Bride-To-Be Must Reads – Let these helpful books guide you to happily ever after

From wedding planning to couples finances to the uncharted territory of your new marriage, let’s face it – you need all the help you can get.  These must-reads will help you through everything from the shift in your relationship to planning a dream wedding and living happily and healthily after the I Dos.  Here are some books to get you from #shesaidyes to the rest of your lives.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriages Work
by John M. Gottman
So you said yes.  Before you even answer the first question about wedding planning, take some time to think about what your engagement is actually about: not a wedding but a lifetime partnership.   How do you make a marriage work? With staggering divorce statistics, the decision to get married needs thought, attention, nurturing and, for lack of a better word, strategy. If you find science dependable, this happy marriage guide is for you.

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner
by Carley Roney
A complete tool for the modern bride, this book is essentially a string of worksheets, lists, checklists and FAQs to make sure you get the best deal for a dream wedding – and without the stress of a rush job.  Broken down in a very common sense order, each chapter takes you one step closer to I do!  Highly recommended.

Wedding Etiquette by Peggy Post
Another planning classic, Wedding Etiquette is great for the more traditional couple who would like to follow the long-held customs of throwing a wedding for family and friends.  The foremost authority on manners and protocol, follow this guide for a ceremony wedding guests will remember as elegant, accommodating and classic.

The Nest Newlywed Handbook: An Owner’s Manual for Modern Married Life by Carley Roney
TheNest.com is a response to the outpouring of questions TheKnot.com, a bridal website, received from newlywed couples.  Once couples got hitched, they’d come back to TheKnot.com with questions about married life – do we combine our finances?  How much time should we spend together?  Who gets to have Thanksgiving?  The result is this giant handbook about living happily ever after.  Now what?  It’s time to take the plunge and find yours!

The Five Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
Though science may speak to some, the religious-based principles of this relationship classic reach the spiritual and non-spiritual couple in an easy-to-understand breakdown of romantic communication.  Read this together to figure out how best to fill your “love tanks.”

The Wedding Book by Mindy Weiss
Dubbed by some as the “wedding Bible,” this all-encompassing manual is the next-best thing to hiring a wedding planner.  Mindy Weiss covers everything from the planning timeline to etiquette questions and people management.  Be the master of your big day with this fail-proof handbook.

Radiant Bride by Alexis Wolfer
Holistic wellness expert Alexis Wolfer has compiled a complete guide to wedding day health and beauty – from beauty to diet to fitness and even fashion.  A crucial part of her plan focuses on finally pinning down the foods that cause you discomfort and weight gain.  The 21-day detox chapter will help you become more informed about your body and how it reacts to foods – so you won’t have to worry about the dreaded wedding day bloat!
The Newlywed Cookbook: Fresh Ideas and Modern Recipes for Cooking With and for Each Other by Sarah Copeland
A large part of daily life is spent in the nitty-gritty – cooking, cleaning, making lunches – not to mention the entertaining you may be doing as newlyweds.  Luckily, this cookbook offers recipes for every occasion from breakfast to dessert.  There are even a couple chapters at the end on holiday meals and “escapes,” such as picnics and campfires.

Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner by David Bach
One of the best things you can do for a young marriage is take an informed approach to finances.  From well-known finance author David Bach, this book covers the entire span of a couple’s financial hurdles – from collective goals to budgeting to retirement and savings plans.  For a more basic look at the fundamentals of combining finances, try For Richer Not Poorer: The Newlywed’s Financial Survival Guide by Deborah Wilburn, as well.

The Handcrafted Wedding by Emma Arendoski
All the DIY-loving brides out there can find their crafty bliss in The Handcrafted Wedding.  Flip through page after page of beautiful and original DIY wedding décor to take your night from standard to uniquely you.  Author Emma Arendoski starts by helping you find your overall theme, before moving into specifics.

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