Sandcastles Weddings

The Sandcastles Guide to Starting and Managing Your Own Wedding-Planning Business: How to Enjoy a Career in One of Today's Most Exciting Professions

Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding

by Joyce Scardina Becker

Secret Wedding Savings •by Sandra Burnett

 you will: Learn what questions to ask when talking with your caterer and other service providers •Discover classy ways to impress your guests for less!  

•Have handy fill-in-the-blank forms to present to vendors in order to compare options and show you ‘mean business’

•Enjoy the benefit of a veteran caterer’s 30 years of experience in the bridal industry •Find out about hidden wedding costs that can easily be avoided •Learn about items that can be ‘repurposed’ from the wedding to the reception

Thirty to Wife : Thirty to Wife by Craig Michaels
Thirty to Wife: The Tell-All Groom's Guide to Weddings by Craig Michaels You've met the perfect woman, you've summoned the courage to propose, she actually said yes...now what? A funny and informative wild ride through one soon-to-be-groom's last month of bachelorhood. Navigating the treacherous waters of wedding details (including responsibilities, budgeting, and traditions), Craig shares his triumphs and tragedies in valiant effort to help grooms-to-be avoid making the same mistakes he did. Brides-to-be will better understand what their mates are going through?and will take comfort in knowing that things could be worse. Charming and chock full of useful tips and ideas, Thirty to Wife will have every prospective groom?and bride?not only laughing in the aisles, but walking down them too.

It's My Wedding : 101 Ways to Make Your Wedding About You by Jean Ramsden
It’s MY Wedding! presents 101 hilarious, heartbreaking, theatrical, and sometimes unbelievable testimonials from real women (and a few men!) who have gone through the wedding planning process, from engagement to the big day. Following each anecdote, the authors present sane, human and helpful advice for prospective brides and grooms with the goal of reminding readers about the one thing that is truly important during the wedding process…love! It’s MY Wedding is a perfect gift for engaged couples, prospective brides, their friends, family and members of the bridal party. Universal in its appeal, the book is unique in the wedding advice category. Instead of quizzes, planning tips and advice, budgeting secrets, wedding etiquette, wedding toasts or wedding vows, the authors present readers with the same straightforward, girlfriend-to-girlfriend advice that they offered each other when they used to trade war stories about their upcoming nuptials.

The Bridal Bouquet Book - Ginny Parfitt with Foreward by Richard Markel, AFWPI - Flowers are the crowning glory of a wedding event, symbolizing romance, tradition, and celebration. Here is the largest portfolio of bridal bouquets available on the market today. More than 400 gorgeous color photos illustrate a wealth of fresh ideas to inspire brides, floral designers, and wedding planners. Many of today's most talented floral designers and top wedding photographers present stunning bouquet designs, from minimalist chic, to luxurious, to traditional, all capturing the magic of the wedding day.

The Wedding MC: A Complete Guide to Success for Best Man or Event Host
by Tom Haibeck, Grahame Arnould (Illustrator)

If you have been invited to make a toast, deliver a speech or emcee a wedding reception, you may be feeling the kind of nervousness, confusion and outright panic that many people do when asked to take on that role. Or, you may simply be looking for some creative ideas on how to go about the job.

Over the past 15 years, I have helped thousands of people in your shoes to deliver outstanding wedding toasts and speeches; to preside over wedding receptions that are fun, classy and unique; and to do so with complete confidence.

Advice on all of those subjects is contained in my best-selling book, "The Wedding MC: A Complete Guide to Success for the Master of Ceremonies" -- and that same book is now instantly available to you through this site.

Simple Stunning Wedding Organizer, the companion volume to Simple Stunning Weddings, this beautifully designed binder is the practical application of Karen Bussen's design and planning theories. Full of useful information, tips, and trade secrets, the Organizer leads couples through the planning process with minimal pain and suffering.

The Little Wedding Handbook for Brides and Grooms by Patty Hansen
This is the perfect guide for any busy bride or groom getting married. It is complete with charts and timetables, and includes questions to ask each vendor!! This is a must have for anyone planning a wedding! (56 pages)

Weddings and Honeymoons in the Vineyards of Northern California - Judith Rivers-Moore

The stage has been set for the big wedding. Everything down to the last favor, is in place but what if something goes wrong at the last minute? Wedding Directing: How to Be a Professional Wedding Director (now available through 1st Books Library) by Elaine Parker serves as a comprehensive guide to preventing those last minute mistakes that can take the luster out of a great wedding.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Perfect Wedding by Teddy Lenderman
This brand-new edition is chock full of down-to-earth advice for dealing with the ups and downs of planning a wedding. Includes idiot-proof steps for finding the best vendors for invitations, apparel, food, flowers, photography, music, and more. This edition features even more practical advice for dealing with the complications of divorced and blended families, as well as expert advice on settingand keepinga budget.

The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Workbook by Reverend Amy Long
This book is essential for anyone who is planning a wedding or creating a ceremony. It is broken down into five basic parts; Decisions To Make, Things To Acquire, Amusing Articles, (which explain everything and give useful, down-to-earth suggestions) Ceremony Samples of every part of the service, and Day-Of pages to give to your designated helper. This ensures that all your 'T's are crossed and 'I's are dotted.

