Reviews (5)

Wedding Flowers Made Simple
Great Work!!I'm a florist and am constantly gathering information for my artistry.

Wedding Flowers Made Simple: Over 80 Glorious Floral Designs for That Special Day
The photography in the book was beautiful but the bouquets were not practical for most brides.I did like that flowers were identified with amounts needed.

Very Disappointing
I got this book out of the library, along with "Bouquets: A Year of Flowers for the Bride" and the Knot book, and I would have to say, this was by far the least useful.For one thing, there was nothing simple about it-- the arrangements either involved mountains of flowers, or varieties of orchids I had never seen anywhere else, or arrangements that were closer to balancing acts.There is one picture that seemed to have literally hundreds of calla lillies around a doorway.Come on!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bridal bouquets    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Flower Arranging    4. Flower arrangement    5. Reference    6. Wedding decorations    7. Weddings   

Reviews (10)

Not all that helpful
I was hoping this book would have more to offer. Its a fun read to look at all the various travel locations, but it didn't offer much at all in terms of helpful advice. It's more like a travel book than anything else and it actually caters more to readers in a high income bracket than to the average bride looking to plan a wedding her guests could reasonably attend.

So-So
Have you ever opened a book only to find that only a few of its pages pertain to you?Only about 115 pages or so of this book have valuable information; the remaining 250 or so pages discuss various destinations and resort suggestions in each one.If you are planning a wedding in, for instance, the Bahamas, you'll find there are only three and a half pages which discuss the Bahamas.At the same time, none of the information is new - all of it is information the resourceful bride can glean online - for free.
For the SMART Bride! Excellent resource.
This book is wonderful! I love that it is written in a smart tone, and is not all the fluffy dreamy talk of most bridal books. This one has brains, and tells you how to organize and take the right steps towards your dream wedding away, regardless of the location. If you're looking for a one-stop shop for ALL wedding destinations, this isn't it. However, it provides TONS of information on the process of a wedding elsewhere and walks you through the proper steps to plan your perfect day. Once you know the process, there are endless travel books to research the location you desire. Use this book for inspiration, as your planning guide, and your smart girl's guide to planning a real wedding. The author guides you through every possible step, from deciding if a destination wedding is right for you, wedding insurance (won't find that realistic topic in the fluffy books!) and how to make everyone happy with your travel plans, while creating your dream day. If you want to glance over dreamy photos of smiling brides on the beach and not get anything done, this isn't your book. If you're an intelligent woman who is considering a destination wedding and wants real information and real resources, while learning all the actual steps involved, this is YOUR book. It doesn't skip over anything, and can be the only guide book you need to planning an event from afar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Marriage    2. Planning    3. Reference    4. Reference - Guides (General)    5. Travel    6. Weddings   

Reviews (20)

Excellent guide for writing your own personal, meaningful ceremony
Ms. Kingma gives engaged couples excellent advice and options over the traditional ceremonies. She includes examples for divorced couples, couples with children, couples who want to honor other family members and friends, even couples who have been through abuse and addictions to find love. Also given are wedding traditions and readings from around the world that brides and grooms can incorporate into their personally tailored ceremony.
More than words can say ... Kingma is king of vows!
I plan to elope and have never wanted to say the standard religious vows from my Roman Catholic childhood. Kingma is a master of words. Capturing love is not easy. Saying the most with the least is the magic. Bring illumination into your personal ceremony with Daphne's wisdom. Better yet, consider having her as your marriage officiant.

Okay, depending on what you want
Most of this book was irrelevant for what I wanted. I was looking for a source for religiously-oriented vows, prayers, and blessings which I could use to create an ecumenical wedding service.This book DOES have a section of such things --and I did find it useful for comparison purposes-- but the main emphasis is on contemporary vows, addresses, etc., most of which seemed just too fluffy for me. If you do want very emotionally-laden, "unique to you" and non-traditional wedding, go for this. If you seriously want to compare weddings from different Judeo-Christian traditions, I highly recommend _Weddings: A Complete Guide to All Religious and Interfaith Marriage Services_ instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Marriage customs and rites    2. Marriage service    3. Reference    4. United States    5. Weddings   

Reviews (2)

