Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette: Cherished Traditions and Contemporary Ideas for a Joyous Celebration (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What makes a perfect wedding? "[The bride] and the groom both look as though there were sunlight behind their eyes, as though their mouths irresistibly turned to smiles," wrote Emily Post in 1922's Etiquette. Great-granddaughter-in-law Peggy Post, author of the fourth edition of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, absolutely agrees with Miss Emily. To ensure those bright eyes and smiles, she imparts thoughtful and commonsensical advice on how to plan for not just your wedding, but for all the social and familial obligations and traditions that a wedding entails.

Unlike many wedding manuals, Post includes advice for the "encore" bride as well as for the new bride. In this day of remarriages and blended families, tact and strategy are often needed to make sure feelings aren't hurt and everything runs as smoothly as possible. A chapter on multicultural and interfaith marriages addresses differing world traditions and how they can be incorporated into a touching ceremony that makes both the couple and their families happy. If you are unsure of who is supposed to do what, Post gives you clear instruction, often including a flow chart that delineates the responsibilities of all people involved in the wedding party (bride's parents throw the engagement party, best man returns the tuxes, flower girl's family pays for her outfit).

Throughout Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette are sidebars with questions asked of Post regarding an amazing array of wedding-related conundrums ("My daughter's fiancé wants to follow his family's tradition of having a money tree at the wedding. I personally find this distasteful; can I say so?"). This is a great book to find the answers for all those sticky questions. All involved in the wedding process should leaf through, get their bearings, smile, and then forge ahead. --Dana Van Nest

Product Description

Peggy Post, America's etiquette authority, presents an indispensable, comprehensive guide to planning and personalizing your wedding. Today's weddings are more complex than ever before, with new traditions and new family relationships to consider. This thoroughly revised fourth edition of the classic Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette addresses countless wedding questions both old and new. With the famous Post blend of sensitivity and practicality, Peggy Post shows how to handle the big decisions and the little details that will make your wedding beautiful to behold and uniquely yours -- and how to carry it off with minimum stress and maximum style.

Three new chapters offer advice on the latest realities of today's weddings, including multicultural ceremonies, encore weddings, and postwedding duties. Expanded sections give guidance on financial matters, working smoothly with wedding consultants and others on your "wedding team," and planning theme and destination weddings. Dozens of at-a-glance lists, boxes, and charts on everything from most-asked questions to creative ideas for personalizing the day are perfect guides for busy brides and grooms.

With this book in hand, a couple can confidently blend the best of classic tradition with contemporary style, making this wondrous event a celebration to be remembered and treasured by all.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Collins; 4th edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060198834
• ISBN-13: 978-0060198831
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #452,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Single-Source Wedding Book, March 13, 2002

By	njbookworm (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

If you only plan on buying *one* wedding guide book, this should be it.

Peggy Post addresses almost every aspect of wedding etiquette in this hefty book. Although you can find most of this information on Internet sites, Peggy Post does a fantastic job of compiling wedding information in one easy-to-use volume.

Book highlights include:

- Exhaustively Thorough Invitation Section
(Example: Outlines specific language you should use if the bride's divorced/remarried parents are jointly hosting the wedding.)

- Engagement Outline
(Example: Gives recommendations for who the happy couple should tell, when, & how.)

- Guest Information
(Example: Discusses gift giving, response cards, etc.)

Peggy Post does an excellent job of conveying information without sounding preachy. She offers recommendations instead of barking standards.

In addition to being a great planning tool, this book is also quite lovely! As such, it would make a beautiful engagement gift.

Highly recommended.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable, July 1, 2003

By	Steven Park "steve02" (Lansdowne, VA USA) - See all my reviews

An invaluable book to avoid potential wedding/social faux pas. Has guidance from invitations to thank you letters and everything in between. If you're wanting more value for the money, I would suggest "Emily Post's Etiquette (16th Edition or latest)" as it covers wedding (albeit not as detailed), social and business etiquette areas.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Most Practical, December 4, 2001

By A Customer

I had read an older version of the Emily Post that was in our library. I reluctantly borrowed this the 2001 one from a friend. I learned so much that I decided I couldnt live without my own. There was so much more practical attention to the diversity of ceremony styles and one of the few books that appreciated that not all people have parents paying megabucks and planning their wedding. I loved the expanded advice for reception and apparell and having kids tables-definately plan on using that idea.