Simple Stunning Wedding Etiquette

What’s the preferred way of wording your invitation? How should guests at the wedding dinner be seated? What do you say to people who ask to bring their (uninvited) children to the reception—or, scarier still, to your prospective mother-in-law when she picks out the World’s Ugliest Dress to wear on your big day? Brides-to-be have a lot on their minds, including making sure that everything connected with the wedding is done the “right way.” But nowadays few people are adequately schooled in the do’s and don’ts of proper etiquette—and that’s where Simple Stunning Wedding Etiquette comes to the desperately needed rescue. This newest volume in Karen Bussen’s Simple Stunning Wedding series—whose four previous books total more than 130,000 copies in print—is the perfect marriage between the timeless and the new. Bussen celebrates the beloved rituals (cake-cutting, toasts) that are well worth preserving, while dispensing with outmoded rites (the garter toss) best left by the wayside. And Bussen’s guide goes beyond other wedding etiquette handbooks by dealing sensitively with the sometimes-fraught issues (divorced parents, second marriages, blending religious traditions) so crucial to contemporary wedding planning.

Here comes the bride! In this latest volume in Karen Bussen’s “Simple Stunning†? series, the most important woman at a wedding takes her rightful place—center stage. Over the years, Bussen has helped hundreds of brides plan weddings that reflect their personal style and express their own best selves. Now, any lady looking forward to her wedding day can benefit from Bussen’s sage advice on matters ranging from the Truly Essential (the venue, the ceremony, the guest list, the caterer, the budget, and, yes, the dress) to the Actually Much Less Essential (what your future mother-in-law will wear). The months and weeks leading up to a wedding are always a whirlwind—sometimes exhilarating, sometimes overwhelming. With Bussen1s level-headed guidance, the bride-to-be will take it all in stride while staying organized, remaining true to her own wishes, and (believe it or not) even managing to enjoy herself. Simple Stunning Bride is filled with gorgeous color photographs of inspiring wedding details—flowers, accessories, dresses, and more.

The three biggest trends in weddings today are simplicity, personalization, and color. Wedding design expert Karen Bussen highlights these elements as she shows couples how to design their own weddings without going crazy or broke. Simple Stunning Weddings is the first wedding design book to focus on the where of the wedding. Location is the first and most important decision brides and grooms must make: everything else flows from that. Bussen showcases 12 popular wedding settings, including the city loft, country inn, art gallery, botanic garden, and private club, and demonstrates how to make them extraordinary. With the site as the starting point, she creates unifying themes with color, flowers, and personal touches. She explains how to deal with vendors, how to spend the wedding budget, and when it makes sense to hire a specialist. Sharing all her trade secrets, Bussen teaches the power of simplicity and the impact of color, which can be tailored to any budget, always to stunning effect: substituting cotton tablecloths for silk in the same eye-dazzling color combinations, for example, or creating striking flower arrangements using only one or two types of blooms. Whether for a barefoot union on a beach or a formal affair in a hotel ballroom, this fully illustrated, information-filled book is like having Bussen on hand as your personal wedding designer.

In an increasingly global and connected world, marriages between spouses of different countries and cultures are on the rise. Marla Alupoaicei, herself wed to a Romanian, helps couples sort through such issues as food, finances, family, and such “hidden” problems as different understandings of what it means to be “on time.” Marla combines real-life stories with expert perspectives and biblical insight for a helpful guide both for those just starting out on the intercultural adventure – and those in the midst of it. You'll get practical and biblical advice for handling the most common intercultural conflicts, including: Planning your wedding Communication Understanding each other's values Different views of time Agreeing on food Managing finances Intimacy Raising children Handling illness and grief

This pocket-sized guide includes all the essential wedding dos and don'ts and is the perfect go-to reference for the modern bride. From who to tell about the engagement first to how to budget for the ceremony and reception, to when the thank-you cards should be sent, The Little Book of Wedding Etiquette shows how to approach the big decisions and little details with consideration and confidence. Illustrated throughout with charming spot art, it is the perfect add-on engagement or shower gift for the soon-to-be bride.

Your expert guide to the dos and don'ts of getting married Your wedding should be fun, exciting, and worry-free-but most brides, grooms, and their families run into sticky situations or unique circumstances that surround etiquette. Now, there's a definitive guide that provides the solutionsfor all those dilemmas big and small. Wedding Etiquette For Dummies provides sound information and guidance-whether it's deciding how to handle divorced parents, inform guests of where the couple is registered, or tastefully incorporate new traditions into your ceremony and reception. You get plenty of proven advice and tips for everything from who pays for the wedding and properly announcing the engagement to hosting events leading up to the wedding and dealing with destination wedding snags and pitfalls. You'll even see how to gracefully handle wedding cancellations and postponements. The dos and don'ts of wedding etiquette for any bride, groom, relatives, or friends of the marrying couple Tips for proper behavior during the engagement, ceremony, and reception Advice on dealing with the wedding party and opinionated or pushy in-laws Special considerations for second (or more) marriages and military, ethnic, and religious weddings How to set up a tasteful, interactive wedding website and write the all important thank you note Sue Fox is the author of Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition and Business Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition Leaving no wedding dilemma uncovered, Wedding Etiquette For Dummies is your one-stop guide for having the wedding of your dreams without the stress!

For every frazzled bride who is overwhelmed by all the questions she must answer and befuddled by the countless decisions she must make, this handy, practical guide is a lifesaver. Completely updated, this edition gives advice on today's complicated wedding issues such as "How can I let guests know about my wedding website?" "When should I mail save-the-date cards?" and "How do I seat divorced and remarried parents at the ceremony and reception?" Designed for ease of use, this guide provides accesible answers to bride-to-be questions and explains how to adapt traditional etiquette to modern behavior. Covering a wide range of topics--from engagement announcements through the wedding reception and thank-you cards--it answers the most commonly asked etiquette questions and ensures a fun and stress-free wedding.