The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Being A Groom by Jennifer Lata and Mark Rung
Do the words "I want to talk about the wedding" make you break out in a cold sweat? Are you having nightmares of being chased by good china, flower bouquets, and flaming wedding cakes? Do you sometimes wonder why you couldn't just go from the proposal to the honeymoon? Don't let those feet freeze yet! The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Being a Groom takes the fear out of wedding preparations and helps you look forward to that special day.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Budgeting Your Wedding by Sue Winner
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Budgeting Your Wedding offers brides and grooms-to-be advice on preparing for a memorable wedding on a low budget. Chapters include tips for reducing the cost of photography, music, food, flowers, invitations, and more. There's no reason why every couple can't have a truly memorable wedding, no matter the financial constraints, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Budgeting for Your Wedding is the perfect source for ideas that cut costs, yet maximize creativity and joy. It also explains which areas couples shouldn't scrimp on--preparing their own food, using flowers from the garden, or having friends take pictures are invitations to disaster! Readers learn to stick to their budget-- no matter the temptation-- set up the ultimate budget worksheet, read the fine print of all contracts and take advantage of package deals.

Great Wedding Tips From the Experts by Robbi Ernst III (Pres June Wedding )
(Founder & President of June Wedding, Inc. An Association for Event Professionals) is the only wedding planner that helps the professional as well as the bride or person planning a wedding to organize the event by using modern technology. The book is packed with detailed information about interviewing and selecting vendors, proposals and contracts. The book gives invaluable information that today's savvy couple and wedding professional must clearly understand to produce a successful and memorable wedding. "For engaged couples who want to leave nothing to chance...this book is absolutely essential," says Cele Goldsmith Lalli (retired Editor-in-Chief of Modern Bride Magazine) in her forward of the book.

“The Essential Wedding Workbook For The Filipina” by Rita M. Neri
  The book is divided into three parts. The first part is comprised of a wealth of information and data aimed at making a good beginning. A panel of professionals have been kind enough to explain and comment on the legalities (and formalities) pertinent to preparing a bride, not only for her special day but also for her big change in life... marriage. The second part is the workbook of planner meant to guide the bride in her wedding preparations. Finally, the first Philippine bridal directory has been included to assist the bride if she so chooses to get married in the Philippines.

Wedding Question & Answer Book by Diane Warner
This book is set up in a highly accessible and practical format and answers more than 100 of the most commonly asked questions about planning, etiquette, and budgeting, with hundreds more tips for creating the wedding you've always wanted. It offers a wealth of advice for saving money and finding the best deals for all your needs, including flowers, photography, music, decorations, and more.

Complete Book of Wedding Vows by Diane Warner
Whether your wedding is religious or secular, simple or complex, traditional or highly individualized, you'll find hundreds of suggested vows to utilize, including step-by-step advice on creating your own. Includes samples of traditional vows from countries and cultures around the world.

Complete Book of Wedding Showers by Diane Warner
An essential guide loaded with practical ideas for anyone - best friend, sister, or mother - who is responsible for planning a wedding shower. Diane Warner makes it easy to plan the perfect shower as she touches the history and etiquette of wedding showers and incorporates traditions from different cultures.

Complete Book of Wedding Toasts by Diane Warner
Gives hundreds of sample toasts that can be used by anyone who is responsible for delivering a heart-warming toast at a wedding. The examples provided can be altered to incorporate personal anecdotes relating to the couple.

Last Minute Weddings by Donna A. Bankhead and Lynnette Blas
Regardless of your budget or time constraints you can still plan a successful wedding. This book covers all the basics - from creative and alternative ideas for the ceremony to reception sites that are still available at the last minute.

Toasts for All Occasions by Jeff and Deborah Herman
Whatever the occasion, you can deliver the perfect toast with Toasts for All Occasions. This book can help even if you have just minutes to prepare. It details hundreds of toast ideas, from traditional and conservative to uncommon and amusing, that can be adapted for any toast, anywhere, any time. 

Cater Your Own Wedding by Michael Flowers & Donna Bankhead
This delightful how-to book provides all the professional catering help a bride will need and all the cost-cutting tips that make affordable elegance a reality. This book enables even the most inexperienced host to throw a memorable party with no stress. The book outlines six different types of receptions to suit different needs, complete with mouth-watering, original menus, and detailed, easy-to-follow recipes.  It also includes tips on everything: shopping, sanitation concerns, decorating ideas and delegation of tasks, timelines, and diagrams to ensure everything runs like clockwork.

1,001 Ways to Have a Dazzling Second Wedding Sharon Naylor
Though remarriage has been common in our society for quite some time, it still presents some unique planning challenges and questions of etiquette. Naylor's experience with the wedding industry shines through as she discusses second weddings after divorce or the death of a spouse. She balances her candid business sense with practical advice on bridal beauty, relaxation, and honeymoons topics some might dismiss for the experienced, mature bride.