Ah. Summer. The season for weddings.
Of course, on a farm, summer is the season for canning and you’ll be seeing plenty of posts about that very soon! But, I took a break from canning long enough to spend a weekend helping out at the wedding of some sweet young friends of mine. The bride is 19. I met her shortly after I got married 10 years ago, back when she was only 9 years old. It is a mystery to me how I haven’t aged a bit in these 10 years and suddenly she is old enough to get married. I don’t understand it a bit, but get married she did… and to a very fine young man, may I add. Nothing makes me happier than seeing two people I really, really like get married!
In the ten years between their wedding and mine I had almost forgotten how much work a wedding is. It’ll make you crazy if you let it! There is so much to do, so many details to keep track of. It’s almost like the universe is testing you to see how badly you want to get married. If you make it through the crazy-wedding-planning-stage all the way to the big day without losing your mind, you get to get married! It’s a marathon and the aisle is the finish line! (Ok, the analogy breaks down there. The aisle is really more of a starting point than a finishing line!) Seriously, no bride should have to do this without a lot of help!
And now help has arrived in the form of a wedding planning binder that is an absolute delight to use! It’s by Amy Hayes, it’s published by Doorposts (a favorite publisher of mine!), and it’s called All Things Ready: A Bride’s Complete Christian Wedding Planner.
First of all, the cover is beautiful… and we all know that when you’re a bride, it’s all about beautiful! The binder itself is also very sturdy and durable. It can take a lot of use (which is exactly what it’s going to get… this is not the kind of planner you will stick on your shelf and never use again)!
Inside the binder there are 340 pages divided into 18 sections. The introduction has the customary introductory stuff, plus an article about determining your engagement length. Amy presents a compelling case for short engagements that I hope young brides will heed! As someone who was engaged for a year a half, I see a lot of wisdom in having a short engagement. Amy even includes a timeline for planning a wedding in only 12 weeks! Then she includes several articles of spiritual encouragement for the bride, the groom, the mother of the bride and the father of the bride!
“The Master List” chapter includes all of the checklists you’ll need to pull off your big day. Everything from the engagement to things you’ll need to do when you get back from your honeymoon is all right here. Then the planning details are covered in the following chapters: Engagement, The Wedding Budget, Setting your Date, Finding a Location, Wedding Style, Your Wedding Party, Invitations, Wedding Apparel, Photography, The Ceremony, The Reception, Flowers & Decor, The Wedding Week, Wedding Help (Choosing Wedding and Reception Co-ordinators), Themes from Scripture, and After the Wedding. Each chapter not only includes the typical checklists a bride-to-be needs, but Amy offers timeless, Godly wisdom through the book (especially in the encouragement articles in each chapter) to make sure that you are not only physically ready for the wedding, but spiritually and emotionally ready as well!
Once you’ve worked your way through this book there will be no stone left unturned, no detail not taken care of. You are thoroughly prepared to walk down the aisle! Happy Wedding!
The bride and her father prepare to walk down the aisle.
You only get this view if you’re helping out behind the scenes!
My thanks are extended to the publisher for offering a free copy of the wedding planner through the BookCrash program in exchange for my honest review!
