I love to read; currently, there are 15 books
sitting on my nightstand. In fact, I love to read so much that I’m one of a
handful of reviewers of historical fiction in the nation.
What I don’t typically read are magazines. While my
friends tear out photos and pour thorough the latest editions of Vogue, Martha
Stewart or event This Old House (you know who you are, Ms. BQ), I sit next to
them and flip the pages of my novel.
That all changed when I became engaged, however.
Once that ring was on my left hand, I snatched up every bridal and wedding
magazine on bookstore shelves (it helped that Borders was going out of business
at the time). It was fun – extremely fun – to look at all the floral, dress,
invitation and décor ideas out there.
Reading bridal magazines is enjoyable. There’s
really only a few times in a girl’s life when she can pour through as many as
she likes or order subscriptions to Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings (if you
ignore most of the ridiculously intricate do-it-yourself ideas, MSW is one of the
best bridal magazines out there). But reading bridal magazines is also
practical: it helps couples learn what they like and don’t like, and gives them
photos to show vendors to explain their tastes.
Many brides act the same way I did – picking up
magazines once that “look how shiny!” ring graces their hand. This is not only
okay, but almost necessary. In fact, one of the first thing HJ does with any of
its new couples is hand them a copy of Washingtonian’s Bride and Groom. We want
you to flip through it, want you to tear it up, want you to show us what you
select and reject.
There’s no right or wrong time to start reading
bridal magazines. Whether before or after you hire a planner, the pages you
flip through guide you through the selection process.
One word of warning, though: notice that I used “selection”,
not “planning” in the paragraph above. Magazine photos, ads and articles guide
you in selecting items, but not in planning your wedding. Why? Most of those
pages do not show the two most important things in any wedding: the budget and
schedule.
The photos in bridal magazines are wonderful, but do
not detail the cost of the item; ads for wedding planners are helpful in
providing an introduction into the business, but do not reveal their
organization or efficiency; articles discussing real weddings do not showcase
all of the work or cost involved in planning a wedding.
And there’s this article’s main point: look at
magazines, but don’t attempt to replicate them exactly. Doing so may result in
busting your budget or being disappointed in the end result.
In a few days, I’m attending an engagement party
where the bride has requested bridal magazines as gifts. I love that idea
simply because it’s so practical and fun. There is absolutely no way, in my
thinking, that attendees will not start flipping through her gifts soon after
she opens them. (Congratulations, Rosalyn and Stratton!).
