Holly (Salix67) reviewed Emotionally Engaged: A Bride's Guide to Surviving the "Happiest" Time of Her Life on + 2 more book reviews
I've read many books on being engaged, being a bride and planning a wedding over the last year and a half. This is definitely on the higher end of the scale for actual advice, insight and humor. The first few pages come off slightly condescending, but once you begin reading further, you realize that brides-to-be run the spectrum of emotions and it's perfectly normal. In addition, it provides some wonderful insights into relationships, whether they be with your significant other, your family or your friends. This is the first book I've read that pointed out that it's natural to be a sad, anxious or upset during your engagement, because you're in a transition time, which is never easy for anyone. The only real complaint I have about this book is that it's geared towards engaged women that have not lived with their fiance before the wedding, and as someone who has, I wish that had been addressed as well, since it's becoming more common. Other than that, this is a wonderful and intelligent book that will help you work through your emotions as you precede with your engagement. I highly recommend it to anyone just engaged, anyone who has been engaged for a while (I found it three months before the wedding and it's still helped!) or even women who have been married in the last year.
Kris P. reviewed Emotionally Engaged: A Bride's Guide to Surviving the "Happiest" Time of Her Life on + 20 more book reviews
This is a must read for those engaged or talking about getting engaged. Even if you're a newly wed I'd suggest it. Initially I read this to help find out why BF and I were bickering more lately and why I was feeling so insecure despite knowing he has a ring and a proposal ready. The waiting was driving me nuts. What I got from the book was much more. The author takes you through relationships not only with your SO, but others that are close to you and goes over the dynamics of how those relationships change. I recently cut ties with two long term and very close friends, one over her wedding and the other over my SO, so I really got to understand what may have happened in those. I understood things differently from my friend that got married and how she may have felt about the situation. On the flip side I understood better my other friend and how she was feeling like she was losing me. While it did not repair either relationship for me, I defintitely have a better sense of peace with what happened. And now that our engagement is fastly approaching (or so I think!) I feel more prepared to handle the ups and downs of emotions and planning.