Best Books on Weddings: Planning Tips, Ideas and More

Preston Bailey Fantasy Weddings. Retail $45.00

Amazing pictures and even more amazing ideas. Most of these are completely over the top but a very good book to jump-start your ideas. Preston Bailey is one of the foremost authorities on event design and celebrity wedding planner extraordinaire. He's brilliant, as you'll see from this book.

Colin Cowie Extraordinary Weddings. Retail $75.00

One of the pricier tomes in the list so try to get it at your local library if you can. This book has amazing ideas as well so very good start to get your creative juices flowing. Also very thorough in how he presents time schedules and menu options. Colin Cowie is very detail-oriented and more of a "planner" than Preston Bailey (who's mostly a floral designer by trade) so you'll notice the difference right away between his book and Bailey's. Bailey's is more focused on the ideas and inspirations than the execution. Any of Colin Cowie's books are good for more in-depth planning direction but this one I think is the more exceptional.

Jo Gartin's Weddings. Retail $22.95

Yeah, I know. BIG difference from the other two but sooooooooo don't go off price alone, my friends! This book has awesome ideas that I've used for my clients. Easily incorporated into your budget AND your wedding without being pretentious or over-the-top. Great reference tool in the back for suppliers. Covers everything from gowns to favors. Very cute ideas for welcome bags/baskets for your out-of-town guests.

Best for the DIY Bride:

The Artful Bride, April L. Paffrath & Laura McFadden. Retail $22.00

Everything in here is a project. Divided into four correspondence (so invites, save-the-dates, etc), gifts & goodies, ceremony details and reception & decor. Some very cute, very original ideas with detailed instructions on how to do each project. If you're at all thinking of DIY for your wedding, I highly recommend this book. I did the Zen centerpiece on page 98 and the Zen rock garden on page 100 for a rehearsal dinner. Very cute stuff.

The Artful Bride Wedding Invitations, April L. Paffrath & Laura McFadden. Retail $12.99

Same writers, just this one obviously focuses on invites and other wedding stationary. Very original. You may want to do these only if you have a small wedding, as these projects are time consuming. Like the previous book, this one offers a suppliers reference list and project templates. Very detailed instructions, too.

Pretty Weddings for Practically Pennies, Catherine Yarnovich Risling. Retail $19.95

This book is divided differently than the others on this list: according to "style". For example, the first chapter is "Modern Romance" so all the projects and ideas are more elegant and classic.

Second chapter is all things country. Chapter three is vintage style wedding ideas and traditions and the last chapter is called "champagne taste". Not sure why, unless it's cause they just have pics of champagne bottles, but there are some nice ideas for favors and boutonnieres.

Best for Advice and Planning:

Great Wedding Tips from the Experts, Robbi G.W. Ernst III. Retail $19.95

Founder and President of June Wedding, Inc., an association for wedding planners. So, of course this is gonna have some great advice! It does, and it covers every topic. You should get this book if you are seriously constrained with budget issues and are completely committed to doing the wedding yourself. I do have to warn you: no pictures. This is strictly a how-to manual that cuts through the whole frilly "I'm-getting-married-isn't-life-grand" stuff and gets right to the meat of wedding planning.

Bridal Bargains, Denise & Allen Fields. Retail $14.95

Sort of the Consumer Reports guide of weddings. A bit of a bridal bargain itself, this book is divided into two sections: ceremony and reception. They do not pull punches and shoot straight with myths, facts, stuff to avoid and money-savings secrets. All brides-to-be should have one. I do.

Brides Book of Etiquette, The Editor's of Bride's Magazine. Retail $16.95

Mines a little dated but, honestly, etiquette rules rarely change. Covers stuff like who to tell first when you get engaged, how to word your invites if you've got divorced parents who are both paying for the wedding and how/who to tip. No pictures in this one either but it's not really about the pictures, now, is it? The newest edition I believe covers things like the internet and second weddings.

Best overall:

The Best of Martha Stewart Weddings. Retail $55.00
Of course this is on our list, silly! And she doesn't disappoint. Very cute ideas in here that are more easily re-created for the average bride than the more extravagant ones in Cowie's or Bailey's portfolios. The book is sectioned off by ceremony and reception with some how-to's in between to incorporate into your wedding. The last section is great because it offers wedding planning pointers, how to sit people at the ceremony, how the bridal party should stand, and even includes a section on how to make a wedding cake. There are great recipes for hors d'ouvres, drinks and cakes which makes it worth the price alone. Also a great reference section for suppliers that are featured in the book.