If you’ve ever been involved with planning a wedding, then you know that there are a lot of things to learn about planning, before the knot can be tied. Most of the time, these things are learned the hard way – by trial and error.
Thankfully, Buffalo-born writer Amanda Pendolino has figured out a way to ease the wedding planning pain, by coming up with a guidebook titled Wedding Planning for the Busy Feminist. Amanda got the inspiration for the book after her older sister Maria asked her to be the Maid of Honor for her wedding. She was also asked to be the Maid of Honor for her best friend, who was living in LA. Upon jumping at the chances, Amanda soon realized that she was in a little over her head. After all, these are planning skills that you don’t learn about in school. So when does one learn the ins and outs about planning a wedding?
The book was named one of the top 10 wedding planning books of 2018 by The Knot, an online destination for all things wedding planning.
By the time she was set to be the Maid of Honor at two weddings, Amanda actually had some valuable experience under her belt. Within the span of two years, she had attended ten weddings, and had surveyed 30 brides, grooms, and vendors as part of her resource work for her new book, which she says is “an empowering, humorous survival guide that helps couples navigate the crazy, stressful world of wedding planning.”
“A lot of women feel conflicted about weddings because they can reinforce traditional gender roles and values,” says Amanda. “The busy feminist is a modern, independent woman who is excited to get married but feels guilty about wanting the perfect wedding… but she wants it anyway! Couples today have to reconcile their values with sometimes outdated wedding traditions and family opinions. They also feel pressure to make their wedding a Pinterest-worthy performance – whether that means serving signature cocktails or DIY-ing table numbers inspired by every country they’ve visited. The wedding planning process can be overwhelming, so I wanted to help – and laugh about it.”
Brides only began wearing white when Queen Victoria made it cool at her royal wedding in 1840.
Another major component of the project turns out to be Maria’s involvement, which lends a fresh and compelling aspect to Wedding Planning for the Busy Feminist. It turns out that Maria is an award winning voiceover artist, so it was only natural that she contribute both her opinions and her voice to the project, according to Amanda. For those who want to listen to the book, instead of reading it, there is an audio version, read by Maria. “I’m normally a very efficient narrator,” says Maria, who is getting married on October 13 at Templeton Landing. “But there were several instances where I had to go back and re-record a sentence or paragraph because I was laughing too hard!”
An interview with a wedding photographer also digs into the pros and cons of the trendy ‘unplugged’ ceremony.
“If you met us when we were teenagers, I’m not sure you would have believed this collaboration was possible,” Maria says. “We kind of hated each other and were constantly bickering. But, as we grew up, we realized that we actually had a lot in common and over time we’ve become really great friends. When it came time to pick my Maid of Honor, there was no question – it was Amanda.”
This handy-dandy book for planning weddings comes complete with information pertaining to the history of the wedding, helpful timelines and checklists, theme ideas (say no to “Gatsby!”), tips on figuring out caterer gratuities, and suggestions on how to best deal with unenthusiastic partners.
Chapter topics include:
- Dress shopping
- Venue selection
- Vows
- Bridal parties
- Bachelor and bachelorette parties
- Showers
- Registries
- Tuxedo rentals
- Wedding planners and coordinators
- Money-saving tips
- Invitations
- Guest lists
- Elopements
- Themes
- Hashtags
- Favors
“With anecdotes along the lines of ‘nothing sexes up a ceremony like a hot usher,’ Amanda Pendolino’s witty read caters to modern brides who want to steer away from certain dated wedding traditions,” says Brides Magazine. “Plus, the book comes loaded with humorous tips and stories from real couples and vendors.”
Wedding Planning for the Busy Feminist
The audiobook is available on Audible, iTunes and Amazon
The book is available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book
The book’s Amazon page
The audiobook’s Audible page
The book’s Facebook page