Best Wedding Planner Books To Plan Your Dream Wedding
We get it, wedding planning is daunting. There’s so much to think about: the dress, the bridesmaid dresses, the cake, the photographer. And that’s just the start!
And the last thing you would want is to get to the big day only to realize that you’ve mid a big faux pas with something that’s as hard to organize as the seating plan, and have it ruin your special day.
Heaven forbid you get a shouting match or a brawl on the day to distract attention from should be a lovely and special occasion. It simply doesn’t bear thinking about.
But a wedding can go incredibly well if you plan it right. And if you’re not planning on using a wedding planner because you, rightly so, want everything to be to your exact personal taste, that means getting organized.
And I don’t mean having lots of little post-it notes lying around everywhere – No. To plan your wedding properly you need a wedding planning book.
This way, all the details relating to the wedding are kept securely in one safe, easy to access place.
Moreover this wedding planning book will also serve as an important checklist that you can use to ensure that no detail has gone unnoticed.
Here are some quick reviews of our favorite wedding planning books, in no particular order.
Understanding Your Wedding Vision
You could have the best wedding planner book on the planet – but if you don’t have a clear vision to start, then plans will only get you so far. Embarking on the journey of matrimony begins with a shared vision, a tapestry of desires and dreams that will define your special day.
Understanding your wedding vision is akin to charting a map for a treasured adventure—it sets the direction for all the decisions to come. Start by discussing with your partner what is most important to both of you. Is it the enchantment of saying “I do” at a sunset beach ceremony, the rustic charm of a barn reception under twinkling fairy lights, or the sophisticated elegance of a ballroom affair?
Consider the experiences you want to create for yourselves and the loved ones who will gather to celebrate with you. Reflect on the themes, colors, and ambiance that resonate with your story. This vision will guide your venue choice, attire, decor, and even the smaller, more intimate details, ensuring every element coheres to the magical day you both have envisioned. Take time to savor this part of the process, for it lays the foundation of a day that will echo in your memories for a lifetime.
Tips for Visualizing Your Big Day
- Create a vision board with your partner
- Discuss your non-negotiables and must-haves
- Think about the experiences you want your guests to have
Best Wedding Planner Books Reviews
1 . The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner & Organizer
This wedding planner is flying off the shelves and is a huge bestseller with the online retailers.
Not only is it an indispensable resource, but it also makes a lovely keepsake.
It comes packed with inspiration, guidance and tips. And this goes for planning color schemes, choosing vendors, and tips on how to save money planning your wedding. And there are plenty of checklists, so you can ensure you have everything covered.
And it’s bang up to date, with guidance on how to use various online tools. We also love that it features pockets for collecting business cards of potential vendors. (Provigil) Very handy.
Pros:
- Includes inspiration
- Includes guidance & tips
- Includes checklists
- Explains online tools
- Pockets for business cards
Cons:
- Limited space to make your own notes
2.Global Printed Products Wedding Planner Gift Set
If you’re looking for a wedding planner book to give as a gift, then this might just be exactly what you’re looking for.
Not only does the gift include an excellent wedding planner book, but it also contains a matching guest book, and is presented in a beautiful gift box.
It’s available in either white and gold, or turquoise and silver, and both options feature a beautiful pattern.
We love the clip-in bookmark – it can be very handy when you want to access a particular page frequently.
There are 9 planning sections and an 18-month undated calendar. Then you have stickers you place into the calendar to mark occasions, use as a count down, and appointment reminders. Very handy
There’s also a sleeve for business cards, where you can slot up to 16 business cards, and there are storage pockets for sample menus.
It’s spiral bound with plenty of tabs to differentiate between each section. These sections include the likes of wedding budget planning, vendor research, guest lists, the registry, and various checklists.
We also like the love quotes peppered throughout the book – such a lovely touch.
Pros:
- Makes for an excellent gift
- Includes a matching guest book
- Includes a handy bookmark
- Sleeve for business cards
- Elegant and comprehensive
Cons:
- No blank pages for your own notes
3.The Budget-Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer
Unfortunately we don’t all get an unlimited budget for our dream wedding.
And if you have to pay for your own wedding, or even if you don’t, you may be concerned about the costs of all the things that go into making your wedding so special. And this planner is designed for exactly that.
It has plenty of advice, guidance and tips, including guidance on what to do yourself and what to leave to a professional. It covers everything from start to finish, and even the honeymoon.
We particularly like the inclusion of discussion questions, where you sit down with your partner and ask all the important questions at the beginning before rushing ahead sorting out the minor details.
