A practical wedding planner A step-by-step guide to creating the wedding you want with the budget you've got (without losing your mind in the process)
Book - 2015
"With reality tv shows, glossy bridal magazines, and fanciful Pinterest boards leading the way, it can be easy for a recently engaged couple to slide from wedding planning into wedding madness. Inspiration and ideas abound; what couples really need is clear guidance on how to assess this information and sort the useful from the disastrous. Enter A Practical Wedding Planner, the (practical) companion volume to A Practical Wedding. Meg Keene walks couples through planning, from the big picture down to the nitty-gritty details. In her characteristic seasoned, sassy style, Keene offers no-nonsense guidance for planning a dream wedding on a real budget. "--
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
Boston :
Da Capo Lifelong Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group
2015.
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Edition
- First Da Capo Press edition
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- xv, 237 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- ISBN
- 9780738218427
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. Figuring Out What You Really Want
- APW Basics
- So You Liked It (and You're Gonna Put a Ring on It)
- Priorities, Priorities, Priorities
- Venn Diagram of Emotional Goals
- Our Wedding Mission Statement
- All the Wedding Things (Many of Which You Don't Need)
- Wedding Planning Priorities
- Extra Credit: Bringing In the Family
- Putting It in Order
- How to Have a Fun Wedding
- The Perfect Is the Enemy of the Good
- Chapter 2. Guests First, Budget Second
- APW Basics
- Don't Start by Cutting Your Guest List
- Questions to Discuss with Your Partner
- The Guest List Spreadsheet
- Sidebar: Wedding Party Basics
- Setting Your Budget
- The Sky Is the Limit
- Taking It to the Bank
- A Post-it Note Does Not a Budget Make
- The 123s of Budget Setting
- The Devil Is Not in the Details
- The Myth of the Wedding Budget Pie Chart
- Real Wedding Budget Pie Charts
- Chapter 3. From the Ballroom to the Beach: Location and Logistics
- APW Basics
- Figure Out What You Want in a Venue
- Traditional Versus Non-Traditional Venues
- Traditional Venues
- Non-Traditional Venues
- How to Find a Traditional Venue
- Venues and Catering cost?
- Whittling Down Your Options
- All-Inclusive Venues
- Finding Non-Traditional Venues
- Sidebar: Destination Weddings
- What Is (and Isn't) Included?
- Sidebar: Ideas for Non-Traditional Wedding Venues
- How to Throw a Wedding in a Non-Traditional Space
- Rentals
- Finding a Rental Company
- Order Lots of Glassware (and Other Rental Tips)
- Table and Linen Sizes
- Renting a Tent
- Other Items You Might Need to Rent
- Sidebar: Questions to Ask at a Venue Walk-Through
- Chapter 4. Vendors, Friendors, and Doing It Yourself
- APW Basics
- Hiring Vendors: Who Conies First?
- Sidebar: Questions to Ask at a Venue Walk-Through
- How Vendor Pricing Works
- Where Are All the Awesome Vendors Hiding?
- Don't Forget to Vet Your Vendors
- Wedding Vendor Contracts
- What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
- Hiring a Photographer
- Alternative Methods for Capturing the Day
- Hire a Non-Pro
- DIYing Your Photos with the Help of Family and Friends
- Who Is Going to Plan and Run This Thing?
- Hiring a Wedding Planner
- Hiring a Day-Of Coordinator
- Venue or Catering Managers
- Do All of Your Weddings Look the Same? And Other Questions to Ask
- Wedding Stage Manager-Your DIY Wedding Planner
- Sidebar: What Your DOC (or Wedding Stage Manager) Does
- Hiring an Officiant
- The Four Basic Types of Wedding Officiants
- Hiring a DJ
- DIY DJing
- Hiring a Band
- Hiring a Hair Stylist or Makeup Artist
- Yes, You Can Wield the Hairspray Yourself
- DIYing Your Makeup: Your Regular Routine... Plus
- ...And Everyone Else
- Sidebar: Tipping Your Vendors
- So You've Been Reading This Book...and Decided You Want to Elope
- Just a Few Ways You Can Elope
- Marriage License: A Mini-Checklist
- Un-Plan Your Elopement
- How to Reschedule or Call Off Your Wedding
- Chapter 5. Cheers! Feeding Everyone
- APW Basics
- The Many Ways to Feed Your Guests
- How to Find a Full-Service Caterer
- What Full-Service Caterers Do
- Sidebar: What to Look For in a Traditional Caterer
- Think Outside the Box
- Food Service Options
- Sidebar: Accommodating Food Restrictions and Allergies
- Alcohol Service Options
- Sidebar: Standard Wedding Bar Options
- Restaurant Weddings
- Sidebar: Wedding Cakes: Flour, Butter, Sugar (and Cash)
- Non-Traditional Catering, from Food Trucks to DIY
- Sidebar: The DIY Catering Checklist
- Who's Taking Out the Trash? And Other Staffing Issues
- How Much Food Do You Need?
- Sidebar: How to Buy Alcohol for Your Wedding
- Food Trucks
- Food Truck Issues to Consider
- Yes, You Can Have a Potluck Wedding
- Sidebar: Catering Hack Ideas
- Self-Catering
- What You Need to Self-Cater
- Meal Planning
- Sidebar: Self-Catering Planning Documents You'll Need
- Chapter 6. Getting Everyone to Show Up (and Have a Good Time)
- APW Basics
- Save-the-Dates
- Invitation Wording and Etiquette
- Sidebar: A Note on Child-Free Weddings
- Sidebar: The Gently Feminist Guidelines for Addressing Wedding Invitations
- People Are Terrible at RSVPing (Help Them Help You)
- Thank-You Notes
- What to Include in a Wedding Website
- Sidebar: Hotel Blocks
- Registries Aren't About You, Exactly
- Sidebar: A Note on Giving Gifts
- Social Media and Weddings
- To Share...
