Reading Rescue, June 2007: It's Wedding Time
By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
 June
is a beautiful month of the year and is packed with new beginnings. At
our library, summer reading registration begins, summer officially
begins on June 21st, and it is the time of great new beginnings for many
lucky couples. They will say their vows and begin a new life together.
One of the first purchases for a wedding will be "the
dress." Catherine Woram's, The Classic Wedding Dress (392.54 WOR)
is a good choice to get an idea of what you might want for your wedding
dress. This book is great for anyone seeking inspiration for creating a
look or for just getting an idea of what appeals to you. There are many
photos that depict dresses worn by Princess Diana and that was a very
romantic dress to wedding bikinis and everything else you might imagine.
As the author quotes, "It is not as simple as, married in white, you
have chosen right..."
If you are the mother of the bride, Leslie Milk's,
It's Her Wedding, But I'll Cry If I Want To: A Survival Guide for the
Mother of the Bride, (392.5 MIL) is a must. This is an emotional
time, but it is a time a mother will never forget. Fathers should read
this book because it will give them insight into the planning and
everything involved to produce a wedding to remember. It is a
down-to-earth guide that will help, especially mom, to find answers to
questions, to keep a sense of humor, and to relax enough to enjoy the
occasion.
What is the proper etiquette when dealing with "blended"
families at a wedding? Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jude's book,
Ex-Etiquette for Weddings: The Blended Families Guide to Tying the Knot
(395.2 BLA) may be the answer to your dilemma. How do you deal with
former in-laws and their friends, your divorced parents, young children
of an earlier marriage, and more? There are loads of situations you may
not think about until they arise at the reception and then you don't
know what to do. You may not think about the first dance when your
parents are divorced. What if Mom raised you alone, do you still want
the traditional father-daughter dance? Is it proper to ask Mom for the
dance? May Mom walk you down the aisle? You will get some sound and
practical advice from this book. Hopefully, it will keep your stress
level down!!
Your wedding should be just what you want.
Unfortunately, some folks will try to take over and make all the plans
regardless of your wishes. Danielle Claro's book, How to Have the
Wedding You Want (Not the One Everybody Else Wants) (395.2 CLA) will
be a good source for you. She covers everything the traditional to the
off-beat bride needs to custom-design her wedding. Claro lets you know
how to stay in charge. She also gives you hints on how to relax, and if
necessary, how to appoint an assertive friend to make sure all your
plans are carried out on your special day.
Need some help planning a wedding while you are working?
Working Women's Wedding Planner by Susan Tatsui-D'Arcy (395.2
TAT) is a practical, no-nonsense information packed book that will make
your wedding planning a lot easier. There are tips on budgets,
organizing, hiring necessary personnel, invitations, the ceremony, the
reception, and more. The book has checklists and fill-in forms to keep
you on track. The most important point is that this information is
relevant and just might keep you from "going off the deep end!" The
bottom line is to have an elegant, beautiful, and enjoyable wedding.
As we said in the beginning, it is June and if you love
weddings but don't have one to plan or attend, why not read some great
books or listen to audio books about them? One of my favorite authors,
Nicholas Sparks, wrote a wonderful book, The Wedding. If you have
been married for many years or just a few, this book will have you
feeling very sentimental. You may even shed a few tears, and you will
wish on every star that your significant other would learn a little bit
from Wilson. The ending will surprise you. As you read, you may feel
that the book ends badly, but hang in there! I promise you will smile
for the rest of the day and every time you think of or see this book!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (DVD) is a wonderful
film. Toula is a mousey, quiet, geeky girl until she serves a cup of
coffee to a awesome looking man who inspires her to change her life. She
then finds the man of her dreams but wouldn't you know it, he's not
Greek!! Can she make it work without giving Papa a heart attack and
alienating the whole family? This romantic comedy will make you smile.
Jan Karon's A Common Life (we have the book and
audio book) is the sixth installment in the Mitford Series. Father
Timothy and Cynthia decide to tie the knot. This is more than a wedding
story. It is an intimate portrait of the love between Cynthia and shy
Father Tim. It is a "sweet" read without the "Splenda" and very
charming. You will love it!
Have you ever been forced to prevent a sweet man or
woman from marrying a nasty snooty person? Amanda's Wedding by
Jenny Colgan tells this story. Can Melanie, Fran, and Frasier's brother
prevent the nuptials of Frasier and the ultra-snooty Amanda? You will be
surprised at the end of the story, but you won't be disappointed.
Set in the Berkshire Mountains and post 9/11, Anita
Shreve's A Wedding in December is about seven classmates from an
elite prep re-uniting for the first time in twenty-seven years. Bridget
and Bill had been high school sweethearts until Bill jilted her. Now,
they have rekindled the romance, and he is trying to arrange a hasty
wedding. His good friend Nora is helping. They must do it quickly
because Bridget is suffering from advanced breast cancer. Bill is
determined to make her last years perfect. In the background are many
characters including Harrison who is in love with Nora. This book is a
fascinating story within a story that parallels the profound tragedy of
the main story.
Julie Garwood's The Wedding is a love story, but
it is a twisted love story. Lady Brenna is only five years old when she
decides to find herself a husband. She is saved by a Scottish soldier,
Connor MacAllister, who smiles at her, and she proposes to him. It is
years later, and she is kidnapped by Connor as she travels to meet her
fiancé, Laird MacNare. Conner and the Laird are bitter enemies. The
Laird was responsible for Connor's father's death. Connor doesn't
remember Brenna but since she was the fiancé of the Laird, he has
decided to marry her. Brenna is not really in love with the Laird but
she is very attracted to Connor. Will everything work out?
Finally, The Toaster Broke So We're Getting Married
by Pamela Holm is a deceptive title for a book.. The book is about a
single mom with a teenage daughter who is about to re-marry. The groom
came up with the title to show the bride-to-be that a wedding should be
enjoyable and should make you smile. He tells her that they might
receive many toasters as wedding gifts and that breaks the tension she
is feeling. The bottom line is that it is a lovely book that will make
you smile and hopefully relieve some of the tension planning a wedding
seems to bring.
We are currently registering children for summer reading
and adults can play "bingo" this summer. You can contact us at
mfulmer@pennlib.org.
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