We also like the timeline pages, great for keeping you on track and getting things organized in a timely fashion. And we love the inclusion of a resources section at the back of the book.
Pros:
- Aimed at those who have a budget
- Available at an excellent price
- Available as an ebook for Kindle
- Features discussion questions
- Has a great resources section
Cons:
- Some customers have said that it doesn’t focus enough on budgeting
4. Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding
With so many wedding books aimed at a “bride” and “groom” it’s very refreshing to see a book that’s aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s a very accessible little book, with guidance on how to incorporate all the hot trends, and on equality-minded wedding professionals.
We love the sections on fashion advice specifically for LGBTQ readers, such as suiting up a masculine person or attending fittings as a butch lesbian or a transgender woman.
And of course it also addresses much more serious hurdles such as how to deal with homophobia among family members.
It’s a bestseller with the online retailers in the category of wedding books and comes highly recommended.
But moreover, it’s a much needed and timely resource.
Pros:
- Aimed at LGBTQ+ community
- Truly useful fashion advice
- Addresses serious issues
- Guidance on the latest hot trends
Cons:
- Probably highly irrelevant to most heterosexual couples
5.Anti-Bride Wedding Planner
This is the perfect wedding planner for those who don’t like the idea of a very traditional wedding and want to go for something a little more unconventional.
The focus is totally on you, and exactly what you want for your wedding. It urges the planners to think about what they want rather than bombarding you with inspiration that may actually be of little interest to you.
It’s a very colorful book, and it leaves no stone unturned in terms of everything it covers.
We love the section where it advises you on what to skimp on and what to save for. It’s too easy to be squeezed for every penny in wedding planning, so it pays to focus spending on what matters most.
We also love the sheets with pockets for business cards and sample menus, and the clever questions to ask the potential wedding vendors.
Pros:
- Very colorful and fun to use
- The focus is on what you want
- Very useful advice & guidance
- Pockets for business cards etc.
Cons:
- The description “Anti-Bride” is misleading, it’s for those who love a good wedding
- The hardcover version is ridiculously expensive – be sure to go for the spiral bound version instead
6. The Groom’s Instruction Manual
Many brides think about certain aspects of their wedding years before they even meet the one. But grooms play an important role too.
And while the bride is worrying about her dress and the bridesmaid dresses etc, the groom has a very important role to play too, and will also want to be involved in wedding planner.
This book is exactly for that. It’s aimed at the groom, and it spells out exactly what’s expected of him.
What really makes this book different from a traditional wedding planner book is that it has lots of advice on the proposal. And it also has a section on how to survive the bachelor party.
It really does cover everything the groom needs to think about. Answering many of the questions that may have already occurred to you, and coming up with many more besides.
It’s more of a book of guidance rather than somewhere to keep all the details of the wedding plans, but it does have an appendix where you can record important contact information.
Pros:
- Aimed specifically at the groom
- Available as an ebook for Kindle
- Covers all the groom’s worries
- Appendix for contact information
Cons:
- Aimed specifically at the groom
- More for guidance than planning
7. Wedding Planner Book and Organizer for The Bride
This is a lovely little wedding planner book, and would make a perfect present to gift to the bride at her engagement party.
It’s a white book with a faux leather cover and soft pearl finish, and gold lettering, reading “Future Mrs: Things to do before we say I do”.
What we love about it is how it works like a Filofax. You can open it, take pages out, move things around, put pages back in etc.
It has everything you need: budget tracker, vendor contact tracker, gift tracker, seating planner, business card holder, annual calendar, storage pockets and more.
The focus here is most certainly on the planning itself rather than providing the bride with advice and guidance, although there are some tips provided.
What’s more it makes for a wonderful keepsake well after the wedding day is over.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this particular book, simply click “Check Price” to see if there’s a deal on now.
Pros:
- It makes a beautiful gift & keepsake
- You can add and remove the pages!
- Includes budget, gift & contact trackers
- Includes a business card holder
- Includes a seating planner
Cons:
- It’s aimed specifically at the bride, not the couple as a whole
8. Personalized Bride’s Wedding Planner Book
If you are looking to gift the bride to be with a wedding planner book, then this would also be an excellent choice, because it can be personalized with the marital surname emblazoned on the elegant cover.
This personalization takes the concept of a regular notebook and takes it to the next level, making it a lovely keepsake that the bride can keep forever.
You’d think this personalization would make it more expensive, but it’s available at a very affordable price.
But what we really love about it is it’s compact size. At 5 inches by 7 inches, it’s something that can fit in your purse and take with you everywhere, to fittings and tastings and such.
