Miss Manners on Weddings

Rating:
Summary: Glad to see it back in print....
Review: ...because maybe now I can get my much-traveled copy back.

If you'd like to get married with some dignity, rather than make an idiot of yourself, this is your guide.

Rating:
Summary: Glad to see it back in print....
Review: For those of you who don't want a cookie-cutter experience. All of Miss Manners' advice is good; though you must be brave to take it!

You don't need any wedding planning books if you accept the wedding as a solemn ceremony with a party to follow. Miss Manners reminds you of this throughout the book.

Weddings are best if most ideas are yours and not bought off a magazine rack.

Rating:
Summary: Totally worth it
Review: For those of you who don't want a cookie-cutter experience. All of Miss Manners' advice is good; though you must be brave to take it!

You don't need any wedding planning books if you accept the wedding as a solemn ceremony with a party to follow. Miss Manners reminds you of this throughout the book.

Weddings are best if most ideas are yours and not bought off a magazine rack.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing, but you'll still need a complete book on etiquette
Review: I adore Miss Manners' witty, dry writing style. There's plenty of that here, along with her decidedly staid opinions -- no response cards, please; don't you ever dare make guests pay for a drink; and no, monkeys aren't welcome at the ceremony.

You will certainly learn plenty here (and laugh out loud more than a few times), but this isn't a start-to-finish, hold-your-hand book. I would suggest reading this one for its entertainment value and Miss Manners' solid, irreproachable suggestions. Supplement it with another book such as "The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book" for a more complete primer.

Rating:
Summary: worth reading for the bride or groom to be
Review: This is not a how to plan a wedding primer, so don't buy this if you're looking for one. It is a rather entertaining series of mini-essays attempting to put the elaborate, extravagant, and expensive spectacles that weddings are becoming into a reasonable perspective. I read it while engaged and found the author's perspective on what is and is not important a helpful reminder. For example: the wedding day is not all about the bride; the wedding is not a fundraiser; the wedding is not a time for networking; the wedding is not for the entertainment of all present, but a ceremony uniting two people in marriage; weddings should be in good taste, etc. Seemingly obvious points, but yet, many involved seem to miss them!

However, if you're going to plan a large wedding, a how to guide is actually much more useful. And if you're dealing with horrid fights with your family or your in laws, or both, no book can help you--unfortunate as that may be!