By the time you read this I will be a newly married woman. After an entire year of planning, the big day really sneaks up on you, much like this blog post did on me. When planning a wedding it can be overwhelming and knowing where to start isn’t always obvious. Different couples have different goals for their ceremony and reception, and if you’re like me those may not be apparent once you’re engaged. This is where the library comes in, LPL has lots of different books about planning a wedding and one of them is bound to help. Whether it be inspiration for decor, dresses, hair and makeup, or a step by step wedding planner, we’ve got you covered.
And now this is where I offer some maybe not so helpful, or wanted, advice to anyone planning a wedding or hoping to in the future: Do what you and your partner want. It’s that simple. Yes, you’ll get pushback from family and friends and at times the questions or suggestions will drive you up the wall, but decide what you and your partner want and go from there. After all it’s your day and you deserve to be comfortable and happy during it. Whether that means you go big or go small, stick to traditions or move away from them, just whatever you do, don’t forget to put the RSVP by date on your invitations, it will save you a world of pain.
Now without further ado, here are some books to get you started on your journey of planning one of the biggest parties you might ever throw.
This was the exact book I used to get my planning off the ground, it helped so much! It was very extensive in explaining different wedding traditions and helping to understand the basic outline of what a typical wedding day might look like. My favorite part was that it offered alternatives to traditions and made sure the reader knows it’s okay to break with them and do what you want.
Part of the fun of weddings is the clothes and this book gives a history of wedding fashion. Full of pictures from looks spanning back centuries to modern day it's a fun look at how wedding fashion has evolved through the ages and how culture and religion can influence it.
If you haven’t noticed, crochet and knit wedding accessories are having a moment. This book has lots of ideas and instructions for all kinds of items you might want or need on your wedding day.
Planning isn’t always just for the bride and groom, officiants have to plan too. This book has all the information you need if you’ve been asked to officiate for a couple. Basic ceremony structure, how to be funny but not too funny, and how to sculpt a ceremony that reflects the couple and your relationship with them.
The Smart Couple's Guide to the Wedding of your Dreams
Wedding planning is a lot of work and it definitely is a team effort. Planning with your partner is a sure fire way to make sure you both have the day you want. Marriage is a partnership and you might as well practice that during the planning of the big day.
While weddings are about the couple getting married there typically is a whole cast of characters involved that fill various roles, one of those is the bridesmaid role. This looks different in every wedding, is more commonly being referred to as the bride's person, and depending on your relationship with the bride may mean you have different responsibilities. This book walks you through all these different roles and what traditionally could be expected of you.
Bridal hair and makeup are no joke, and if like me, you are bad at makeup and hair it can be one of the most stressful parts of planning. Do you find a professional, do you do it yourself, do you trust your sisters to do it for you (this one I did). Once you’ve figured that out you still have to decide on the look you’re going for. These books have lots of pictures, ideas, and instructions for any direction you choose to go.
You may be asking, what does Taylor Swift and Gilmore Girls have to do with wedding planning? Well, not much, but they are the things I chose in the last month of planning to de-stress when I needed that, and trust me you will. It can be anything that brings you happiness or calms you down, just make sure you’ve got something to focus on other than the stress of planning.
There are so many wedding books available, and they can get specific, if you want to dive deeper into the wedding books in the library's collection you can find more under the dewey number 392.5 or by simply doing a keyword search for wedding. Happy planning!
-Mary Gomer is a Cataloging Assistant at Lawrence Public Library.
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