iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But 'Net (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christa Terry is the editor of the popular nuptial fashion, wedding etiquette, and bridal accessory website, Manolo for the Brides at www.manolobrides.com. Christa lives, works, and spends inordinate amounts of time thinking about other people's weddings in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416578544
• ISBN-13: 978-1416578543
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #295,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to planning your wedding YOUR way, July 31, 2008

By	M. Graff "Opinionated Reader" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having just gotten engaged two months ago (yay!), I've been scouring bookstores and the Internet for advice on planning a simple yet elegant wedding on a shoestring budget (yikes!). I had already set two rules for my wedding: (1) no one will go into debt for it, and (2) no one will dress like a fairy princess (unless they want to). Unfortunately, most of the books I read were aimed at the women who had expensive, fairy-princess weddings in mind and were written as if anyone planning a wedding was willing to take on the year-long equivalent of a part-time job.

Enter Christa Terry's iDo. I'd read Christa's writing on the popular blog "Manolo for the Brides" and, impressed by her ingenuity, decided to take a chance on ordering this book. It has two advantages that put it head and shoulders above every other wedding guidebook I've read so far. First, as the title promises, the book presents online tools to find almost every wedding resource you could ever need. Christa has combed the Internet and come up with sources for planning timelines, budget calculators, party equipment suppliers, photographers, even videos to teach you how to do the foxtrot for your first dance. Like a good teacher, Christa does not tell you what to do but shows you how to find the information to make your own decisions.

This leads me to the second great strength of the book: it encourages personalization and emphasizes the individual, rather than the "traditional" (a loaded word) element of weddings. Unlike the guides that make assumptions--often expensive ones--about the size and style of your wedding, iDo takes a "blank slate" approach. Christa points out the difference between the necessary and the optional and in so doing challenges many of the expectations exploited by the billion-dollar wedding industry.

There are a only couple of things that I wish iDo had done differently. The first is the format in which URLs are presented. For pages that are deeply embedded within Web sites, the book simply copies entire URLs and presents them, in all their incomprehensible glory, on the pager. This leads to the printing of some lengthy URLs that would be impossible to retype without some serious back-and-forthing between page and screen. Why not just list the homepage and give directions on how to navigate to the subpage?

Second, I occasionally found the sheer volume of information overwhelming. I'm sure that some of this is the inevitable result of the topic matter and the intent of the book. However, from a book that often points its readers to search engines in one form or another, I would have liked a little more guidance on how to filter data and craft useful search parameters.

Bear in mind that these criticisms are very mild in relation to the overall excellence and usefulness of this book. It is not--and does not claim to be--the only resource you'll need. As far as printed wedding planning guides go, however, it very well may be the only one you need to buy. Happy hunting!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Guide If You Can Find the Time to Read It, October 23, 2009

By	S. Fowler "Ditzy Bride" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I would recommend this book highly, however I would note that you should focus on the chapters that pertain to what you need specifically otherwise you will lose the motivation to continue reading. I paired this book with another book "Bargain Brides" or something to that effect, these books together have helped me alot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not like other wedding books, August 31, 2009

By	DarkBunny - See all my reviews

I was pleased to discover that this book is not a rehash of the same information contained in every other wedding book on the planet (though it does direct you to websites where you can find exactly that, if you want it).

What it IS is a fabulous resource. It has URLs for lots of websites on each topic, so you can find what's right for you; it covers the essential non-glamourous-but-very-important info like making it legal, changing your name (or not), and what should be in a vendor contact.

Perhaps the best part, though, is the tone of the book; throughout, Terry encrouages staying sane, sticking to your budget, and planning the wedding you want, not the wedding everyone else says you are supposed to have.