Denny - The Brides Instruction Manual

Copyright 2009 by Quirk Productions, Inc.

Illustrations copyright 2009 by Headcase Design

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2008931238

eBook ISBN: 978-1-59474-765-6
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-59474-265-1

Design and illustrations by Paul Kepple and Scotty Reifsnyder @ Headcase Design
www.headcasedesign.com
Trade paperback edited by Mindy Brown
Trade paperback production management by John McGurk

Quirk Books
215 Church Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com

v3.1

Congratulations!

ATTENTION!

Im going to assume that since youve got this book open, youve either plucked it from the shelves of your favorite bookstore or have been given it by a girlfriend or family member for one reason: Youve got a gorgeous, glistening, and hopefully garish rock on the ring finger of your left hand .

And so now we get to the fun partyou get to plan a wedding! Woo hoo! Except also, since youve got this book open, I might guess that woo hoo is not exactly how youre feeling about planning a wedding, huh? Youve got questions. Youve got concerns. Youve got hivesnot about marriage of course, or the wonderful man whos just invited you into itbut about planning this thing.

Never fear. Its going to be fine.

For starters, might I suggest not seeing this in a big-picture kind of way (as a huge undertaking), but rather that you try to think of each aspect of planning a wedding individually. Itll seem a lot less intimidating that way: You get to pick out pretty flowers! Eat good food! Shop for the prettiest dress youll ever own! Because thats how were going to manage it. Were going to take it one step at a time, and each task is going to be neatly finished and stashed away before you even realize it.

Were also going to go about this in an order that makes sensein other words, you shouldnt need to skip ahead to find out how to accomplish the task that needs to get done next. Were going to make a few general decisions right off the bat, and those will be of the all-consuming type that will shape the way you get down to the nitty-gritty of planning your event. And if making these decisions gives you slight heart palpitations and makes you grab your hair with the subconscious intention of yanking it out, dont worry. Theyre big decisions, and unless youve been planning this day your entire life, its completely normal not to know exactly what you want. Just rest assured that once you figure out the type of event you want, when you want it, how big itll be, and what your overall budget looks like, moving forward should be nothing but a pleasant experience.

And what will the nitty-gritty be? Well, weve got to pick and book your vendors. Once youve done that, we get to have some of that aforementioned fun: Sampling yummy menus and deciding what youd like to have served at your reception. Weighing your options between pale pink calla lilies and deep, plum tulips. Dipping bites of chocolate cake, butter pound cake, or carrot cake into bowls of caramel, chocolate, and raspberry fillings and buttercream frostings to see which one youd like to see on your spouses nose at your reception. Selecting invitations in your favorite colors and counting up all the ecstatic Yes! replies you receive. And, lest we forgetpicking out another pretty (and hopefully sparkly) ring.

If you ever feel yourself getting overwhelmed, take a step back. Go on a walk or a date with your husband-to-be, and dont talk or think about the wedding. Remember that there are no rulesno hot or not when it comes to what you do with your weddingand that this day can be anything you want it to be. And although this day is certainly a biggie, it is just one day: What youre really preparing for is a wonderful lifetime married to the wonderful man of your dreams. No amount of unmatched table linens or drunken speeches is going to change the fact that at the end of the day, you will finally be husband and wife. So enjoy it!

You know that one-task-at-a-time thing we talked about? Heres where we start to break it downand where youll actually start thinking about things, deciding things, decreeing things, booking things. You get the idea .

Just remember, whenever you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, youre probably doing that big-picture thing again. Dont imagine your wedding date and work backward. Were only moving forward here .

Take 5 and Enjoy It!

Im serious about this one. People are going to start asking you questions right away. As in, maybe even strangers who notice your ring while youre on your way to telling the people who actually know you:

Do you have a date yet?

What are your colors?

Wheres it going to be?

Is your third cousin twice removed on your step-dads mothers side going to be your maid of honor?

Youre going to have to field wedding-related questions incessantly and immediatelybut that doesnt mean youve got to have actual answers. Once it starts, it can get overwhelming at times, so take a minute here. Enjoy introducing your groom-to-be as your fianc, spend hours on end staring at your ring, and take some time to enjoy your relationship as youve always known it. Soon, itll be hard to talk to him without asking if he prefers the skewered tandoori shrimp or veal tips on toast. In other words, dont cave under the pressure of everyones quest for information and feel like youve got to plan this thing starting now. You dont. Youll get there, all in due time .

Imagining Your Big Day: Setting Priorities

After your Take 5, there are just a few things you should get squared away, and then you can take another little chill pill. Theyre the biggest, or most basic, things you need to have set in order to plan everything else, and youll feel a load lifted once you check them off your list .

What time of yearor in what monthdo you want to have your wedding? This may seem like an easy answer to come byand maybe, when it simply comes to your preference, it isbut its one that may take some thinking. Maybe your whole life youve dreamed of a gorgeous September wedding, and you just cant imagine it any other way. Well, what if you are proposed to in February? Youll have to decide if you want to/can plan a wedding in seven months, or if youd rather keep your preferred wedding time of year and wait a whole year and a half. If the latter seems like a long time and youd really love just a simple celebration, do some digging. Talk to venues and vendors; it can probably be done. But if you want an extremely elaborate affair at the most sought-after place in town, it probably wont happen on a crash schedule.