, and jettison unnecessary traditions.
She also makes my history major soul very happy by including a chapter on how American weddings have changed over time, explaining that our concept of "tradition" is based on what the wedding industry tells us, not on the historical record, in which brides often wore the nicest dress out of their closet and stood up in the backyard for a ceremony that their family and neighbors decorated and fixed food for. She provides helpful talking points for her readers to bring up with friends and family to help them explain choices that go against "tradition," saying that it is possible to educate people about how subjective most traditions are without judging other people for what they chose to do in their wedding.
However, did you know that the concept of the unity candle originated in the script for a soap opera? WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED.
In addition to providing a reality check against the demands of the wedding industry (and your relatives!), Keene also gets into the nitty-gritty of wedding planning, providing practical tips and important warnings. There are so many things that she pointed out that I would never have thought about before, and this book is essential as a planning guide, not just as perky self-help. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone who is getting married, because it is that accessible, kind, helpful, and practical. Keene never assumes what kind of wedding you want to have, and provides examples from friends, acquaintances, and people she has worked with through her wedding website, sharing quotes and practical details from women who have had any permutation of a wedding that you can imagine. No matter what style, location, timing, guest list size, or other consideration someone has in mind, this book will address it in some way.
Keene also addresses challenging topics such as what to do when your parents are divorced, deceased, or don't approve of your relationship. There is a whole chapter on how to deal with the hard stuff while planning a wedding, and she also addresses couples' potential fears of divorce, when to consider calling off a wedding, and how to work through conflicts that arise during the planning process. She also repeatedly encourages couples to seek premarital counseling, and provides sample questions for couples to talk through together so that they can address complex issues related to their backgrounds, preferences, beliefs, and plans for the future. Again, this book is SO REALISTIC and helpful!
However, my absolute favorite thing about this is the respect, awe, and joy with which Keene writes about marriage. Even though this book is very modern in the sense that it encourages personalized, non-traditional weddings when they appeal and includes a chapter on the challenges that LGBTQ couples face, Keene's view of the institution of marriage is beautifully traditional. Over and over again, she emphasizes that your wedding day is the first time that you will be presented before your community as a new family unit. Unlike other resources, which focus on weddings as a personalized monument to your relationship, Keene gets real about the fact that your wedding is just the first day of your marriage, not the endgame. Your wedding doesn't have to be perfect, because your marriage isn't going to be perfect, but you can experience great joy, love, and community as you transition into a new part of your life.
She writes about divorce, and she acknowledges in the afterword that many couples quoted in this book have divorced since the 2011 first edition, but she never takes a jaded view towards marriage or assumes that divorce is desirable or always necessary. It's part of life, and it sometimes happens, but she is still dead serious about the fact that you are going to stand in front of your family and friends and vow to be love and be faithful to your spouse until death do you part. This was SO refreshing. Although faith-based sources about weddings emphasize the long-term nature of marriage and the seriousness of making vows to each other, I have never before encountered a secular book that has such a high view of marriage and lasting commitment.
Keene addresses the seriousness of commitment and what marriage means, and she also encourages her readers to leverage the stresses of wedding-planning to strengthen their relationship. This is not just about throwing an awesome party. You are beginning your life together in a very public and serious way, and she points out that if you are able to work through stressful, emotional issues during the wedding-planning process, you will be much better equipped to make other decisions later, such as how to handle aging parents' long-term care. All throughout this book, she treats marriage as a lifelong relationship with constant implications for families and communities, and it is beautiful.
In the section about wedding gifts, she encourages readers to accept their loved ones' generosity instead of feeling uncomfortable about getting free stuff just for getting married. She explains that gift-giving allows other people to have a tangible stake in the marriage, supporting the couple in material ways and providing something that they will use for years. She says that even though you may already have some plates from the thrift store, someone wants to give you the stoneware plates that you will possibly feed your children on someday and will take with you to the retirement community. YES. YES. This is exactly right.
I know that this is a very long review from a reader who isn't even planning a wedding, but this book is amazing, refreshing, and a wonderful resource. I'm so glad that I read it! I learned a lot, found the author's high view of marriage deeply encouraging, have new things to think about when I evaluate weddings, got ideas for my fictional character's weddings (I do plan those!), and will recommend this book to everyone I know who is getting married from this point forward.
This book does neither. Instead, it provides a thorough guide to designing a practical, affordable wedding that is everything you want it to be, not everything that the wedding industry or the lady at the post office says that it ought to be. Meg Keene is funny, sassy, and insightful, and she helps to de-stress the wedding-planning process by encouraging her readers to keep the end in mind, focus their time, attention, and money on the elements of the ceremony and reception that they truly value, and jettison unnecessary traditions.
