A Practical Wedding Creative Ideas for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration

by Keene, Meg

• ISBN13: 9780738215150
• ISBN10: 0738215155
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-27
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

The wedding shelf at any bookstore is packed with guides that tell brides how to have standard-issue, big-budget weddings. And this seems to be exactly what every bride wants...except that it's not. Ultimately, couples want a joyful wedding, not a stressful one. In A Practical Wedding, Meg Keene gives the guidance and creative ideas that couples need to plan a simpler dream wedding--without going broke or crazy in the process. In her engaging, irreverent style, Keene encourages readers to rethink their approach since they won't likely reflect on how their wedding looked, but rather how it felt. From communicating with your family to choosing a venue--and complete with advice from "Team Practical" brides-- A Practical Weddingis an all-in-one planner for hosting your wedding with grace and style.

Author Biography

Meg Keene is the creator of A Practical Wedding com, the ultimate wedding planning website for independent-minded brides. Her blog has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Glamour, Chicago Tribune, Feministing.com, and more. She lives with her husband in San Francisco.

Table of Contents

Intoduction; What Really Matters	p. 1
Getting Started	p. 7
Here We Go	p. 7
Joy: Yes, It's Fundamental	p. 10
The Real Purpose of the Engagement	p. 12
Brainstorming with Your Partner	p. 16
Bringing in the Families	p. 21
The And To-Do List	p. 23
Remember What You Care About	p. 24
The Basics: Who, Where, When, How	p. 27
The Magic of Weddings (Anywhere Works)	p. 27
Who: The Guest List-How Hard Can It Be?	p. 31
Where: The Quest for a Wedding Venue	p. 36
When: Can You Get Legally Married in the Morning?	p. 46
How: Food-No, It Doesn't Need to Be Dinner	p. 48
Dream It... Do It	p. 51
Battling the Myth of Tradition"	p. 53
It Didn't Used to Be This Way	p. 53
What Is Tradition Anyway?	p. 61
Etiquette Is on the Side of Simplicity	p. 63
Reclaiming Traditions	p. 67
The Buget	p. 7
How Much Does a Wedding Cost?	p. 71
Putting It on Paper	p. 74
Who Pays? (And What Does That Mean?)	p. 85
Sane Budget Rules	p. 90
Yes, Paying for a Wedding Sucks	p. 91
Somehow, Everything Is Possible	p. 91
There Are No Pockets in a Shroud	p. 92
The Planning in The Party Trenches	p. 95
Oh! You Mean I Have to Plan This Thing?	p. 95
More Decisions (Yes, They Keep Coming): Vendors, the Wedding Party, and More	p. 100
Wedding Style: What Matters, What Doesn't	p. 108
That Color- Coded Spreadsheet Is Actually Worth It	p. 115
Trust Yourself	p. 117
Doing it Yourself (Together)	p. 121
DIY: Brilliant and Crazy	p. 121
Why DIY? Knowing Your Goal	p. 122
DIT: Do-It-Together	p. 127
Practical Ways to DIY	p. 129
How to DIY Wedding Flowers	p. 130
How to DJ Your Wedding	p. 132
How to DIY the Wedding Photography	p. 134
Self-Catering: Less Insane than It Sounds	p. 136
ALaborof Love	p. 141
The Hard Stuff	p. 145
Fighting and Crying: It's Normal	p. 145
The Bridezilla Myth: Making You Crazy, then Calling You Crazy	p. 151
Cold Feet	p. 153
Your Wedding Is Not an Imposition	p. 156
Planning a Wedding When Life Hurts	p. 157
Have a Wedding	p. 161
The Ceremony	p. 165
Making the Vows That Change You	p. 165
Issues of Faith	p. 168
Finding an Officiant	p. 170
Constructing Your Own Ceremony	p. 172
A Moment of Transcendence	p. 177
One Wonderful, Wildly Imperfect Day	p. 181
Surviving Your Wedding (Sane)	p. 181
Your Day-Of Spreadsheet	p. 183
Your Day-Of Timeline	p. 186
A Wedding Stage Manager	p. 189
Asking for More Help (Yes, You Need lt)	p. 191
Maintaining Control: The "I'm Going to F*cking Kill You" Moment	p. 192
Letting Go: The "F*ck It" Moment	p. 194
Embrace Imperfection	p. 195
The Day Itself: Staying Present for the Whole Imperfect Thing	p. 196
The Great Thing About Weddings Is You Can't Ruin Them	p. 198
It Actually Wasn't the Best Day of Your Whole Life	p. 203
The End, and the Beginning	p. 203
The Honeymoon: Time to Absorb the Inexplicable	p. 206
Wishing You Love That Keeps on Growing	p. 207
Meet Team Practical	p. 211
Find More Resources on APracticalWedding.com	p. 225
Selected Sources	p. 227
Acknowledgments	p. 229
Index	p. 233
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.