Customer Reviews

The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner: From Rustic Settings to Elegant Garden Parties, Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Day Special

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I bought this book I was assuming--perhaps naively--that its title meant that the book would focus on specific things you need to know when planning an outdoor wedding. I hoped that it would be able to help me with such nitty-gritty details as planning for the possibility of rain and dealing with rentals of items such as chairs and tables. Instead, I found that the book was, in essence, a wedding planner almost exactly like every other wedding planner on the market, complete with a checklist of what-to-do-when, a breakdown of the expenses according to who "traditionally" pays for them, and pages and pages of advice on picking out the dress and the cake. Her advice on making a backup plan for rain was confined to one paragraph, the essence of which was "Make sure you have a backup plan for rain." Not one word on how to go about making such a plan (okay, she did have a short section on the advantages of booking a site with both indoor and outdoor accommodations, but what about those of us who want to use a state park where the only shelter is a pavilion without sides)? As for rentals, there isn't even a listing in the index for them. My advice: if you're looking for details, don't bother with this book. You can find better information on the Web for nothing.

My fiance and I LOVED this book. We did all the worksheets, completed the questionnaire of what we really, really wanted for our wedding, and planned out our entire dream wedding. The best part was all of the budget tips that helped us figure out how we're going to pay for the whole thing, and we are so excited to have learned all of the details that most couples forget. Before we got this book, we didn't know if we could pull off an outdoor wedding. We thought it might be too much, or that it would be too hard to plan....but now that we have this book, we have no doubts. Sharon Naylor really made everything easy to follow and easy to use, and she made it fun for BOTH of us with her sense of humor and her warnings about common mistakes to avoid. We highly recommend this book to any couple planning a beach or yard wedding -- it has advice you're not going to find in the magazines or other books.

So many people told us that having an outdoor wedding was just asking for trouble, and we're glad we listened to this book instead of them!! Sharon Naylor eased all of our concerns about bad weather and finding a location, decorating and all the rest, and her really creative ideas on how to make an outdoor site really beautiful were just what we needed! I loved the part about choosing the right kind of gown and shoes and tuxes for any weather condition, and my fiance got into the 'how to plan your menu' part that talks about warnings and smarter choices we never considered before. If you're dreaming of an outdoor wedding, this book is going to make you very, very happy.

I was hoping the focus would be on planning an outdoor wedding. I am a very detail oriented person and thought this would give me all the details I've established and then the ones I wouldn't even think of, being I've not planned an elegant outdoor event. Unfortunately my own details far surpassed what is written in this book. Most of the advice mentioned in this book is common sense. I would have appreciated a bit more info on seating, on sand, deck, grass, a mountaintop...decor, and what will work where, and what to use in place of candles (being outside can be windy), Outdoor foods, maybe some budget ideas thrown in...a disappointment, sorry

This book is way short on substance (based on what it's supposed to help you with) and way long on anonymous hype. Don't buy it.

This is a great book...what we thought was going to be a nightmare to plan was actually a breeze -- the ideas and timing charts, rental items and FYIs in here kept us organized, and we enjoyed planning the wedding more than we expected. Great decor ideas, and beach wedding hints and tips. Strongly recommended if you'll be planning your wedding outside.

We learned so much from this book! From the insider questions to the solutions to common weather challenges, decor ideas and great secrets about which types of menu items to use and not use...this book saved us a LOT of trouble with our planning, and we now have details that we're confident about. Instead of worrying, we're looking forward to the wedding because we were so well-guided by this book! We especially loved the ideas for planning an outdoor wedding aisle, and those will definitely be a part of the wedding.

Whether you are contemplating a big bash of a celebration, an intimate dinner, or an elegant afternoon party, this book has plenty of inspiration and ideas. I bought it in anticipation of a wedding potentially planned for a barn. We moved the venue, but still borrowed many ideas from the book for refreshments, flowers, lighting and other party particulars.

Before I got this book, I thought that planning an outdoor wedding would be way too much trouble. What if it rained? Where would the guests park? Do we need permission to have our wedding on a beach? I am SO glad that I found this book, because it walked me through the entire process, showed me how to handle all the many little details that go into creating an outdoor wedding, and gave me great ideas on using the outdoor setting to actually save money! All of my plans are set now, and I'm so grateful that I had this book to make my dreams of an outdoor wedding a reality. This book is packed with great ideas, and the writer made the process fun with a great sense of humor. While magazines and other pretty wedding books show you great outdoor wedding scenes with tents and flowers and gorgeous cakes, this is the book that's going to tell you exactly how to pull it all together. I recommend it highly!

It was horrid...pages bent, tea spilt all over pages, embarrassing, unable to use at all....if it didn't take so much time to return it, I would have rejected it completely, however I had already paid of course by credit card. I thought to purchase a 'used' book would be effective recycling and 'green' behavior, but after paying for the separate postage and receiving an unusable book , I was so disappointed.