She also makes my history major soul very happy by including a chapter on how American weddings have changed over time, explaining that our concept of "tradition" is based on what the wedding industry tells us, not on the historical record, in which brides often wore the nicest dress out of their closet and stood up in the backyard for a ceremony that their family and neighbors decorated and fixed food for. She provides helpful talking points for her readers to bring up with friends and family to help them explain choices that go against "tradition," saying that it is possible to educate people about how subjective most traditions are without judging other people for what they chose to do in their wedding.
However, did you know that the concept of the unity candle originated in the script for a soap opera? WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED.
In addition to providing a reality check against the demands of the wedding industry (and your relatives!), Keene also gets into the nitty-gritty of wedding planning, providing practical tips and important warnings. There are so many things that she pointed out that I would never have thought about before, and this book is essential as a planning guide, not just as perky self-help. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone who is getting married, because it is that accessible, kind, helpful, and practical. Keene never assumes what kind of wedding you want to have, and provides examples from friends, acquaintances, and people she has worked with through her wedding website, sharing quotes and practical details from women who have had any permutation of a wedding that you can imagine. No matter what style, location, timing, guest list size, or other consideration someone has in mind, this book will address it in some way.
Keene also addresses challenging topics such as what to do when your parents are divorced, deceased, or don't approve of your relationship. There is a whole chapter on how to deal with the hard stuff while planning a wedding, and she also addresses couples' potential fears of divorce, when to consider calling off a wedding, and how to work through conflicts that arise during the planning process. She also repeatedly encourages couples to seek premarital counseling, and provides sample questions for couples to talk through together so that they can address complex issues related to their backgrounds, preferences, beliefs, and plans for the future. Again, this book is SO REALISTIC and helpful!
However, my absolute favorite thing about this is the respect, awe, and joy with which Keene writes about marriage. Even though this book is very modern in the sense that it encourages personalized, non-traditional weddings when they appeal and includes a chapter on the challenges that LGBTQ couples face, Keene's view of the institution of marriage is beautifully traditional. Over and over again, she emphasizes that your wedding day is the first time that you will be presented before your community as a new family unit. Unlike other resources, which focus on weddings as a personalized monument to your relationship, Keene gets real about the fact that your wedding is just the first day of your marriage, not the endgame. Your wedding doesn't have to be perfect, because your marriage isn't going to be perfect, but you can experience great joy, love, and community as you transition into a new part of your life.
She writes about divorce, and she acknowledges in the afterword that many couples quoted in this book have divorced since the 2011 first edition, but she never takes a jaded view towards marriage or assumes that divorce is desirable or always necessary. It's part of life, and it sometimes happens, but she is still dead serious about the fact that you are going to stand in front of your family and friends and vow to be love and be faithful to your spouse until death do you part. This was SO refreshing. Although faith-based sources about weddings emphasize the long-term nature of marriage and the seriousness of making vows to each other, I have never before encountered a secular book that has such a high view of marriage and lasting commitment.
Keene addresses the seriousness of commitment and what marriage means, and she also encourages her readers to leverage the stresses of wedding-planning to strengthen their relationship. This is not just about throwing an awesome party. You are beginning your life together in a very public and serious way, and she points out that if you are able to work through stressful, emotional issues during the wedding-planning process, you will be much better equipped to make other decisions later, such as how to handle aging parents' long-term care. All throughout this book, she treats marriage as a lifelong relationship with constant implications for families and communities, and it is beautiful.
In the section about wedding gifts, she encourages readers to accept their loved ones' generosity instead of feeling uncomfortable about getting free stuff just for getting married. She explains that gift-giving allows other people to have a tangible stake in the marriage, supporting the couple in material ways and providing something that they will use for years. She says that even though you may already have some plates from the thrift store, someone wants to give you the stoneware plates that you will possibly feed your children on someday and will take with you to the retirement community. YES. YES. This is exactly right.
I know that this is a very long review from a reader who isn't even planning a wedding, but this book is amazing, refreshing, and a wonderful resource. I'm so glad that I read it! I learned a lot, found the author's high view of marriage deeply encouraging, have new things to think about when I evaluate weddings, got ideas for my fictional character's weddings (I do plan those!), and will recommend this book to everyone I know who is getting married from this point forward.
