Books and Preparations for the Wedding

A young lady emailed with these questions:

In planning your wedding, which resources did you find to be the most helpful? There is so much stuff to wade through... Also, did you aread any marriage books together before you were married? If so, which ones did you find to be the most biblically sound and beneficial?

Thank you for spurring me on to write the post brewing in my head. :smile: Having helped several close friends plan their weddings, I had a fairly good idea of most decisions to be made and resources I would use. There is such a market out there for planning books and organizers etc. but I personally did not spend a dime and we made out just fine!

My sissy had bequeathed me her copy of Bridal Bargains and though a lot of it would be more helpful and relevant to someone planning a more traditional wedding, I still picked up some great tips and ideas. It is the one wedding-related book that I would say is definitely worth the money. If you want other ideas or insight, check books out from the library instead of buying them.

There is no need to purchase a wedding notebook/planner either. They can be made simply enough, or if you want a base to work with register at JC Penny and they give you a free organizer. I ended up using their planner (though redecorating the cover and tossing the irrelevant items inside) as well as various worksheets and lists from Our Marriage (again, hand-me-downs from my sissy).

Microsoft's Wedding Budget Excel spreadsheet is excellent.

As far as books that are not specifically on the wedding, several come to mind. I fervently believe that far more time should be spent as a couple and individually preparing for the marriage than for the wedding. The ceremony is just one day. An important day, yes. But the marriage is for a lifetime and requires so much more study, learning, and preparation than the wedding.

• Decision Making and the Will of God This should be required reading for any young person in high school or older.
  
• Aflame A beautiful little book of quotes from the early church fathers. The photography and words contained here are like the most gourmet of meals.
  
• I Promise You This is by far the best. It is the perfect foundation for His Needs, Her Needs once married.
  
• I Isaac Take Thee, Rebekah Ravi is amazing and his teaching on marriage is guaranteed to spur you to think and ponder in new directions.
  
• Preparing for Marriage If you want something less intimidating and a bit more "light" than I Promise You, this is a good choice.
  
• His Needs, Her Needs Definitely read this one after you are married; it perhaps might not be necessary to read it beforehand. Straightforward yet extremely practical and helpful no matter how long you've been married.
• 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged This little book is by one of my favorite authors and is fun to go through while you are courting. A lot of the questions you may very well find out through day to day life but this book is very detailed not only in what to ask but why.
  
• Capture His/Her Heart This is a short read; I gleaned some great quotes and concepts from it.
  
• Love and Respect Read it, read it, read it. Buy it, keep it. :smile: Hopefully you've heard of this before so this is nothing new.