- Or Not to Share...
- Is That the Question?
- Wedding Vendors and Image Usage Rights
- Sidebar: Party, Party, Parties!
- Chapter 7. In This Hot Outfit, I Thee Wed
- APW Basics
- Wedding Dresses: Scam or Not'
- Traditional Wedding Dresses
- Sidebar: Dresses by the Dollars
- The Alterations Game
- Wedding Dress Timelines: Separating Fact from Fiction
- Sidebar: Bridal Accessories: From Sparkle to Bangle to Pouf
- Body Image, Sizing, and Wedding Dresses
- Sidebar: How to Have an Empowering Wedding Dress Shopping Experience When You Wear a Plus Size (or Any Size)
- Not All Wedding Dresses Come from Wedding Dress Stores
- Major Retailers and (Nan-) Wedding Dresses
- Buying and Selling Used Dresses
- Vintage Wedding Dresses
- Sidebar: Things to Keep in Mind When Shopping for a Vintage Wedding Dress
- Buying a Dress from China
- The Perfect Bridesmaid Dress Does Not Exist
- Traditional Bridesmaid Dresses
- When Your Bridesmaids Are All Across the Country...
- Bridesmaid Dress Alternatives
- Sidebar: How to Make Mismatched Outfits Work
- Suits, Suits, Suits
- Types of Suits, or What to Do with All the Buttons
- Sidebar: Rental Tuxes and Affordable Suits
- Buying a Suit That Fits
- Suit Colors and Fabrics
- Sidebar: More Casual Groom Style
- Androgynous Styling Options, Suits for Women, and Other Gender-Queer Fashion Choices
- Chapter 8. Sparkles and Spreadsheets: A Realist's Guide to Wedding Decor
- APW Basics
- Don't Plan Your Wedding Backward
- Get off the Internet and into Your Venue
- Creating a Decor Plan
- The Relaxed Color Palette
- Glitter Fabulous Is Totally a Style
- You Can't Do All the Projects (So Pick a Few That Matter)
- Sidebar: DIY and Decor Management
- The Big Ugly Space Problem
- Advice for More Decor Situations
- Outdoor Spaces
- Low-Light Spaces
- Venues Where You Can't Attach Things to the Walls
- Sidebar: Affordable Decor Materials
- Chapter 9. Picking Flowers: Florists, DJY, and When the Blooms Js Off the Ranunculus
- APW Basics
- When to Use a Florist
- Finding a Professional Florist
- Working with a Florist
- Sidebar: Where to Buy Wedding Flowers
- Flower Chart
- Floral Hacks
- DIY Bouquets and No-Big-Deal Centerpieces
- Floral Consulting and DIY Flowers
- DIYing All of Your Wedding Flowers
- Chapter 10. Ceremonies, Vows, and Why We're All here
- APW Basics
- Pick a Thesis
- Sidebar; Legal Requirements
- Putting the Words Together
- Pick a Structure
- Fit In the Fun Stuff
- Sidebar: A Checklist for Officiating a Ceremony
- The Building Blocks of a Wedding Service
- Sidebar: Wedding Ceremonies: Many Cultures, Many Ways
- Wedding Vows: Engrave Them on Your Heart
- To Write or Not to Write
- Breaking Down Vows into Parts
- How to Write Your Vows
- Interfaith Services: The Basics
- Sidebar; Religious Wedding Vows
- Sidebar: Secular Wedding Vows
- Chapter 11. Getting' It Done
- APW Basics
- Being Laid-Back Requires Advance Planning
- Once It's Planned, Pass It Off
- Sidebar: How Long Is a Wedding?
- A Wedding Timeline Is a Gift to Your Guests
- Sidebar: Sample Timelines
- Sidebar: The Gap Between Religious Ceremonies and Receptions
- Making a Floor Plan
- How Much Space Do You Need?
- When to Have a Seating Chart
- Escort Cards, Name Cards, and How Seating Assignments Work
- Creating Your Seating Chart with Minimal Tears
- Sidebar: Planning a Wedding Weekend
- Shuttles, Buses, and Vintage Cars
- The Wedding Rehearsal
- The Rehearsal Dinner
- Getting All the Stuff There, and Back Again
- Sidebar: Day-Of Emergency Kit
- The Wedding Planning Binder
- Conclusion from Here to the STARS
- Appendix
- How to Throw a Wedding in a Non-Traditional Space
- Potential Rental Items Checklist
- DIY Catering Checklist
- Potential Floral Item List
- DIY Flowers Shopping List
- DIY Bar Alcohol-Buying Calculations
- DIY Bar Alcohol-Buying Shopping List
- DIY Bar Setup List
- Final Site Visit/Venue Walk-Through Checklist
- Last-Minute Things You Might Have Forgotten (Two Weeks Out)
- Last-Minute Things You Might Have Forgotten (Night Before)
- List of Documents to Have in Your Day-Of Binder
- Sample Spreadsheets
- Guest List and Seating Chart
- Budget
- Venue Search
- Pack List
- Important People
- Vendor List
- Working Timeline
- Decor Setup Instructions
- Find More Resources on APractialWedding.com
- Acknowledgements
- Sources
- Index
- About the Author
Review by Booklist Review From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.