July 29, 2023
A breath of fresh air in the otherwise intimidating and expensive wedding industry. I wish that I had read this a few months earlier than I did — I think it would have been even more helpful then.
Because joy—full-throated, fully present, vibrating joy like you've never felt? That is what your wedding is about.
Because joy—full-throated, fully present, vibrating joy like you've never felt? That is what your wedding is about.
January 24, 2020
Very helpful book to read as we are beginning wedding planning. When I felt stressed out by my parents it was good to turn to this to focus on what really matters and also how to prioritize what you want in a wedding: great location, meaningful ceremony and epic dance party. :)
December 31, 2021
One I will be rereading multiple times in the next two years!
January 7, 2024
I only wish I would have read this earlier!
April 22, 2021
This book is a great companion to the other book I would recommend to every bride/groom, Offbeat Bride. It has a similarly soothing element to it, encouraging you to strip your wedding back to the parts that matter most to you. At times, her suggestions are a little TOO stripped back for me. I do love the explanations and history that she provides for how certain things we think are long-standing traditions are actually pretty new. I would love an entire book that breaks down the lies of the wedding industry like that! But for now, I'll settle for following this book up with the author's wedding planner.
November 30, 2021
My fiancé and I actually read this book together, taking turns with each chapter like a relay race. About 3/4 of the way through, we decided we didn't want to wait until our wedding day to get legally married, which rendered some of Keene's points completely moot for us, but they are no less valid or helpful for it! Keene has done an excellent job of laying out the (emotional) nitty gritty of the wedding planning process. I do think this book is better suited for people who have little to no preconceived notion of how they want their wedding to look and function; there were times where I'd read a passage and say, "well yeah, duh." However, the emotional homework my partner and I did, especially towards the beginning of the book when we are tasked with nailing down the ever-nebulous "why?" questions, really helped us to better understand the OTHER wanted out of the day and of marriage. It made us ask big questions when we thought we'd answered all of them already, which proved invaluable.
June 25, 2021
Embarrassed to even be reading a "wedding planning book", but all things consider this one was good... practical, you might say. I flipped through a couple others that were of this same ilk "The Offbeat Bride", and "Crafting Meaningful Wedding Rituals", but they made me gag, so I guess that's a good review for this one.
What we think of as "traditions" are often just expensive crap sold to us by the wedding industrial complex, and that a wedding can be whatever you want it to be. This book has ideas for how to do other things, but also, don't feel bad if you want to get your hair done for your wedding.
What we think of as "traditions" are often just expensive crap sold to us by the wedding industrial complex, and that a wedding can be whatever you want it to be. This book has ideas for how to do other things, but also, don't feel bad if you want to get your hair done for your wedding.
January 9, 2022
While I felt a little weird reading a book about wedding planning, I’m super grateful for my sister recommending this book - which successfully argues against the very reasons I felt weird about reading this. Wedding planning is logistically and emotionally challenging and this book has helped me ground myself and our process in sanity and shift the focus from pinteresting pretty ideas to how we want the day to *feel*. Strongly recommend for anyone trying to keep their head screwed on straight during the process!
June 25, 2020
Great read for brides/grooms-to-be and also for anyone interested in becoming a wedding planner, or already is one. I am interested in becoming a wedding planner and though Keene seems a little anti-wedding planner I found this book to be incredibly informative and comforting. Though it's written for a person in the process of planning their own wedding, I gained a lot of insight myself for how to help future married couples plan an affordable, reasonable, thoughtful wedding.
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March 27, 2020p 135-6 for the win. Read this if you have ever known anyone who got married, or might in the future.
"The Bridezilla Myth: Making You Crazy, Then Calling You Crazy
Wedding planning has moved from being something that your family or your community does for you to being an enormous project taken on almost in isolation. Add that to the fact that, as discussed in Chapter 4, weddings have gotten three or four times as complicated and hugely more expensive in the course of just a few generations, and you have the recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately, none of this is being discussed in polite company - at least not in a way that women can win, at all, ever. I had conversations during wedding planning where I would be chided for being a spendthrift in the very same breath as I was chided for planning a wedding that was too casual. In addition, the people chatting with me didn't know me from Adam but felt comfortable offering me opinions. Brides-to-be (like mothers-to-be) are perceived as a special kind of public property, which can be stressful to realize when some strange is prattling off nonsense advice. Some people deal with this by shutting down problem conversations before they start, others try to reason with people, but some might snap and get angry. 'Bridezilla' angry.
