The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding : How to Find a Dress, Return the Shoes, Hire a Caterer, Fire the Photographer, Choose a Florist, Book a Band, and Still Wind Up Married at the End of It All [Hardcover]

Lara Webb Carrigan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2000

Everyone knows your wedding day is the most important day of your life. But did you know it could also be the wackiest? Part family reunion, part ceremony, part dinner party, part get-down-and boogie dance party, weddings have a tendency to spin out of control-especially when You start considering all the important questions: Do I invite all of my relatives or just the ones I know? What does a wed" ding budget look like-and how do I stay on one? Where do I find a Dj who won't play the macarena? Why is my groom acting like such a grouch?

So who can you turn to for answers? Your best friend-that wise, resourceful, and wonderfully witty friend who will help you pull together the wedding of your dreams and make sure you have fun along the way.

In The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding, Lara Webb Carrigan, like that indispensable girl Friend, helps you navigate the complicated process of organizing a wedding with smarts, grace, and, above all, good humor. After having survived he hundreds of brides-to-be and newlyweds, collecting the kind of useful suggestions that no one thinks to share-until after the wedding. Filled with voices of real women, plus insider tips from wedding consultants, caterers, and other pros, this essential resource offers practical, step-by-step strategies, checklists, and real-life advice from brides who have been there before. It also debunks wedding myths from "All bridesmaids have to wear the same dress" to "Seating charts are optional" and "The more makeup you wear, the better you'll look."

Like your best girlfriend, The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding helps you keep track of all the details (and your wits) while reminding you that what matters most isn't a perfect wedding but a wonderful marriage.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lara Webb Carrigan shares the wisdom of her own experience in The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding: How to Find a Dress, Return the Shoes, Hire a Caterer, Fire the Photographer, Choose a Florist, Book a Band, and Still Wind Up Married at the End of It All. She counsels that choosing the right kind of wedding for the couple is the most important decision to be made, and all plans should come from that. Carrigan illustrates her points with anecdotes gathered in her many interviews with suppliers, couples, brides-to-be and others. This best friend reminds readers about things they should do now (rather than after the rites), and hangs in until it's all a lovely memory.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lara Webb Carrigan is a freelance writer and former book editor. She lives in New York City with her husband, Brian.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (December 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060393017
• ISBN-13: 978-0060393014
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Weddings > Gown

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks to this book, my fiancee is SANE!!, January 11, 2001

By 

Dirk Digler (NYC, the Big Damn Apple, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding : How to Find a Dress, Return the Shoes, Hire a Caterer, Fire the Photographer, Choose a Florist, Book a Band, and Still Wind Up Married at the End of It All (Hardcover)

When my soon-to-be got this book, I yawned and prayed that the author had sane advice because I haven't had fun since I proposed. Before the book we were arguing about the dumbest things, like what color the organist's shirt should be for pictures! The organist could have been nude for all I cared.

L.W. Carrigan's book drastically changed my fiancee's outlook that I was actually reading the book between football games! And it was really good stuff. I got a few chuckles out of it but of course I didn't tell you-know-who that I even lifted the book. I just said, "Geez, another book?" And she went on and on about how she just was so sorry for acting so stupid to me and our families. She said she was getting too nervous about the wrong things and that Lara's book put things into perspective for her. THANK YOU LARA...I'd like a shot at writing the rebuttal book -- "Hey Guys! Don't Forget to Attach Carrigan's Book to The Ring" with salutations to your awesome book. Now, I know my wife-to-be hasn't gone off the deep end thanks to your good vibe. Peace...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Much more traditional than you'd think..., June 12, 2003

By 

Treehugger "Chelsea B." (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding: How to Find a Dress, Return the Shoes, Hire a Caterer, Fire the Photographer, Choose a Florist, Book a ... Still Wind Up Married at the End of It All (Paperback)

The cover and the title of this book imply a funny, light-hearted, less-tradtional approach to the adventure/ordeal of planning a wedding. In truth, other than stressing the importance of doing what you want, rather than what you're being told you *should* want, this book is very traditional in its advice and approach. While the author does mention a few less traditional weddings in passing (mentioning marrying while skydiving numerous times), none of her advice is geared toward anyone actually taking one of these paths. Also, she seems to assume that every reader has the average $20,000 to spend on a wedding. One would think that a "best friend" might have had a few cost-cutting hints here or there. I give this book only two stars because it does not live up to its appearance. It's perfectly good for those of you having a traditional wedding; just make sure you have lots of money to spend if you're going to follow the advice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone needs a "Girlfriend" at a time like this, August 14, 2001

By 

Dawn E. Grobe "Lady in a Smalltown" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding : How to Find a Dress, Return the Shoes, Hire a Caterer, Fire the Photographer, Choose a Florist, Book a Band, and Still Wind Up Married at the End of It All (Hardcover)

My man and I are planning our wedding and I am a wreck. This book made me laugh and think and get really excited. I recommend it to anyone that is planning a wedding, especially if you don't have a lot of friends who have planned weddings recently. Lara gives great advice and backs it up with ideas and antecdotes. A must read!