Down the Aisle: Read Up

By Kristina

Typically, brides-to-be blissfully flip through the pages of magazines or browse online wedding sites for inspiration and planning tips for their big day. Taking a more old-fashioned approach, I hit Barnes & Noble to sift through its wedding section—and it proved just as inspirational and helpful for planning your big day. Here are a few of my favorites:

Planet Wedding
For every bride, $14.95
This “nuptial-pedia” dives into everything you could ever want to know about weddings, and then some. Along with exploring the history of specific wedding elements (cakes, photography, etc.), this book offers pages upon pages of wedding ideas and examples, including various cultures’ wedding traditions, eco-friendly weddings and even 160 years worth of British Royal weddings.

The Knot Book of Wedding Lists
For the organized bride, $12.95
If you’re a list kinda gal, you need this book. Complete with timelines, tools and checklists, not only does this book provide a step-by-step planning process, but also includes the important questions you should ask yourselves—and the vendors—when making big decisions. The margins are even lined so you can take notes while you plan!

Planning Your Wedding Sucks
For the sarcastic or cynical bride, $14.95
This paperback is just downright funny. And you need a little funny in your life to take away the stress if you’re planning a wedding. The author teamed up with wedding experts to bring readers those oh-so-crucial tips and tricks, but writes with humor and wit, making the whole thing more enjoyable.

The DIY Bride
For the crafty bride, $19.95
Find forty unique projects brides-to-be can create for their wedding in this book, covering everything from invitations and accessories to table markers and favors. You’ll be given step-by-step instructions and a list of needed materials for every project, and it even says how long the project should take and how many people you’ll need to complete the task.

Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette
For the traditional bride, $27.99
What family members sit where during the reception? And who seats them? Who stands where in the processional line? What is the traditional order of events for the ceremony and reception? How do I address my invitations? This book answers all these questions and every other etiquette-related question you can think of.

What about you, readers? What books are helping you plan your wedding? Or do you prefer magazines and online resources? Share your comments below or email me at [email protected].