THE
EVERYTHING
WEDDING
BOOK
4TH EDITION
Your all-in-one guide to planning
the wedding of your dreams
Katie Martin
Copyright 2011, 2004, 2000, 1994 Simon and Schuster
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.
Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-4405-0156-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0156-2
eISBN 10: 1-4405-0157-2
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-0157-9
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Martin, Katie
The everything wedding book / Katie Martin. 4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Rev. ed. of: Everything wedding book / Shelly Hagen. 2004. 3rd ed.
ISBN 978-1-4405-0156-2 (alk. paper)
1. Wedding etiquette. 2. Weddings Planning. I. Hagen, Shelly. Everything wedding book. II. Title.
BJ2051.H34 2011
395.2'2 dc22
2010038492
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
THE EVERYTHING WEDDING BOOK 4TH EDITION
Dear Reader,
You're engaged! There is no other feeling quite like it. Don't let that amazing feeling go away simply because you need to start planning a wedding. While wedding planning may seem like a daunting task, if you have the right tools, it can actually be a lot of fun. Remember it's a day dedicated to the two of you!
Don't worry, this book is here to guide you every step of the way. The earlier you start your wedding planning process, the easier your engagement will be (and the more time you will get to actually enjoy it). Think of this book as your wedding secretary to help you manage all the to-do lists for your wedding day.
After planning thousands of different events throughout my career, I can assure you that there is a wedding design and plan for every type of bride and every type of groom! Whether you have a month or two years to plan your wedding, this book will guide you from the big-picture basics to the smallest of details.
Congratulations and Happy Planning!
Welcome to the EVERYTHING Series!
These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.
You can choose to read an Everythingbook from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.
We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When you're done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!
Answers to common questions
Important snippets of information
Urgent warnings
Quick handy tips
PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Jacob Erickson
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Katrina Schroeder
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan
ASSOCIATE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Hillary Thompson
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ross Weisman
EVERYTHING SERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander
LAYOUT DESIGNERS Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace
Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com
This book is dedicated to God, Mom, Miguel, and Derek. The four of you have taught me what it means to love.
Acknowledgments
I could not have written this book without a team of wonderful people behind the scenes. For coaching, persistence, and patience: Anne Loehr, Grace Freedson, and Katrina Schroeder. For being my personal cheerleaders: Keya Beale, Robin Fisher, and Alison DeWit. For helping me figure a few things out: Tom Van Veen (my talented brother) and Bernadette Coveney Smith.
The Top 10 Mistakes That Engaged Couples Make (but Are Easy to Avoid)
Skimping on photography: This is the start of your family history!
Ignoring advice from married friends and family: Consider all the advice you are offered and use what is good for you!
Not having a backup plan for an outdoor ceremony: Just do it!
Thinking you will be able to set up your reception hall the day of your wedding: Why would you even want to?
Trying to do your own flowers: Again, why would you want to?
Not having a clear-cut budget from the beginning: Unless you want to just elope right now.
Skipping a honeymoon: You will need one, even if it is just for a couple of days!
Using an MP3 for your musical entertainment: Electronics have a way of malfunctioning at the wrong time at least get a DJ!
Not asking for help: Ask a friend, relative, or hire a planner!
Forgetting about the environment: Even one small green choice can make a huge difference!
Introduction
YOU HAVE EITHER SHOUTED it from the rooftops or just made a few calls, either way you are officially engaged! Along with being engaged comes a whole slew of questions, advice, celebrating, and a whole lot of planning. For you this may be the first big event you have ever planned.
With an ever-growing base of wedding professionals in the world with all sorts of ideas and options comes the knowledge that you can truly have a unique wedding day. A wedding should be all about bringing your two families together to showcase your love for one another. Take all the unique event vendors, your style, and your heritage mix them all together in one room and you will have the makings of a dream wedding. It's the big picture finding its way through to all of the details that is typically the problem. How can you make your dream day a reality when you have never done this before? Sure, there are a ton of wedding professionals out there, but how do you choose?
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