Which brings me to the madness of the term bridezilla. You're getting married. You're allowed to care about that. It's okay to be excited. You should feel empowered to decisively make choices that are right for you. Yes, you do have to treat people with respect and are not allowed to mindlessly boss people around....but I suspect you're not doing that in the first place. So realize that, as a woman planning a large event, you might get accused of being controlling. You might get called a bridezilla. And that is not your issue. That's the issue of the person who feels at liberty to call you something really offensive.
Sometimes wedding planning can feel lose-lose. You're put in a very high-stress situation where the rules seem rigged, and then, when you get stressed, you're perceived as a bad person. But you're not a bad person. You're one human trying to throw an event that keeps everyone happy, while going through a major life transition. You're allowed to have opinions and make decisions. You're even allowed to get angry now and then. Why? You're the one getting married, and that gives you a few rights, along with all the responsibilities."
"The Bridezilla Myth: Making You Crazy, Then Calling You Crazy
Wedding planning has moved from being something that your family or your community does for you to being an enormous project taken on almost in isolation. Add that to the fact that, as discussed in Chapter 4, weddings have gotten three or four times as complicated and hugely more expensive in the course of just a few generations, and you have the recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately, none of this is being discussed in polite company - at least not in a way that women can win, at all, ever. I had conversations during wedding planning where I would be chided for being a spendthrift in the very same breath as I was chided for planning a wedding that was too casual. In addition, the people chatting with me didn't know me from Adam but felt comfortable offering me opinions. Brides-to-be (like mothers-to-be) are perceived as a special kind of public property, which can be stressful to realize when some strange is prattling off nonsense advice. Some people deal with this by shutting down problem conversations before they start, others try to reason with people, but some might snap and get angry. 'Bridezilla' angry.
Which brings me to the madness of the term bridezilla. You're getting married. You're allowed to care about that. It's okay to be excited. You should feel empowered to decisively make choices that are right for you. Yes, you do have to treat people with respect and are not allowed to mindlessly boss people around....but I suspect you're not doing that in the first place. So realize that, as a woman planning a large event, you might get accused of being controlling. You might get called a bridezilla. And that is not your issue. That's the issue of the person who feels at liberty to call you something really offensive.
Sometimes wedding planning can feel lose-lose. You're put in a very high-stress situation where the rules seem rigged, and then, when you get stressed, you're perceived as a bad person. But you're not a bad person. You're one human trying to throw an event that keeps everyone happy, while going through a major life transition. You're allowed to have opinions and make decisions. You're even allowed to get angry now and then. Why? You're the one getting married, and that gives you a few rights, along with all the responsibilities."
January 21, 2025
I don't usually review books but felt that it might be helpful to justify my rating. Engaged people only have so much time to read about wedding planning as they are doing the actual planning, so you have to choose what you're reading wisely. I chose this book because I wanted a general, readable overview on wedding planning and figured that an expert was the person to do it.
If you have a similar thought, be sure that you read this one early on in the wedding process. The author's best advice (IMO) is about the early stages of planning, determining what the industry has annoyingly dubbed "your vibe" and how to incorporate what is important to you and your fiance(e).
The persona in this book can be a little tiresome. The author takes something between the perky "Rah rah!" tone that permeates the wedding industry and a sassy "tough love" approach that is truly grating. Know going in that the author makes all kinds of assumptions about the reader, including that she believes this is "her day" and is putting up an enormous enough fuss to be deemed a "bridezilla."
Which brings me to my next point: This book should be titled "A Bride's Guide to a Practical Wedding." The advice could be helpful to other audiences, but the writing is such that I think I would have felt alienated as a non-woman reading this book.
The best part about reading this book was how my anticipation for our wedding grew. At her best, the hyper-perky narrator is cheering on the approach of a big, exciting party, and I found myself tearing up thinking about our loved ones surrounding us this spring.
If you have a similar thought, be sure that you read this one early on in the wedding process. The author's best advice (IMO) is about the early stages of planning, determining what the industry has annoyingly dubbed "your vibe" and how to incorporate what is important to you and your fiance(e).
The persona in this book can be a little tiresome. The author takes something between the perky "Rah rah!" tone that permeates the wedding industry and a sassy "tough love" approach that is truly grating. Know going in that the author makes all kinds of assumptions about the reader, including that she believes this is "her day" and is putting up an enormous enough fuss to be deemed a "bridezilla."
Which brings me to my next point: This book should be titled "A Bride's Guide to a Practical Wedding." The advice could be helpful to other audiences, but the writing is such that I think I would have felt alienated as a non-woman reading this book.
