The Wedding Guide for the Grownup Bride: Getting Married When You're Old Enough to Know What You're Doing (Paperback)

by Shelly Christiansen (Author) "Dinner at the restaurant where we had our first date..." (more)
Key Phrases: younger brides, older brides, reception music, Future Husband, New York, Dearly Beloved (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A new kind of wedding guide--for the millions of women who marry (or remarry) at mid-life.

She may be beyond swooning and blushing--but even the most mature, sophisticated bride can find herself rattled by the prospect of getting married. And while grownup brides often bring more wisdom to the wedding, they also face unique complications, as they deal with issues far more profound than color schemes and corsages. This savvy, sensible guide helps the process along, with in-the-know discussions of...

Habitats and habits: merging grownup lives with minimum stress and maximum happiness
We've got enough towels: sensible gift and shower strategies
Other loves: dealing with exes, in-laws, steps...and even pets
Promises and prenups: love may be blind, but it doesn't have to be dumb
Married...to the job: establishing a marriage when you've already established a career
The tough stuff: name changes, big white dresses, and other slightly uncomfortable issues
And much more...

About the Author
Shelley Christiansen is a corporate writer and communications consultant, as well as a certified guidance counselor with a Master's degree from Columbia University. She got married for the first time in 1996, at the age of 46, and considers her timing perfect.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425174360
• ISBN-13: 978-0425174364
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #529,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and spot-on, August 23, 2002

By A Customer

This book is a treasure in the midst of the piles of repetitive ... about getting married. If you don't fit into the average profile of Girl Getting Married, this book will have something for you. I think the way they're marketing this book is a bit off -- it's not only age that makes you different. I'm getting married for the first time now at 33, and I found SO much to identify with in this book. Besides, it's hilarious, and was such fun to read in between issues of Martha Stewart. I'm recommending it to all my friends.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Forget the Wedding, Prepare for Marriage", July 17, 2001

By A Customer

I'm getting married for the first time at age 43, I've got a three-foot shelf filled with wedding planners and guides euphoric friends and family members have purchased for me, and I'm starting to hate looking at all that bridal stuff. What's wrong with this picture?

Now that I've read Shelley Christiansen's book, I know for sure: Nothing. I'm just typical a midlife bride, marrying a man who has been on his own for twenty years. We're not focusing on what we look like walking down the aisle. We're dreaming about family life and growing old together.

This is the book I needed to read. This is the book that's made me happy and excited and a good deal more relaxed about "The Big Event." The first part, "Forget the Wedding, Prepare for Marriage," covers all the major issues that adults who are used to being sole decision-makers have to learn to collaborate on and get clear about--like finances and how much space one's belongings take up and whether to eat out or in. The author offers living proof that husbands and wives can make these adjustments with humor and grace.

The second part of the book covers the wedding from start to finish, emphasizing above all else how it's not about image or etiquette so much as it is about making choices--generally, with your future husband at your side--that reflect who you are as individuals and where you are in your lives. This may or may not correspond to a certain color of table linen or type of centerpiece. One great bit of advice Christiansen has is to focus on perfecting one or two aspects of the ceremony and reception that are close to your heart--for some couples, it's music, for others, flowers or photos. (No matter how busy you are, doesn't that sound like fun?)

The third section of the book covers life after the wedding, and it's a little sketchy and lacking in authority compared to the first two parts--perhaps because the author is still a newlywed. I only wish the Christiansens were planning to become parents. I'm sure the sequel to "Grownup Bride" would be great.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm The husband-to-be of NYC reviewer, July 23, 2001

By A Customer

As the prospective husband-to-be, it is wonderful to hear excerpts that my intended reads to me when she comes across something that really hits home (which happens constantly). We fit the profile presented in the book to a tee and I find myself identifying closely with many, many things in the book. Preperations for Long Island style wedding celebrations can be lenghtly and exhausting, and the day can wind up being quite expensive. They are generally geared to those that we have amost 20 years on, and some of the pagentry borders on the uncomfortable. Instead, the book is written from the perspective of us "40-somethings". I have actually had the feeling of relief descend upon me after hearing the common sense ideas and flexible approach that is typical of the book. So, I say "Way to Go" Shelly Christiansen, and "Thank you" too !