Notes from the Mother of the Bride Book

Introduction -

Chapter One: The Challenge
My Work Is Cut Out for Me -

Chapter Two: Sense and Sensibility
The Sensible Wedding, As Opposed to the Blind, Excessive, Orgiastic Blowout Gala -

Chapter Three: My First Suggestion
Get Prepared for the Mother of All Plan-a-Thons -

Chapter Four: Get Organized!
Book, Buy, Boss, and the Planning Process -

Chapter Five: The Boss
Are You Talking to Me? -

Chapter Six: The Guest List
If You Survive This, the Rest Will Be a Piece of Cake -

Chapter Seven: The Band
A Dizzying Weekend in Dallas in Search of The Band -

Chapter Eight: The Wedding Gown
"Something Borrowed..." -

Chapter Nine: The Kleinfeld Experience
The Marathon of All Searches: The Wedding Gown -

Chapter Ten: The Big Picture
Trying to Stay Focused While Flinging Away Money -

Chapter Eleven: Getting It into Perspective
What to Spend Where -

Chapter Twelve: Flowers, Food, Champagne
...and Other Necessary Evils -

Chapter Thirteen: The Dead-Silence Routine
So Much for the M.O.B.'s Opinion -

Chapter Fourteen: Email and the Fax
The Easiest Way to Do Tables and Cure Insomnia -

Chapter Fifteen: Ten Commandments for the M.O.G. (Mother of the Groom)
Thou Shalt Wear Beige and Keep Thy Mouth Shut -

Chapter Sixteen: Ten Commandments for the F.O.B. (Father of the Bride)
Making a Fashion Statement Has Its Price -

Chapter Seventeen: Travels of the Prenuptial Dress
Earning More Miles than I Have -

Chapter Eighteen: The Order and Wait Game
If You Need It Next Month, You'll Receive It Tomorrow. If You Need It Tomorrow, You'll Receive It Next Year. -

Chapter Nineteen: M.O.B. Underwear
An Exasperating But Necessary Experience -

Chapter Twenty: Bonding-Binding?
A Strange Twenty-First-Century Ritual -

Chapter Twenty-One: One Week Prior to the M.E. (Main Event)
The Point of No Return -

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Rehearsal
Who Are All These People? -

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Chuppah
The Wedding Canopy: A Lesson in Creative Genius -

Chapter Twenty-Four: Twenty-Four Hours to Go
Things Have Gone Too Smoothly... -

Chapter Twenty-Five: The M.E.:
The Wedding Day
An Out-of-Body Experience -

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Morning After
"Mom, Where's All My Stuff?"-The New Missus -

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Post-M.E.
Observations
If I Had It to Do Over, I Could Still Make the Same Mistakes

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Post-M.E.
Lost and Found Department
You Don't Really Want to Know -

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Afterthoughts...
...While Hooked Up to My Memories Like an Intravenous Line -

Chapter Thirty: The Good Stuff
The Thoughts That Stay in Your Heart Forever -

Chapter Thirty-One: R.U.T.s (Really Useful Tips)
Finally, the Helpful Stuff -

Chapter Thirty-Two: My Last Suggestion
A Main Event to Remember -

Figure 1: Wedding Budget Breakdown -

Figure 2: Bride's Budget Planner -

Figure 3: Groom's Budget Planner -

Figure 4: Floral Budget -

Figure 5: Sample Monthly "To Do" List -

Figure 6: Where It All Began -

Figure 7: Sample Letter to Out-of-Town Guests -

Figure 8: Sample Schedule of Events -

About the Author