Must-Read Wedding Planning Books

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Hip, modern brides-to-be who eschew cutesy frills and wedding clichés won't mind toting this stylish organizer to dress fittings or the office. Co-created by Aisledash.com's own Anne Chertoff, the system is designed around a customizable binder (select from chic colors like Apricot, Charcoal, and Lime) and includes section tabs with pockets, a planning notebook, adhesive notes, sheet protectors for fabric swatches or magazine clippings, business card sleeves, and pages for list-making and notes. Tailor the binder to your unique needs with 50-plus free templates including everything from budget, music, and flower worksheets to an emergency kit checklist.

Wedding Organizer by russell+hazel and Anne Chertoff, $75

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Ms. Weiss may be a wedding planner for the likes of Hilary Duff, Nicole Richie, Adam Sandler and Ellen Degeneres, but now she can be yours too for only $19.95. At 496 pages, this step-by-step big-day bible covers everything you need to know: announcing the engagement, creating a budget, contracts and wedding insurance, tabletop tips, inspiring menus, how to suit the groom, rehearsal dinner strategies, planning the honeymoon, and preserving the bouquet. With insight into every wedding detail imaginable (plus a few more), you don't have to be a star to have an expertly executed and stylish soirée.

The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day by Mindy Weiss with Lisbeth Levine, $19.95

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

What with vetting vendors you can't meet in person, arranging details for guests, and clarifying foreign marriage certificate requirements, planning a far, faraway big day is no small feat. Enter Alison Hotchkiss, a San Francisco-based destination wedding coordinator. Her planner includes expert advice on these topics and more, such as how to set a budget and craft the guest list. All the essential "destination I Do's" information is paired with worksheets, checklists, a gift log, and tips for helpful resources. It will keep you inspired, organized, and on track, whether your location is three states over or half-way around the world.

Destination Wedding Planner: The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Wedding from Afar by Alison Hotchkiss, $19.95

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Whether you simply wish to include a few eco-elements in your decor and beauty regime (nontoxic nail polish!) or your mission is to throw a completely carbon-neutral soirée with Fair Trade attire, organic food and green gifts, this comprehensive guide will help eco-friendly couples say "I do" protect the planet. Kate Harrison -- a longtime environmentalist and founder of greenbrideguide.com -- provides a chronological structure covering everything from green engagements to sustainable invitations, flowers, transportation, catering and more. Each section offers low-, medium- and high-end ideas for elegant events, complete with Web links and worksheets.

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget by Kate L. Harrison, $10

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Are you the kind of couple that wants to walk down the aisle to Metallica, serve caramel apples instead of cake, and roar off to your honeymoon on a motorcycle? This guide -- one of 30-plus books by the wedding specialist for ivillage.com and pashweddings.com -- is chock full of fun and affordable tips and tricks for personalizing all the details, whether you're only tweaking a handful of traditions or your celebration will be unconventional to the core. Naylor also includes testimonials from other outside-the-box brides-to-be, and advice for how to politely but firmly discuss your unorthodox choices with parents and vendors.

Your Wedding, Your Way: Break with Tradition and Create a One-of-a-Kind Celebration You'll Never Forget! by Sharon Naylor, $11

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

If you're like most couples, chances are you have to cram your wedding planning into those rare pockets of free time between work, family and sleep. Luckily for busy brides, the Internet is going 24/7. To make navigating the nuptial world (wide web) a little easier, the editor of the popular wedding Web site manolobrides.com has compiled 400 pages of both innovative and traditional sources for timelines, budget calculators, gowns, invitations, party equipment, dance lessons and much, much more. Written in Terry's clever, conversational voice, this techie tome emphasizes personalization, affordability, and simplifying planning with a click of the mouse.

iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But 'Net by Christa Terry, $12.50

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Are your finances so tight that having more than 10 wedding guests feels like a luxury? Or perhaps you'd simply prefer to spend your hard-earned money on a mortgage. Either way, this is the cost-conscious planner-and-guide-in-one for you. An Oprah fave, the Fields' 480-page budget-friendly book contains bargain and DIY tips, sources for deals and steals, pricey traps to avoid and questions to ask vendors for each category, including apparel, invitations, flowers, ceremony and reception sites, catering, photography, entertainment and more. A combo of expert advice and extensive online leads will help you throw your perfect party without going bankrupt.

Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget, Tenth Edition by Denise and Alan Fields, $10

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Smart and down-to-earth, this primer helps contemporary couples forge their own path through conflicting wedding conventions so that they can plan the party they want. Mac Adam -- the etiquette expert for indiebride.com -- tackles all the classic categories (showers, invitations, registries, etc.), illustrating each with a sticky situation and solution. In addition to providing cheat sheets for traditional comportment, she answers quirky questions about topics like what to do if a bridesmaid goes up a couple sizes or how to have a child-free affair. Whether your vibe is bohemian or black-tie, know all the rules before you decide which ones to break.

Something New: Wedding Etiquette for Rule Breakers, Traditionalists, and Everyone In Between by Elise Mac Adam, $16

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Written by comedian and television personality Michael Essany, this witty guide doesn't insult the engaged guy's intelligence. Instead, it offers simple steps, helpful resources, etiquette tips, and practical advice for today's cool grooms -- the ones who actually want to participate in the planning or, more importantly, simply want to take some of the burden off their stressed-out brides. As entertaining as it is instructive, it covers topics like "Taking Over Tasks the Bride Doesn't Want" and "The Benefit of Venting," as well as 100 romantic ways to reduce stress that are both naughty (strip poker) and nice (do her errands!).

Groomology: What Every (Smart) Groom Needs to Know Before the Wedding by Michael Essany, $8

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books

Gifting Mom with this positive and practical book is a gift to yourself. The updated edition covers her role in all the classic planning components, including following a timeline, sorting through the guest list and saving money where it counts, plus tips for how to dress the part, give a speech, avoid the "pushy" label and more. Revised by the founder of the eco-couture consulting firm Elegance & Simplicity, Inc., it also features new material on communicating with the groom's family and etiquette for sticky situations-- all designed to help Mom gracefully help you have the wedding of your dreams.

The Everything Mother of the Bride Book: A Survival Guide for Mom! by Katie Martin, $10

Top 10 Wedding Planning Books