Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding: From Engagement Ring to Honeymoon, a Week-by-Week Guide to Planning the Happiest Day of Your Life [Paperback]

Joyce Scardina Becker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312348452 | ISBN-13: 978-0312348458 | Publication Date: February 7, 2006 | Edition: First Edition

Planning a wedding can be an exciting, overwhelming, and time consuming endeavor. COUNTDOWN TO YOUR PERFECT WEDDING will give brides the exact amount of information they need to plan the wedding they want. It breaks down pre-wedding tasks into manageable bits of information and serves as a point-by-point checklist so that nothing slips through the cracks and nothing is left undone.

Unlike other books, COUNTDOWN is arranged on a 52-week timeline (one year is the average amount of time brides take to plan a wedding) that explains what needs to be done when. Each week will feature an essential aspect of a beautiful wedding and will include tips and insider information on how brides can get what they want, budgeting considerations, definition of terms, as well as feature information for "Brides On A Budget" and "When Money Is No Object.

For brides who wish they could hire a wedding planner but can't afford one, this book will hold their hand through the process so they can plan the wedding of their dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Location. Flowers. Dress. Invitations. Linens. Food. China. Music. And, of course, the Cake. Once the proposal is accepted, the planning begins. To create a wedding that reflects your style and unique personality, you need a firm timeline showing exactly what needs to be done…and when. Let Joyce Scardina Becker, one of the world's leading wedding consultants, walk you through the process. That way, you're guaranteed to walk down the aisle stress-free--and in style.

Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding gives you detailed and easy-to-follow instructions for perfecting all aspects of your wonderful event. It shows how to customize each piece to create a day you will forever cherish.

Organized around a 52-week timeline, which can be adjusted according to your own needs, each chapter features an essential aspect of planning the happiest day of your life. The book includes insider tips on how to get what you want, plan an appropriate budget, understand essential planning lingo, and much more. It also reveals some of the unique ways brides have accomplished a range of wedding tasks to fit everyone's pocketbook.

From announcing your engagement to planning your honeymoon getaway and everything in between, Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding is the indispensable must-have guide for any groom and bride-to-be.

About the Author

Joyce Scardina Becker is a Certified Wedding Consultant and veteran wedding planner with more than twenty-five years of experience. Based in San Francisco, she is president of Events of Distinction, a leading wedding and special event consulting company. A contributing editor to TheKnot.com, she is also the founding director and instructor of the Wedding Consultation Certificate Program at California State University, Hayward.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312348452
• ISBN-13: 978-0312348458
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #675,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A celebrated events expert with over 25 years of experience, Joyce Scardina Becker superlatively leads Events of Distinction, a highly acclaimed wedding design and planning company based in San Francisco. In recognition of her accomplishments as one of the world's top wedding planners, Joyce has been honored with 11 international awards, as well as 23 nominations. For writing "Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding," she received an Esprit de Corps Award from the International Special Events Society for "Best Industry Contribution."

Since 1997, Joyce has been the Founding Director and Instructor of the Wedding Planner Certificate Program, which is offered annually at California State University East Bay. Nationally recognized by event professionals and students, this intensive 40-hour program was the first of its kind on a university campus, providing a comprehensive education for students who wish to pursue a professional career in wedding management.

Joyce has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, and she has frequently been a featured speaker at industry conferences and bridal shows. Her ideas and designs have appeared in over 200 media outlets, including The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, The Huffington Post and msn.com. Her words of wisdom have been translated into several languages; she has been profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle and Elegant Bride magazine; and her events have graced the covers of Special Events Magazine (twice), Catering Magazine and Hotel F&B Executive. Joyce served as the "Northern California Expert" for TheKnot.com website, a Contributing Editor for The Knot magazine, and currently she blogs for The Knot's local wedding web page, SanFrancisco.Weddings.com.

Joyce is the Founding President of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA), the first national non-profit (Section 501c6) trade association created specifically for providers of wedding products and services. Its mission is to advance the wedding profession, enhance the professional growth of its members, uphold the highest ethics, and educate the public about qualified specialists.

Joyce's talents began to bloom at age 5, when she planned a "Surprise Halloween Party" for her kindergarten class. (The surprise was on her mother, when the entire kindergarten class showed up at her front door!) Joyce went on to attend San Francisco State University, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. Later, she received a prestigious degree in Retail Floristry from City College of San Francisco, and subsequently she earned the esteemed Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential.

Today, what Joyce loves most is bringing her clients' visions and dreams to life on their wedding day. She focuses on creating innovative, cutting-edge designs that artistically embrace the couple's personal tastes, preferences, and styles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A logical plan with a logical timeline and explanations galore!!, May 8, 2006

By 

Beverly (Richmond Hill, Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding: From Engagement Ring to Honeymoon, a Week-by-Week Guide to Planning the Happiest Day of Your Life (Paperback)

This book came in the mail today and I love it!! It breaks the wedding details down into very do-able steps. The book takes the overwhelming task of planning a wedding and explains it in small tasks, week by week,and makes your "wedding vision" seem easy to achieve. It's obvious that the author has "been there, done that" many times for brides. Also there is a list of wedding websites in the back of the book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Countdown Counselor, March 12, 2006

By 

J. Savadelis "reviewer" (Silicon Valley, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding: From Engagement Ring to Honeymoon, a Week-by-Week Guide to Planning the Happiest Day of Your Life (Paperback)

If you wake up in a cold sweat and worry that you're going to forget something important, then this book is the antidote. In a well-written anecdotal style, the book presents practical steps readers can follow, and allows brides and grooms to gain confidence and make better decisions. The book's practical tips apply equally well to grand, formal affairs and to casual barefoot ceremonies on the beach.

In sharing her many years of experience, the author saves you time, and also saves you money and heartache by pointing out the key questions to ask of vendors and the pitfalls to avoid. The book pays for itself many times over.

I particularly liked the examples of real brides and real weddings, the latest trends, and the comprehensive resource guide at the end of the book. This book is so good, even other event planners recommend it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn From The Best!, March 11, 2006

By 

Kathy A. Newby "Event Consultant" (Burlingame, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding: From Engagement Ring to Honeymoon, a Week-by-Week Guide to Planning the Happiest Day of Your Life (Paperback)

This book is the most important tool anyone could use to plan a wedding or event. The format makes the process makes it easier to understand the event process. Wedding planner guides group tasks in difficult monthly chunks, where Joyce provides weekly tasks making them easier to accomplish. Her expertise and advice is a valuable tool. She has planned many fabulous events throughout the county and has been very successful at it. Learn from the best!