As someone who is currently planning a wedding, I was very excited to see this available on NetGalley. While the information is good and helpful, I worry that it will become outdated too quickly, making it a poor choice of title to add to a library’s collection. Maybe, it would work in a large library/system, but not my small one.

I've perused all of the sections (and will go back through once we are ready to really get planning!) and I found the advice very useful overall, though a bit repetitive at times. The opening section on budgeting and choosing your crew was clever with adapting SMART goals and considering your financial contributors (bankrollers), important guests (VIPs) and confidants (good listeners/advocates). I appreciated that they reiterated how important it was to take into account how weddings and wedding expectations have shifted historically.

I didn't love the formatting, but I'm sure that's just the Kindle version of what will be an aesthetically pleasing hardcopy book.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC copy!

Wedding planners should read Edna Dratch-Parker and Jeri Solomon's The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® - Guide to Wise Wedding Planning. From proposal to honeymoon, this book covers all wedding planning details.

The book's basic, easy-to-understand language makes it accessible to all wedding planners. Budgeting, venue choice, catering, music, photography, and more are covered in chapters. Each chapter offers practical advice, useful insights, and real-world examples to help you organise your wedding.


This book's firsthand knowledge is its greatest strength. Dratch-Parker and Solomon write like experienced wedding planners. They teach how to bargain with vendors, handle emergencies, and prevent typical mistakes in the wedding industry.

The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® emphasises personalization and creating a meaningful wedding that matches the couple's values. The writers encourage wedding planners to be real and creative.

Wedding planners should consult The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® - Guide to Wise Wedding Planning. It's informative, practical and full of useful information to help readers plan their dream wedding. If you desire a beautiful and meaningful wedding, this book is for you.

5/5 Stars from me.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***

This is the perfect guide to anyone looking to get married in the near future! Full of a lot of great advice and good tips.

This is such a helpful book to all woukd be brides/grooms who need some help when planning their big day.

Love the subheadings and the details put into it and I feel most things on here are things that can get either overlooked, or not looked at enough.