The best part about reading this book was how my anticipation for our wedding grew. At her best, the hyper-perky narrator is cheering on the approach of a big, exciting party, and I found myself tearing up thinking about our loved ones surrounding us this spring.
February 26, 2022
This book eloquently articulates what I’ve known to be true- weddings aren’t about putting on a show, having a fairy princess perfect day, or about replicating the images we see on Pinterest. Weddings are about getting MARRIED, relishing everyone you love being together in the same room, and having fun in the process. However we know how easy it is to get influenced by a perfectly-curated stream of square images. This book highlights the importance of deciding what matters most to you and your partner, and having a wedding that is authentically and simply…you. One of my favorite themes throughout the book: “Pretty isn’t an emotion. It’s not important what your wedding looks like, it’s important what it feels like.” The book goes into what we perceive as “tradition “ actually is not very historically traditional at all. Over the years, the wedding industry has continued to invent and add rituals, but almost never subtract them. The section about “wedding inflation” was really fascinating and shocking. (A 1974 wedding which cost $2,095 SHOULD cost $11,316 dollars in 2020 dollars, but the actual cost is over $55,000)!! Don’t let the silly looking cover fool you. This book is very well written and will get people planning a wedding into mindset of what’s truly important- love! (Not society’s or the wedding industry’s illusion of what important)
May 25, 2020
This book was recommended to me by a couple of friends. And though I've been through one wedding and am planning a second, I found it helpful nonetheless, especially because my parents steered the boat the first time... and now it's my turn to drive (and pay. Yikes). I especially like what Keene has to say about the ceremony itself and what to include / how to approach it. And in closure, her statement that "Marriage is a collection of todays. It's today and today and today and today. It's waking up and choosing each other... and sometimes realizing that you can't make that choice anymore."
While I don't think the latter half of this statement applies this time around, it happened to me after wedding #1. I think Keene's advice about staying present, taking things daily, making-- and re-making promises on the regular-- is about as real as you can get.
This tenth anniversary edition has been updated to be more inclusive and current.
While I don't think the latter half of this statement applies this time around, it happened to me after wedding #1. I think Keene's advice about staying present, taking things daily, making-- and re-making promises on the regular-- is about as real as you can get.
This tenth anniversary edition has been updated to be more inclusive and current.
July 11, 2020
Helpful in organizing our brain in terms of expectation setting for the different components of the party planning. It goes beyond the listicles online of what you should and shouldn't do and digs into the mental process with guiding considerations to tackle the milestone items and personal stories from the community to show the art of the possible .
It's been helpful for myself and my fiance to take notes and talk through what matters for us.
I'll likely be referencing it all the way until right before the wedding day.
It's been helpful for myself and my fiance to take notes and talk through what matters for us.
I'll likely be referencing it all the way until right before the wedding day.
November 22, 2021
I’ve seen this book recommended over and over to newly engaged folks and I’ve read the blog, so it was time to read the book. While I didn’t learn anything particularly groundbreaking, it was full of helpful reminders for the days leading up to the wedding—including the wedding itself and the time that follows. I like how it was easy to read, filled with anecdotes from real people about their real weddings. The advice is, as the title would suggest, practical, and I think I’ll be easily remembering it as I embark on my own journey.
November 28, 2021
As a bride-to-be, A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene was a very helpful read.
This book gave me a few ideas to make the wedding planning process less complicated and to make it our own without feeling the need to what the wedding industry has told us weddings should look like.
I really appreciated the wedding “homework” and questions at the end of each chapter. I think those will be really helpful in guiding my fiancé and I in wedding planning and in preparing for our marriage.
Overall, this book has motivated me to stop procrastinating and get some more decisions made about the wedding.
This book gave me a few ideas to make the wedding planning process less complicated and to make it our own without feeling the need to what the wedding industry has told us weddings should look like.
I really appreciated the wedding “homework” and questions at the end of each chapter. I think those will be really helpful in guiding my fiancé and I in wedding planning and in preparing for our marriage.
Overall, this book has motivated me to stop procrastinating and get some more decisions made about the wedding.
March 13, 2023
I got to skimming toward the end because the latter half is heavy on reassurance and light on advice, but I do think there's a lot of good advice in here. Even though I felt like only about 1/5 of the book was made up of actual hot tips, those tips were worth reading this for.
I'm the kind of reader who picks up a book like this for some cold facts, not to have my hand tenderly held in the author's understanding embrace. If you like some of that hand-holding, this will be a five-star experience for you because the author is likable.
