Bride's Handbook , livre ebook

THE BRIDE S HANDBOOK
THE BRIDE S HANDBOOK
A Spiritual and Practical Guide for Planning Your Wedding
AMY J. TOL
2005 by Amy J. Tol
Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com
E-book edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3324-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
To Brian, my best friend and husband.
Thanks for being the best groom a woman could ever have.
CONTENTS
Introduction
How to Use This Book
1. The Engagement
Bride of Love
Your Engagement Plans
Bride of Transformation
2. The Groom
Bride of Loyalty
Your Groom
Bride of Trust
3. The Budget
Bride of Self-Control
Planning Your Budget
Bride of Grace
4. The Basics
Bride of Devotion
Planning Your Basics
Bride of Discipline
5. The People
Bride of Patience
Planning for Your Guests and Attendants
Bride of Selflessness
6. The Flowers
Bride of Joy
Planning Your Flowers
Bride of Peace
7. The Photos
Bride of Faith
Planning Your Photography and Videography
Bride of Modesty
8. The Wedding Attire
Bride of Humility
Planning Your Wedding Attire
Bride of Honesty
9. The Invitations
Bride of Prayer
Planning Your Wedding Stationery
Bride of Courage
10. The Ceremony
Bride of Worship
Planning Your Ceremony
Bride of Dependence
11. The Reception
Bride of Goodness
Planning Your Reception
Bride of Wisdom
12. The Gifts
Bride of Contentment
Planning for Your Gifts
Bride of Generosity
A Final Word
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
I dreamed of my wedding day from the time I was a little girl. Even before my Mr. Right came along, I had visions of flowers and lace in my head. So you can imagine my delight when I finally did accept a marriage proposal. Finally I was in a position to put those girlhood fantasies into reality!
As I look back on those engagement days now, I smile at many fond memories. There were so many precious moments-from the first time I saw my wedding dress to the surprise bridal shower my sister threw on my behalf. My family and friends came around me and made my engagement a very special time in my life.
Amid the good times, though, there were also times when wedding plans seemed overwhelming. My moments of dreaminess were often disrupted by a hectic schedule. I was finishing up my senior year of college, looking for a job, and trying to plan for my future home. Needless to say, my days were long, and my energy level sometimes ran short.
Somewhere in the middle of all the activity, I lost some of my excitement for God. I m ashamed to admit it, but I faced a constant struggle to keep my priorities straight. Sometimes I succeeded. Often I did not. Bible study, prayer, devotional reading-they often got set on the back burner while wedding plans dominated my attention.
It wasn t until after my days as a bride that I found this special Bible verse: As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you (Isa. 62:5). What a perfect verse for the bride-to-be! It s a beautiful wedding picture that speaks to the heart, helping us to see how much we re cherished by our heavenly Groom.
I wish I d found that verse while I was engaged. Perhaps it would ve helped me to pause and appreciate God s love for me. And maybe it would have motivated me to spend as much time building my spiritual life as I spent planning my wedding. I can only imagine how special it would ve been to reflect on living as God s bride during my days as a real-life bride. And that s why I decided to write this book. My hope is that this unique wedding planner will make your own engagement a more meaningful experience.
Your days as a bride are precious. I hope you enjoy every one of them! You re experiencing anticipation and hope. You re busy planning and building a future. You have friends and family members encouraging you along the way. Have you ever considered how much your spiritual life mirrors these bridal experiences? That s probably why the Bible contains so many images of a bride. And that s why your engagement presents a unique opportunity to think about the character of your God, your faith, and your heart.
So dive right in! Soak up the wedding ideas. Ponder the spiritual reflections I ve mixed in along the way. And as you do, I pray that Isaiah s image will live in your heart: As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
I ve packed this planner with ideas and inspirations to make you a beautiful bride. As you read, you ll notice that each chapter contains two main parts-planning tools and spiritual reflections.
Planning Tools
In the middle of each chapter, you ll find practical tools to guide you through the maze of wedding plans. Start by skimming through the table of contents and getting a feel for all the elements you ll need to plan for your wedding. Then, as you begin to plan specific details, read through the corresponding chapters more thoroughly.
Throughout the planning section, you ll find the following helps.
Planning Checklist -At the beginning of each chapter, you ll see a checklist providing an overview of the wedding tasks that are covered in that section. The checklist includes ideal time frames for each wedding task. This list was created with the average engagement (which usually lasts about one year) in mind, so if you re on a shorter timetable, you ll need to adjust those time frames accordingly.
Wedding Notes -You ll also find several worksheet areas, providing space for you to track important information about various wedding vendors and plans. Be sure to fill these in as you plan so that you can have a handy reference for later use.
Sidebars -To help you create fresh ideas for your special day, various sidebar articles are sprinkled throughout each planning section. Check them out for interesting wedding information and effective cost-cutting methods.
Spiritual Reflections
At the beginning and end of each chapter, you ll find spiritual reflections about various virtues of a godly bride. I encourage you to use these reflections as a springboard for personal devotion time. Since there are forty-eight reflections in all, you can read through one a day for a seven-week look at the virtues. Or for a slower pace, read through one or two reflections each week and follow up with related Bible passages during the rest of the week.
You ll also find sidebars mixed in with the spiritual reflections. Each sidebar gives a fictional account of a biblical story, with the Scripture references provided at the end so you can dig deeper into God s Word on your own.
Bible Brides -Women aren t mentioned frequently in the Bible, but when they are, their stories usually have a lot to say. Bible Brides sidebars give a brief synopsis of one bride s story-and how her faithful character can still speak to us today.
Love Story from God -God loves to tell stories. The Bible is stuffed full of them. So as you strive to weave the virtues into your own love story, these sidebars will give you encouragement and inspiration from the stories of God.
As you delve into the spiritual reflections of this book, I recommend that you keep a journal of your thoughts and prayers. At a time when many women forget about their spiritual lives, journaling can keep you in touch with your heart throughout the engagement. Take a few minutes each night to write about your wedding plans and engagement experiences. Someday, you ll really enjoy being able to look back at the thoughts and feelings you experienced as a bride.
1 THE ENGAGEMENT
S o . . . how did he propose? It s a question we ve all asked at some point-sometimes looking for news of a recent engagement, and sometimes just hoping for a glimpse of family history. I loved hearing my own mother s engagement story-how Dad offered a simple proposal, and then his friends celebrated the engagement by locking him in a huge crate, driving him to the middle of town, and calling my mom to release him.
Now that you ve received your own proposal, you re probably eager to share the news with family and friends. Or maybe you re still pinching yourself to make sure it s all for real! Whatever your feelings, now s the time to get your engagement plans off to a great start. And while you re enjoying your love story, you also have a special opportunity to reflect on the God of love-and the transforming proposal he offers to us all.
Bride of Love

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.-Romans 5:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.-1 Peter 4:8
For the L ORD your God has arrived to live among you. . . . He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.-Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

A Good Love Story
Love stories-we love hearing them, especially those romantic proposal stories. There s something about the way a couple falls in love; it captures our interest and our hearts.
But love doesn t fit a simple formula; that s probably why it makes for so many good stories. Couples usually go t