Monday 17 May 2010

Somebody is Going to Die if Lilly Beth Doesn't Catch That Bouquet


The book by Delta ladies Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays called Somebody is Going to Die if Lilly Beth Doesn't Catch that Bouquet is near and dear to my heart. They have become famous with their book Being Dead is No Excuse a guide to Southern Funerals that I have not read yet. I picked up their book about Mississippi weddings shortly after I got engaged. I sat on the couch laughing for hours.

The authors give us significant nuggets of southern wisdom and etiquette. This is a favorite quote of mine:

"As necessary as the groom might be for the proper Delta wedding, a Southern girl must never--nevah!--be congratulated upon obtaining one. To do so is an insult to the whole of Southern womanhood."

Metcalfe and Hays slam the traditions of lighting a unity candle and the absurd grooms cakes fashioned to resemble a golf course. They share experiences and stories of Delta weddings past. I think this book should be required reading with the pre-marriage counseling classes for a southern bride or a bride marrying a southern boy.



In other news, today Edward and I took our engagement pictures! It was pretty warm, but we may have beaten the worst of it since June is just around the corner.

Wednesday 12 May 2010

How can I save 500 dollars on my wedding?

My second reading for wedding planning is Denise and Alan Fields book called Bridal Bargains 7th Edition. This one was published in 2005 and uses a lot of web sources. However, I wonder how many more are included in the later publications. The writers had me on the third page with this line:

You can bet your bridal veil that the industry knows EXACTLY how lucrative all these "I Do's" can be. To illustrate this, check out what the publisher of Bride's magazine told a trade journal about the wedding industry: "Never before in a woman's life, and never again, is she going to be worth this much money to a marketer. There is no price resistance and she is completely open to new brands," Bride's publisher cackled adding that the internal tag line for Bride's is "Where Love Meets Money."

This is a great book to read at the beginning of the planning process before any contracts are signed or money is exchanged. What gets me the most is the chapter on bridal gowns. It makes me want to sew my own dress. In the United States the average wedding dress costs 800 dollars, but that was actually lower than I expected when I watch TLC's Say Yes to the Dress. Most of those brides have higher dress budgets than my entire wedding! The descriptions of synthetic materials, shanty seams, and botched alterations made me cringe. Gowns are only just the beginning of the different vendors that have to be employed.

Some other interesting facts from Bridal Bargains:

~ Several investigations have proved when wedding is mentioned when booking an event the price for the service can increase 20 to 40 percent.

~ In an article by CBS's Chris Plummer the tenth most over paid profession is wedding photographers.

~Alcohol will be the most expensive aspect of a catering bill.

~ David's Bridal has extremely poor customer service ratings.

Now that the tulle over my eyes have been lifted, I am ready for something more light hearted.

Friday 7 May 2010

Wedding Bells





**My own Engagement Ring!**

With my upcoming wedding in the next year I have decided my first cluster of themed reading will do with the big day! I have a list of over thirty books to get through that are both fiction, essays, histories, and wedding planning. The vast amount of books on wedding planning helped me make this decision. Also my guilty pleasure of chick lit which almost always deals with dating, weddings, or divorce.


When I first got engaged in November I promised myself I would only buy this one wedding planning book. I have certainly broken this promise thanks to swaptree and amazon. However, if I was going to buy one book the first one I bought could walk me through the entire wedding planning process. It is The Knots Book of Wedding Lists created by the pentacle of wedding planning websites www.theknot.com created by Carley Roney. I live by lists. So this book is my ultimate dream. Each chapter is broken down into a different aspect of the wedding such as flowers, reception, ceremony, etc. There are also side notes that give tips on how things such as "Five Alternatives to Veils" or "Ways to Save." My personal favorite page is the complete budget breakdown by percentages. This gave me the starting point for me to create a wedding budget. There are also helpful illustration and fun facts scattered throughout the books. As far as wedding books go I give it five stars!

Saturday 1 May 2010

In the beginning....

My dad repeatedly tell this story from my childhood when he caught me sitting up in my room reading at 1:30 in the morning on a school night. I was in fifth or sixth grade. Ever since then I have not stopped reading. It should surprise no one that a girl that would read during PE went on to get a bachelors degree in English and history. Then a master's degree in history, work at a bookstore, and then become a librarian. Such is the typical plight of the liberal arts major. Fortunately, my job is anything but the stereotype and I am constantly learning about awesome new books.

I have a very distinct reading system, which is my main purpose for creating this blog. While I will read anything at least once, I tend to read in themes. That's right if I am in a fantasy mood, I will read fantasy books for several weeks or months until I move onto something else. I thought this was a bit odd until I stumbled upon a book titled Book Lust by fellow librarian Nancy Pearl.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Book-Lust/Nancy-Pearl/e/9781570613814/?itm=1&USRI=book+lust

In this book and its sequel Nancy Pearl breaks down books she has read by category and theme. Such as books from the south, boys growing up, etc etc. The pages of thematic reading fascinates me so I have challenged myself to complete my own reading lists. In order to find out what theme I have chosen for my great literary project stay tuned.. you will soon find out!

Cheers!