I'm the kind of reader who picks up a book like this for some cold facts, not to have my hand tenderly held in the author's understanding embrace. If you like some of that hand-holding, this will be a five-star experience for you because the author is likable.
April 24, 2023
Finished this book the morning on my wedding on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
I wish I had started reaching this book as soon as I got engaged in November 2021 rather than a year after, because although it wouldn’t just make the wedding planning stress magically disappear, it would definitely have helped to focus the stress on what matters the most to me and my now-husband for our wedding, and more importantly, our marriage.
Highly recommend to anyone getting married (or even if you’re actively helping someone else with their wedding!).
I wish I had started reaching this book as soon as I got engaged in November 2021 rather than a year after, because although it wouldn’t just make the wedding planning stress magically disappear, it would definitely have helped to focus the stress on what matters the most to me and my now-husband for our wedding, and more importantly, our marriage.
Highly recommend to anyone getting married (or even if you’re actively helping someone else with their wedding!).
January 24, 2020
Super helpful with lots of zooming out for perspective. Put me at ease when I started to whirlpool on emotions over that big giant party. Highly rec.
Some takeaways off the top of my head:
-Figure out what's important to you and your partner and do those things (let everything else go)
-Ultimately it's your community's day to rally around you and your new family (let people help)
-Plan ahead for everything you can and then let the rest go and enjoy the day
Some takeaways off the top of my head:
-Figure out what's important to you and your partner and do those things (let everything else go)
-Ultimately it's your community's day to rally around you and your new family (let people help)
-Plan ahead for everything you can and then let the rest go and enjoy the day
July 23, 2023
Love that this book is very realistic without making me want to roll my eyes; the historical information on the wedding industry machine is also FASCINATING.
My favorite part of this book was when the author pulled together quotes to recreate her parents’ 1970s wedding in the present day (well prior to this book’s 2020 pub date) and the cost increase was 390%. This perspective is helpful when comparing your costs to costs of friends/family who married before you.
My favorite part of this book was when the author pulled together quotes to recreate her parents’ 1970s wedding in the present day (well prior to this book’s 2020 pub date) and the cost increase was 390%. This perspective is helpful when comparing your costs to costs of friends/family who married before you.
January 5, 2025
This book was helpful for the wedding planning process. The part that most stood out to me was some data on recreating a 1970s wedding today. The author breaks down some very real data on how expensive weddings have become. This information was extremely validating for my financial stress around wedding planning. I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently engaged and in the wedding planning process.
December 19, 2025
If you’re looking for a practical, outside look on the wedding industry - this is it! I think it’s especially helpful if you’re just starting to plan. It has great advice and a nice wrap-up at the end of each chapter with action items. Meg focuses a lot on how your wedding will FEEL vs what it will LOOK like, and I really loved the insightful chapter on the history of weddings. Princess Diana, we love you, however, you are also the OG influencer and the reason traditional weddings are tens of thousands of dollars! I will be picking up this book a lot while planning my own wedding!! 💒
October 24, 2020
I thought it was going to be hard finding a wedding planning book applicable in 2020, but this book was perfect. Keene focuses on what weddings are really about: hope, joy, a time to share with your loved ones and the gateway to marriage. So many good quotes, but I loved, “Pretty is not an emotion.”
November 12, 2020
I found this book interesting, helpful, and surprisingly more relevant than most wedding books. This book has a diverse reach, including persons of color and same-sex partners wedding resources and perspectives. I think this book is a great resource and I plan to follow-up with the related online corresponding resources.
April 12, 2021
Even though about 90% of my wedding was already planned by the time I picked up this book, it still served as a helpful guide to putting my wedding and the emotions around it into perspective. I encourage all those going through the wedding planning process to read this book as it brought up questions and things to ponder that I didn't even think about.
April 8, 2021
This is probably the best wedding book I have read so far. It was so honest and, yes, practical. I haven't felt this at ease about planning a wedding since I started. I highly recommend this one. It's worth the read.
August 2, 2021
I'm only reading one wedding book before my wedding, and this one had everything I needed to hear, from talking about money and traditions and expectations to preparing for marriage. I would recommend this book to anyone about to get married.
December 1, 2021
6.5/10
Good if you are in your head about your wedding and need some advice on how to calm your nerves. More of a "you can do this" than a step by step planner. Still a good read for a bride to be.
Good if you are in your head about your wedding and need some advice on how to calm your nerves. More of a "you can do this" than a step by step planner. Still a good read for a bride to be.
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