Great planner!
I got this planner for my sister.She absolutley loved it and used it for everything pertaining to her wedding.
Amazing! A must-have for any bride!!
After many hours of looking through all the wedding planners on themarket, I chose the Bravo! Wedding Planner -- and I was not disappointed!! This organizer has everything a bride (and groom) needs to plan a wedding. I found the worksheets so helpful...And they doubled as contracts, which helped me on billing change from a vendor!! I would never have thought about having a vendor sign a contract if it were not for Bravo! The book is elegant and big enough to fit all of my samples, contracts and notes in.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Manners And Customs    2. Marriage    3. Reference    4. Weddings    5. Reference / Weddings   

Editorial Review

Martha Williamson, the executive producer of the hit television series Read more

Reviews (12)

Forget the planning books! This book is all you need!
I received this book as a gift, and I know that it was God-sent.It reminded me that good luck traditions showed a lack of faith in me for God to handle everything.As if I needed luck! I have God, and He will provide blessings beyond everything else. Draws you both closer to God before the big day!
This book is wonderful!My husband and I read it together in the months before our wedding, taking turns writing our responses, praying together and talking about some issues that may not have come up otherwise (like "past loves").This book really places the focus on the marriage and the sanctity of that covenant, and on keeping God at the center of the relationship.We can also now go back and read the notes we made to each other in the book, and remember how special that time was leading up to our wedding.Buy this book!!

Beautifully Written!!!!!
I received this book as a birthday present, four months prior to my wedding.It came at the best time in my life; when I was overwhelmed in wedding planning and preparation.I can't remember God not being there for me, but I seemed to need Him so much more during that wonderful time.Ms. Williamson's book helped me put things in perspective while allowing me to put my heart's thoughts on paper.My husband and I desired to make our wedding ceremony a true worship experience.This book assisted in making sure that we shared our incredible love for God with others and the incredible love He gave us to give to one another.There are spaces available to journal your thoughts, jot down wedding ideas, and just write those words that we often find difficult to speak.The scripture references just touched our hearts (perfect for incorporating in your service, the prayers to read aloud were powerful and the words of encouragement were answers to prayer.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Marriage    3. Inspirational - Protestant Self Help    4. Marriage    5. Marriage (Christianity)    6. Reference    7. Religion - Marriage & Family    8. Religious aspects    9. Weddings    10. Reference / Weddings   

Reviews (90)

Cheap writing and almost a dull porn!
This book was a huge dissapointment.I read "Summer Sisters" (also by Blume - an adult novel, too), before picking up "Wifey", and loved that novel.BUT, "Wifey" lacks substance and has these wierd side stories and dumb sex scenes.A huge let down from Blume.

A Time Capsule
This is Judy Blume's famous adult novel--you know the one that you heard about on the playground when you read her young adult books but thought that it was all lies.It tells the story of Sandy, a woman in an unfulfilling marriage who doesn't know how to make it better, is afraid of leaving, and is battered by the winds of change of the sexual revolution and women's liberation.
Glad I bought it in the Bargain bin
The book is well-written; you develop empathy for the main character and the story moves along at a good pace, but the ending was a huge disappointment.Although I can see why the book was groundbreaking when it was published, it seems dated now.The sex scenes were rather gratitous and pathetic (yes-I realize this is the point) and a little too graphic for my taste.I have always enjoyed Blume's children's books.I'll stick with them from now on. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Reference / Weddings   

Reviews (1)

MISLEADING BRITISH TITLE MASKS HELPFUL BEGINNERS' WORK
To begin with, THE FLOWER ARRANGING EXPERT is NOT a book for flower-arranging experts!It's a part of an 18-volume softcover series that covers all aspects of gardening and home agriculture, with volumes bearing names like "The Rock & Water Garden Expert," "The House Plant Expert," and "The Evergreen Expert."Perhaps in their native UK these works are not confused as how-to's for experts only; instead, they take a neophyte and turn him/her into a relatively sophisticated practitioner of the craft, up to the threshold of expertise, as it were.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. Flower Arranging    3. Flower arrangement    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Crafts & Hobbies / Flower Arranging    6. Floral crafts    7. REFERENCE - WEDDING/ETIQ TRD HC   

Editorial Review

Compelling black-and-white (and a few color) images capture the unexpected in a way formal wedding photography never can. By presenting people in an unusual way--from above, from behind, from the neck down, in a moment of unrehearsed contemplation--Phillipe Cheng moves out of the realm of the posed wedding portrait and turns many of his subjects into figurative sculpture. With no text beyond a brief introduction, this is not a guide or a lesson in wedding photography; it is simply a unique celebration of the elusive moments of joy and anxiety, hesitation and celebration found before, after, and in between the studied poses. Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Individual Photographer    3. Individual Photographers And Their Work    4. Photo Essays    5. Photography    6. Weddings   