We also love how it’s pretty much freestyle. You write what you want to write where you want to write it, and it’s 80 lined pages give you what feels like unlimited space to make a note of all the important details.
You have a choice of colors for the cover and for the book title, and if you could match it to the color that the bride wants for her decor, that would be ideal.
Pros:
- It makes a beautiful gift & keepsake
- Range of color options to choose from
- Very compact and will fit in your purse
- Write what you want where you want
Cons:
- Doesn’t contain any advice, guidance or tips
9. The Wedding Planner & Organizer by Mindy Weiss
Here’s another lovely wedding planner that has also made the bestseller list for wedding planners with the online retailers.
It looks very elegant and comes packed with tips, tools, checklists, spreadsheets, and schedules. There are tabs for each category of things you will need to think about and plan for your special day.
And this includes the likes of the budget, the seating plan, menu, flowers and so on.
The only categories that appear to be missing are the bachelor and bachelorette parties, but that won’t fall under the bride or groom anyways.
What we really love about it is that it provides you with important questions to ask your vendors. Several customers found this particularly useful.
The illustrations are a nice touch, and they really help to make the planner more appealing and personable.
It’s available in two different formats, including a 3-ring binder, which is what we prefer, or as a hardcover for a little more money.
Pros:
- A bestseller with the retailers
- Packed with tips & checklists
- Provides questions for vendors
- Includes cute illustrations
Cons:
- Aimed at those wanting an extravagant wedding rather than a simple ceremony
Choosing the Right Wedding Planner Book for You
Before diving into the quest to find the best wedding planner book, it’s important to consider what you’re looking for. Do you want something that is highly structured, or are you looking for more freedom to customize your planning process? Here’s what to consider:
Personalization Options
Many brides and grooms appreciate a wedding planner book that offers personalization. From monogrammed covers to sections that you can tailor to your own needs, the ability to personalize can make the experience even more special.
Ease of Use
Consider how user-friendly the book is. Is it easy to flip through? Are there tabs to help you quickly find sections? Is the book designed in a way that makes sense for the way you organize thoughts and tasks? To answer these and other questions, you can go online and check out the best-rated wedding planner book reviews about easy-to-use options.
Digital Complements to Physical Planners
In today’s digital age, many planners come with online resources or apps to complement the physical book, as well as transfer data to other apps. Getting digital complements can be extremely helpful for keeping track of tasks on the go.
Tech Tools to Complement Your Wedding Planner Book
While traditional wedding planner books are invaluable, incorporating tech tools can streamline your planning process. Use calendar apps to set reminders for key dates and deadlines. Document storage platforms are ideal for keeping digital copies of contracts and quotes, while budgeting apps help track expenses against your financial plan. For design and layout needs, graphic design software can help you easily create invites and a wedding website. Combine the tactile experience of a planner book with these digital tools to ensure a well-organized and memorable wedding.
Additionally, some of the best wedding planner books are versatile enough that they can cross-reference other digital platforms. For instance, if you’re going to build a wedding website, some wedding planners can easily transfer as many or as few details as possible into the construction of the site (like RSVP lists, or registries). So, the best wedding planner book should be flexible, and scaleable, and it should “play nice” with other apps that are critical for pulling off your perfect wedding day.
Budgeting for Your Big Day
Perhaps one of the most practical (and wallet-saving) features of having the best wedding planner book is its ability to keep your finances clear-cut, and on track. After all, creating a budget for your wedding is a delicate balance between the dream you envision and the financial resources you have at your disposal. It requires honest conversations and prioritization to ensure your big day doesn’t lead to a lifetime of debt.
Begin by determining the total amount you’re comfortable spending, taking into account contributions from family or savings. Allocate funds to the non-negotiables first—perhaps the venue, the photographer, or the catering. Remember to account for often-overlooked expenses such as gratuities, dress alterations, and beauty preparations. Embrace flexibility and creativity; consider which elements you can DIY or forgo entirely. Keep track of quotes and invoices meticulously, and make a contingency fund for unexpected costs. By budgeting wisely, you can weave the magic of your wedding without the worry of financial fallout, allowing you to focus on the joy and love that your wedding celebrates.
Final Thoughts
In total now, we’ve shown you 9 different wedding planners, each with something very worthwhile to offer the user.
Some are a little more unique than others others, such as the one aimed at the groom, and the one aimed at LGBTQ+ couples
Some which are highly structured to suit even the most perfectionist amongst you, and some that are a little more free-style.
Hopefully you’ll have seen a book in our collection that catches your interest, and you’ll soon be on your way to planning your dream wedding!
