Good Planning Books/Kits?

[ladyciel]

Has anyone here found and used a wedding planning book/kit that you fell in love with? I was burning some time at a bookstore yesterday and browsed a bit in the wedding section. I couldn''t believe 1) how many planners are out there, and 2) how bad most of them seemed to be. Any out there you would recommend?

 

[musey]

I have (unfortunately) been using theKnot''s budgeting tool. I would love to have an actual planner, though. I hope people do post with suggestions!

 

[neatfreak]

As for books w/ planners of sorts inside, I inherited (from a friend who got married in january): Thenknot guide to weddings, weddings for dummies, and The antibride guide.

IMO none of them are particularly helpful unless you really have no clue what to do (i.e., you have no idea how to buy a dress). I have found the advice on PS much much more helpful!

ETA: For budgeting tools/keeping track of vendors, I made my own spreadsheet in excel and it has been much better than anything I've found online.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

For now (preplanning stages) I''ve got things broken down into excel sheets. I have one for budget, one for guests, music, etc. Then I have a running brainstorm list of ideas for the day and a word doc with thumbnails of dresses and their online sources. Hopefully in the end it''ll all be worthwhile and useful!

I also buy at least one bridal mag a month and I tear out pages which I put into a binder for when the real planning starts.

 

[akw94]

I am pretty sure that I used the book Bridal Bargains. If that''s not it, I''ll edit this post. That has helped me a lot. It gave tips on low-cost wedding options, which was helpful for me.
My biggest planning device is a binder I created. I just bought a 3 ring binder and lots of tabs (about 20-25 I think). I created a section for everything I could think of: guestlist, dress, bm dress, reception, cake, music, officiant, flowers, photography, favors, decoration, etc... Then I had tons of pages torn from many bridal magazines (which I found so many great ideas) and hole punched and trimmed them down, then stuck in the binder. I also created a cover page for each section so that I''d have room for some notes. Now thinking about it, I''d probably put more blank pages in some sections b/c there are lots of notes to take. I still use it and it has helped so, so much! It''s also the sort of binder that has pockets which has helped b/c I will print online planning lists or clip from magazines so that I can check them out frequently to see what I need to do. I also keep a to-do list in the front pocket.

I also use the knot planning stuff. I like to look at the checklists and I entered stuff on the budget section and the guest list section. I also created a webpage from their site and sent out email save-the-dates. Their site can be annoying but those tools have worked well for me.

Good luck!

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 5/7/2007 5:04:46 PM
Author: dixie94
I am pretty sure that I used the book Bridal Bargains. If that's not it, I'll edit this post. That has helped me a lot. It gave tips on low-cost wedding options, which was helpful for me.

This was the only book I bought and I LOVED it. I passed it on to an engaged friend when I was done. Not only does it give good tips but it even gives you lists of questions to ask vendors...it's really helpful!

As for a planner - I just got my own 3 ring binder, made dividers like cake, dresses, flowers, etc and put ideas and receipts in each section.

 

[monarch64]

Thritto on making my own binder! I purchased one actual wedding planner and hated it, it was full of things that didn''t apply to what we were planning, just a lot of unnecessary clutter in there. So I got one of the big white 3 ring binders from an officemax or somewhere, it had a clear sleeve on the cover even so I put snapshots of DH and I in there and decorated it with wedding themed stickers and silly things...like Dixie said, I also had sections for every aspect of planning including florist, music, the dress, hair, makeup, catering, you name it. I took the binder with me to every consultation, appointment, etc. and I got a ton of compliments on it. It really worked out perfectly and it was personalized!

 

[jcrow]

i made a binder & had a file case. i filed all important wedding related documents. in the binder was my vision for the wedding. pics of my dress. flowers i wanted. hair inspiration. you name it. this system really worked for me. i never purchased a planning book or kit.

 

[musey]

I bit the bullet and bought all the stuff for a DIY binder yesterday. Cost the same as the entire 3-series of theKnot planners

sometimes I hate LA just for its price hikes...

Anyway, if it helps, this was my shopping list for the binder:
-2" White pocket binder (D-ring)
-100-pack clear sheet protectors
-10-pack clear business card holders
-clear Avery indexer

Love it so far

 

[Rachie]

A friend of mine bought me a wedding planning binder from Target (Target brand). It has tabs for everything and it has lots of pages to write on or copy if you need more. I haven''t started filling anything out yet, but it will be useful for when I start. My sister also bought me a binder that has clear pocket things inside to use for the pages from magazines that I rip out.