Reviews (8)

Useful but not exceptional
I recently bought this book and was surprised at the pages included. Overall, it has several very different layouts and some neat ideas for special topic pages (champagne bridal shower, leaving limo cutout). But, the pages were all sent in by "real people," so they do not at all have the polished look of the "memory masters" who usually compile Memory Makers books. I would say the level is intermediate, with a huge lack of advanced techniques. Antiquing, dry embossing, embossing with powders and a heat tool, embellishments, tags, vellum, use of computers, paint, and fabrics are not included at all. These are pretty standard in today's scrapbooking trends. The examples use stickers a lot, matted pictures, and cut-outs. There are some neat ideas, quilling in particular, and I really like the heritage pages. Because the pages were sent in, any specialty techniques are sparce and only given a few pages as examples. I agree this book is outdated overall, but is still a great place for a jump-start.

Very beautiful...
It is a very beautiful book.I have relatives who were married last year and we have tons of pictures to scrapbook.I was out of ideas, because I feel they have to be so perfect and elegant.This gave me plenty more.Thanks!

disappointed
Flipped through this book quickly and knew I wouldn't be using any of the techniques.Extremely dated and basic, especially for a book written in 2000. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conservation and restoration    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Decorating    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Papercrafts    7. Photograph albums    8. Photographs    9. Scrapbooks    10. Scrapbooks, Memory Books    11. Weddings    12. Hobbies, Quizzes & Games    13. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (2)

Well worth the $3...and then some
Together for Life really helps you to pull your Catholic wedding ceremony together. It's well laid out and provides easy instructions on how to plan your liturgy and which verses to choose. I wish it would offer a little more information on optional parts of the ceremony (i.e. candle lighting, Mary offering) but that is the only minor issue I could find. Good to get multiple copies - one for bride and one for groom.

Great help for planning a Catholic Wedding
I have borrowed this book from friends to look at and now have one from my church as I plan my wedding. The one I have I can't keep so I decided to get my own copy! I love the information and readings in it and the"comments for couples" are great to read with your future spouseto discuss things. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Catholic Church    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Christianity - Christian Life - Marriage    4. Inspirational - Catholic    5. Liturgy    6. Marriage    7. Marriage service    8. Religion    9. Religion - Classic Works    10. Texts    11. Religion & Beliefs   

Reviews (5)

Beautiful & Creative Ideas
I've never understood why folks will shell out the big bucks for what they could more or less do on their home printer -- pretty, but bland. This book has beautiful, personal invitations ranging from the offbeat to the traditional (my favorite is the frog idea). Making invitations yourself doesn't mean sacrificing style or tradition, and this book is an excellent starting point.

Nice
It was ok. Some nice ideas but not too many. Better than many others I have bought

I have FINALLY found invitations I love
I have been looking at invitations, and haven't found anything that is quite right. Not to mention everything is very pricey. I would much rather cut the price of the invitations and spend the money saved there on other wedding expenses. I have been looking at kits. I never really found anything that suited us. They were plain and not very origional. So I have been looking online for ideas and I saw this book. I love it! It has wonderful ideas, easy directions, and great pictures. We decided to take one of the invitations and change it a little to better fit us and what we are looking for. It really is wonderful because you don't have to follow the directions exactly, you can change the color/pattern, or just ad your own special touch! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hobbies/Crafts    2. Invitation cards    3. Paper work    4. Reference    5. Weddings    6. Graphic design    7. Paper crafts   

Reviews (2)

Sugarcraft Wedding Cakes
Attention to detail and perfection in execution are the trademarks of the cakes featured in The Ultimate Book of Wedding Cakes by Lesley Herbert. In this picture-filled book, Herbert features over 30 original wedding cake designs. elegant and inspirational
I feel that this book is very good for anybody who has an interest in sugarcraft,wheather they are a beginner or an expert. All the cake designs in the book are rated for ability and each design has clear and concisestep-by-step instructions and photographs. The book is full of elegantideas,non of which are too flouncy and over-the-top. Besides wedding cakedesigns, the author also dedicates a chapter on cake pillars and stands,which is useful information when constructing the wedding cake. Over-all Iam very pleased with this purchase and I find the book to be veryinspirational. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Courses & Dishes - Cakes    3. Reference   

Reviews (2)

Wedding Flowers
Paula Pryke Wedding Flowers is a wonderful book. The bouquets are absolutely beautiful and inspiring. She provides excellent directions. Festive Flowers by Pryke is another great book.

