Meg Keene, A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration

Meg Keene, creator of the blog A Practical Wedding, here sets forth her philosophy of weddings, which basically boils down to a few simple principles: (1) It’s not the greatest day of your life — or at least it shouldn’t be! (2) The only requirement for a perfect wedding is that you end up married at the end of it. And (3) it doesn’t have to cost your entire life’s savings! This book discusses wedding planning in light of these principles, from the engagement to the big day to the marriage that follows. It doesn’t delve too deeply into the details; for example, you’re not going to find a list of inexpensive-yet-chic venues or bakeries or stationery vendors here. Rather, this book takes a big-picture look at some of the most common wedding-related stressors and offers common-sense advice on how to rise above them.

Lately I’ve been very into wedding-related things. I watch all those bridal shows on TLC — “Say Yes to the Dress,” “Four Weddings,” “I Found the Gown,” etc. I’d like to blame some sort of external pressure, but I’m afraid I just like romantic stories and pretty dresses! While I enjoy these shows, though, I often find myself thinking that the women on them must be insane. Spending thousands of dollars on a wedding dress? Throwing a fit because the bridesmaids’ dresses don’t perfectly match the table linens? It’s a strange world we live in, folks. Well, this book is a wonderful antidote for all the wedding craziness out there! It really puts the wedding celebration in perspective without underrating the importance of marriage. It also offers advice on how to deal with the inevitable problems, like financial constraints and meddlesome relatives. I’m not married or engaged right now, but if and when I do take the plunge, I’ll definitely be referring to this book again!