Want to get your fiance more involved in the wedding planning? I’ve got the book for you! It’s called Groomology: What Every (Smart) Groom Needs to Know Before the Wedding by Michael Essany.

And if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the whole wedding planning thang, you’ll find comfort in Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings

I’m offering these two books to one lucky winner. Just fan IW on Facebook and leave a comment on here telling us about one thing that stresses you out about planning your wedding. The contest will end June 18, 2011, 11:59 Eastern. The winner will be selected by the Random Number Generator. Open to Canadian and US residents only.

Here’s more info on Groomology: What Every (Smart) Groom Needs to Know Before the Wedding:

The ring’s on her finger, her to-do list is growing, and her mood is frantic. What’s a groom to do? Let Groomology show him how becoming a partner in the wedding process can make the whole event more enjoyable, meaningful, and memorable. Time and time again, soon-to-be husbands only tackle what the bride-to-be has told them to do. Groomology outlines these traditional groom’s duties but goes a step further to instruct grooms in the art of getting involved.

Grooms Will Learn The Best Strategies For A Happy Bride, Including:

• Being Sensitive To the Bride’s Needs and Worries
• Taking Over Tasks the Bride Doesn’t Want
• Understanding How Much Work Goes Into It All
• Reducing Her Stress
• Giving an Opinion
• Letting Go of an Opinion
• Being Creative
• The One Thing He Needs to Do
• The Benefit of Venting
• When Doing More Is Less

Complete with helpful resources, a guide to bridal party responsibilities and etiquette, tips on hiring vendors, wedding statistics, and more, Groomology is sure to keep couples happy throughout the tricky planning process.

Here is what Publisher’s Weekly has to say about Colleen Curran’s Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings:

Curran solicits tart tales from 27 writers, normally willful and independent women, who, for the most part, have taken reluctant swan dives into the consumerist culture of the bridal industry. Contributors including Curtis Sittenfeld, Lisa Carver and Amy Sohn never thought they’d catch the bridal bug. Still, they each get lost in the fantasy but come out the other end with a meaningful realization. The essays delve into the fraught conversations, negotiations and neuroses around wedding vows, dress shopping, etiquette, registries and budgeting. Sticker shock is a common theme, among women who subvert the wedding industry with a DIY approach (Rory Evans topped cupcakes with handmade clothespin bride-and-groom figures), and others who pay a price despite saving money. Julie Powell’s entertaining experience trying “to make a meal for hundreds into an expression of who you are” illuminated an incontrovertible equation: “hundreds of guests + unreasonable expectations + catering – billions of dollars = rubber chicken.” Some of the more heartfelt pieces include Jennifer Armstrong’s story of how she called off her wedding, and Lara Vapnyar’s poignant recollection of a $16 gown and the leap of faith that marriage entails. Brides-to-be or women who’ve been there will easily see themselves in these true stories. 

Why is it that something as natural and organic as a beach wedding has gone the way of plastic shells and brightly colored flip flops?

Beach weddings are ideal because you really can’t get a better backdrop. Is there anything more beautiful than shimmering water and soft, velvety sand?  Oddly enough, finding beach elements that are chic and sophisticated can truly be a challenge, so I’ve taken out some of the grunt work and compiled the most beautiful beach decor for your wedding. Stylish oceanic elements from the invites to the altar.

My favorite thing about this cake is that if it wasn’t at a wedding on the beach you would have to look closely to see that there is wave and pearl detailing on the bottom of each layer.

Invitations seem to be nearly impossible to find without any seashells, coral or waves being present. Here are two that are stylish and modern that just hint at a beach wedding, don’t beat you over the head with it!

These are cute escort card options, as long as this is the only “message in a bottle” themed item you use.

With a wedding at the beach altars are very optional. It’s nice to have something to pull your eye towards, but with a backdrop as pleasing as the ocean it’s best to make your altar big enough for you and your officiant, but don’t feel the need to fill the whole space (which is impossible), because your chairs will also help to direct your guests toward you as well.

And don’t forget the jewelry. Here is a stunning beach glass necklace, perfect for your maids wearing cobalt blue.

Speaking of sea glass, what about sea glass candy wedding favors for your beach wedding?

A successful beach wedding is one that displays the beach theme subtly and still let’s the bride and groom be the focus and most important elements of the big day. All decor should be natural, items found close to the area where you’re getting married and those items will help to influence you colors, little details, etc.

Now a bar has been set and you can use that as a jumping off point! Plus, keeping you and your partner as the focal point of the wedding helps keep any desires to buy hundreds of seashells and a glue gun at bay. Happy planning!

Photo One: stylemepretty.com; Photo Two: stylemepretty.com; Photos Three and Four: Etsy.com; Photo Five: MarthaStewartWeddings.com; Photo Six: greenweddingshoes.com; Photo Seven: weddingsunveiledblog.blogspot.com;

I love how weddings are embracing nature in such a big way. One of the most popular natural materials that is being used both ceremony and reception decor is stone- more specifically, beach stones. They’re everywhere!

If you love the idea of infusing this natural element into your wedding day decor, we’ve got heaps of inspiration for you! Take a look:

Wishing stones.

More wishing stones.

Stone name cards.

Name cards with stones.

Love rocks. Ya, it really does rock.

Painted rocks.

More painted rocks.

Aren’t these painted rocks adorable?

Stone necklace. (Perfect as a bridesmaid’s gift for a beach wedding.)

These lavender sachets not only look amazing, their scent is positively intoxicating. You can put them in your drawers, under your pillow for sweet dreams, or add a ribbon and hang them in your closet. They make adorable DIY wedding or shower favors and they’re super cost-effective to make. If you want to learn how to make lavender sachets, read on for the complete, step by step tutorial!

Materials for 4″ x 4″  Lavender Sachets

• vintage fabric
• card stock
  or cardboard for making template
• pinking shears
• scissors
• sewing machine
• funnel (if you don’t have one, you can make one with paper like we did)
• iron
• tablespoon
• French Lavender Buds(we bought a 13 cup bag on eBay from LavenderLuxuries for $8.35 + shipping )

Whether you have to dress up your chairs because the rentals you got aren’t exactly you’re idea of chic, or you just want to add more visual interest to your chairs, using flowers, pillows, or ribbons are great easy fixes for blah chairs!

Something as simple as vintage fabric bows instantly make these chairs more feminine and helps to tie the colors on the table together.

Ribbon is another fun decorative element you can add to your chairs. Each type of ribbon gives a different look and feel: thin, thick, all one color, a gradation, mixed with flowers, etc.

In my opinion simple vintage florals can do no wrong. That’s probably why I love these vintage pillows so much. The chairs are already beautiful but the pillows add so much more personality and spark.

Flowers have long since been the go-to chair decoration, but they went a little too far and now if I see one more flower ball hanging from a chair at a wedding I may just scream! Okay, I’ll take it down a notch, flowers can still be a great accent for chair decor. I especially love this simple arrangement in mason jars with the rustic touch of the twine.

As a wedding chair alternative, bales of hay have long been a favorite of mine, but because of how sharp and pokey they can be you have to cover them with something. Vintage quilts, blankets or sheets all work and look great.

For wedding chair decor, it’s best to keep it simple, but also to take advantage of the chairs being one more way to extend the design of your wedding. Most importantly, have fun and get creative!

Photo One: valdirose.blogspot.com; Photo Two: designspongeonline.com, Photo Three: stylemepretty.com; Photo Four: stylemepretty.com; Photo Five: jessicaclaire.net; Photo Six: green-weding.net; Photo Seven: oncewed.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed,wedding design wizard who loves hunting her bay area homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog