Table of Contents
Introduction 13
1 Breathe It All In
Breaking the news 20
The rules of engagement 21
A pre-celebration celebration? 25
How to plan your perfect engagement party! 25
The host with the most 27
Those who can't do … make reservations 30
2 Prioritize and Organize
Three steps in the right direction 33
Decoding destination weddings 37
Guest-listomania! 39
Everything you need to know about STDs (save-the-dates, people!) 40
You've got a friendor… 43
What's up, Doc? The day-of coordinator 44
Budgeting: a cautionary tale 49
Relying on the kindness of others 50
3 Divine Event Design
Who the hell are we? Let your wedding tell your story 55
So many design ideas, so little time 56
Dreaming up your theme 58
Double duty: killing two birds with one stone 61
A passion for fashion 62
Say less to the dress 64
Mining the interwebz for wedding inspiration 70
What you absolutely need at your wedding 70
Creating an atmosphere to got your guests in the mood 73
4 The Wedding Party
Who your crew, boo? 77
Popping "the question" creatively 79
The cost of friendship 83
Shaving off the excess 84
Alternative party and shower ideas for all budgets 86
5 It Never Hurts to Ask (and Other Tips for the Hapless Haggler)
Staring into the eyes of the lion, and roaring! 90
The value of research 92
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" 94
Secret weapon time: barter 95
6 A Less Than Phony Ceremony
On structure: the ceremony set list 100
A primer on wedding rituals from around the world 102
Your vows be stylin'! 106
Putting voice to your vows 107
What not to vow 109
By the power vested in … Whom? 109
7 Band vs. DJ vs. … Karaoke Machine?
The options: pros and cons 114
Alternative entertainment ideas 118
Let your tunes set the tone 119
8 Feeding the Locals
What to eat? 126
Your booze can't lose 131
Decoding the venue-hosted bar 135
Champagne schlampagne 136
A cake by any other name 138
Alternative desserts: when cake doesn't cut it 139
9 DIY or Die: The Cult of Crafting
Down the rabbit hole of possibilities 145
DIY projects for dummies 147
10 Save Green, Be Green
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something … green? 162
Bride$hare: the carpool lane of wedding planning 168
Shareable wares 171
Re-up: one couple's trash can be your treasure 173
Fashionably green 174
11 The Big Day
The rehearsal 179
The rehearsal dinner 180
The day of 182
When the party's over 187
Epilogue: The Small Stuff Really Is Small Stuff 189
Appendix A Sample Budgets from Real Brides
Under $5K 194
Under $10K 199
Under $15K 204
Under $20K 210
Under $25K 212
Under $30K 214
Over $30K 220
Appendix B Recipes for Happy Bellies and Full Wallets
Beverages for grown-ups 225
Recipes that rock 228
How to feed 40 people for $3 each 238
Appendix C Glossary of Wedding Terms and Acronyms 244
Appendix D Resources 246
Acknowledgments 248
Index 249