For the bridezilla who wants a whole book on hiring someone
It's a lovely book on choosing wedding flowers, but like all products from the Bridal-Industrial Complex, it's more about giving you a complex than giving you a wedding. Paula Pryke comes up with some beautiful arrangements, and she gives you lots of wonderful information about the history and meaning of flowers, what flowers are in season, and how to go about choosing flowers. That said, she is, as is unsurprising for a professional florist, utterly convinced that decorating a wedding is something for hired professionals to do. She says in the intro that you should, at the very least, hire someone to do the bridal bouquet, the implication being that if you do not, you will suffer ignominious failure. This is especially frustrating, since many of the bouquets she showcases for the bride are simple, classic, one-type-of-flower affairs, of purple calla lilies or roses making a wonderful impression, simply gathered in a ribbon. There is a lot of great information, but not much practical how-to. And much of what's good in the book (the seasonal suggestions) you could get from merely speaking to a competent florist, which is what she encourages you to do anyway. Save your money, or at the least, only buy this used. It's better as a coffee table book than as a resource. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Manners And Customs    3. Minor Arts    4. Photography    5. Reference    6. Weddings    7. Gardening / General   

Reviews (2)

Must for Mom
My mom had so many questions about what she was supposed to do as the MOB, so I purchased this book for her. She LOVES it! I have not read it, but she is always referring to it. She says that it addresses all sorts of issues and had been extremely helpful. She has recommended it for one of her friends who is also a MOB.

The best Mothers little helper!
Take it from someone who knew virtually nothing about weddings and what part a Mother has in them...this book saved the day for me! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. General    4. Reference    5. Reference And Information Services    6. Weddings    7. Reference / Weddings   

Reviews (24)

The last 112 pages of this book contains lists of vendors
My first disappointment with this book was that out of 348 pages, the last 112 pages are credits, acknowledgements, and pages upon pages of vendor lists ranging from calligraphy to ethnic artifacts.I could not believe when I got to page 236, the credits began!My disappointment was complete when I turned to the Winter section.I am having a winter wedding and thought this book might provide some ideas on winter wedding receptions.Not so... The chapter focuses on a single home wedding.I had hoped the book would cover pictures and ideas of multiple wedding receptions.I was so disappointed that I wrote this review.It's the first and only review of a book I've ever written.Don't waste your money on this one.

Whimsical, refreshing, inspiring . . .
. . . just a few words to describe this book.Like her other books, The Perfect Wedding Receptionis NOT a how-to book.Nor does it suggest that you have to do everything within its pages. Instead Maria gives us ideas and sparks our imagination so we can create a wedding that is classy, elegant, and fun!
Great Tool
Myself working in the Hospitality Industry have used this book several times when talking to clients to give them some ideas during sells talks. For professionals and those who want to make their special day a bit more special, a most! Great value for price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Etiquette    2. Family/Marriage    3. Planning    4. Reference    5. Weddings    6. Reference / Weddings   

Reviews (6)

Wedding book for mom's of brides.
This book is the best!Leslie Milk is clever, funny and extremely informative. I not only learned more from this book than the more formal bridal book I purchased but had some good laughs too. She makes such sense and covers everything you need to know. Actually my daughter read it, my husband read it after hearing my many references to it, and I ended up ordering more copies to give as gifts.This is a must have book for mom's of brides and actually brides too.

Fantasic: For both mothers
I orginally bought this book for my mother (bride's mother) but it was just so cute and clever that I purchased it for the Groom's mother.For Brides: It imforms your mothers of their role without hurting their feelings.My mom read it in 2 days and she said she really connected with it and her role in my wedding.But in a nice, none confrontational way.

It's Her Wedding But I'll Cry If I Want To
What a fun book -- great topics and stories for the "mother-of-the-bride".Bought the book for a friend and enjoyed reading through it.Now I am planning on giving it as a gift to several friends who soon will be a "mother-of-the-bride. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships    2. Family/Marriage    3. Humor    4. Marriage    5. Parenting - Motherhood    6. Reference    7. Weddings   

Reviews (18)

Thank You Notes Are SO Easy & Appreciated With This!
I picked up this book on a whim this summer to help me thank friends and family for engagement gifts. I considered that it would be useful in the long run for wedding gift thank you notes as well. Sure enough, this book is essential. Though its topics are limited, it inspires the basics to compose a simple and heartfelt thank you note. If I were to change this book in any way, I'd add more 'template' notes for different types of gifts, like coffee makers, tea sets, and other common registry items.
Just OK
There is nothing in this book that isn't reviewed by a larger, all encompassing etiquette book. It seemed like the suggestions didn't acknowledge the widely popular use of bridal registries. "Thank you for the crystal vase. It's just what we wanted." ...well obviously, if that's what you had registered for initially, right? It does, however, address some unusual situations. Fair content. Nothing special.

okay
Didn't receive book in rather slowly.But overall, it was good and in great condition ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Etiquette    2. Letter writing    3. Love / Sex / Marriage    4. Reference    5. Thank-you notes    6. Wedding etiquette    7. Weddings    8. Etiquette & entertaining    9. Marriage, family & other relationships    10. Reference / Weddings    11. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (3)

Lovely book!
This book is gorgeous and great for generating ideas for wedding bouquets. Highly recommended!

Beautiful Bouquets
The book is organized by color which makes it great for the bride who knows what color she wants.Good designs and many ideas for the bride to choose from.

Lush!
A gorgeously photographed book with a very clever "contents" page, this book is a must for anyone involved in weddings and/or floral design. Each bouquet is richly photographed and simply labelled. The Bride's Bouquet is an invaluable reference and resource. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts & Hobbies / Flower Arranging    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Flower Arranging    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Reference / Weddings    7. Weddings    8. Bridal bouquets    9. Design    10. Floral decorations    11. Flower arrangement    12. Gardening / General    13. Planning    14. Reference    15. Wedding decorations   

Reviews (9)

Dated like her picture on the cover - Avoid
I bought this at a garage sale for $2.00.Our neighbor's daughter was getting married but the book was not very good.The ideas are very dated.If you want to plan a 1970s style wedding and want to spend a lot of money for a picture of Martha when she was young and not grossly overweight than this is your book.

Martha Stewart Weddings
I was very disappointed with this particular book. I was looking forward to a book with many wedding ideas, however, this book is less of ideas and more on weddings meanings and tradition. The ideas it does share are very out-of-date.

French readers will love it.
Gaby deLourdes-Renoir reviews(a Top-10 Amazon.com reviewer) made us love Martha Steward books. "Wedding" is full of extraordinary pictures. You just dream you were there! Will your daughter ever know suchbeautiful moments? Martha Steward helps you to think "yes" as ananswer. Just because she explains you how to cut into small pieces a huge"wedding-cake" (the wedding party you will have to organize).Chapters are divided into specific subjects that can easily be handled byone specific responsible in your family. In the "lightning"chapter, you will discover through artistic (and useful) pictures how tocreate a cheap impressive range of lights in the garden with yellow paperbags and ordinary candles. All chapters include bright ideas for beautifulpeople (like you and me...). I love books that make me feel "I can doit". Especially when they show me beautiful people a a help in theidentification process. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family/Marriage    2. Marriage service    3. Planning    4. Reference    5. United States    6. Wedding etiquette    7. Weddings    8. Reference / Weddings   

Reviews (7)

Brilliant: The bridesmaid's guide to a wedding toast.
I was the bridesmaid in my friends wedding and this book provided me with the know how on delivering an exceptional toast worthy of my best friend's wedding.I would highly recommend this book to anyone.A must own

Waste of Money
I bought this book based upon some of the other reviews that said it was great and they couldn't have been more wrong. I needed the book on short notice so it cost me $25 and it was absolutely useless. There is nothing useful in this book at all. I ended up just winging the toast because I didn't have time to look for another book.

Very helpful
My brother got married recently and I was the best man. The thought of getting up and giving the toast at the reception was really scary to me so he got me this book to help. When I read through the book I found several that made a lot of sense so I combined a couple together and added a few things of my own.It turned out great and I know I couldn't have done it without this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Etiquette    2. Public Speaking    3. Reference    4. Reference / Weddings    5. Wedding toasts    6. Weddings    7. Reception    8. Speeches    9. Toasts