Wedding Planning For Dummies

The bestselling wedding planning guide—now updated! Congratulations, you're planning a wedding! Besides obtaining a fancy tuxedo and a stunning gown, organizing a wedding ceremony takes creativity, planning, and diplomacy. The whole ordeal can seem overwhelming at first, but with lots of guidance, you'll plan a wedding people will remember for ages. Wedding Planning For Dummies demystifies and simplifies all the details that go into the Big Day, providing inspiration and innovative ideas to personalize your wedding celebration and, of course, make it fun for everyone–especially you! Expert wedding planner Marcy Blum walks you step-by-step through everything you'll encounter as you plan your wedding, from choosing a reception site to picking a photographer—and everything in between. 20% new and updated content Keep track of expenses with a wedding budget Negotiate contracts and surf online for wedding deals Get those pesky financial technicalities out of the way Plan a weekend wedding, a themed wedding, same sex wedding, and other celebrations Plan for various wedding customs and rites Throw a great reception with music, food, drink, and cake The 4-1-1 on the latest and greatest trends in wedding registries, rings, photos, and the honeymoon Packed with tips for saving money and common kitsch you should avoid, this is the ultimate guide to satisfying everyone on the Big Day—while making all of your fairytale dreams come true.

Let Dummies be your wedding planner and get hitched without a hitch Planning A Wedding For Dummies covers everything you need to know to pull off the perfect celebration on your big day. This book even makes it fun! We take the stress out of wedding planning, simplifying the whole process and giving you the tools you need to plan and execute a memorable day. Send out those save-the-dates, manage any crisis that might arise on the day of, and everything in between. Dummies has your back. This friendly For Dummies book is your guide on the exciting journey of planning all the events leading up to the wedding, as well as post-wedding activities. Planning A Wedding For Dummies includes tips and checklists to keep you organized, whether you’ll have 10 guests or 1,000 guests. Break down the wedding planning process into simple steps, so you can stay on track Laugh along as you read stories about real-life couples who have gone before you and gain insight into wedding day outcomes and scenarios Keep everything in perspective to keep your wedding stress-free Find worksheets and checklists to help you through budgeting and beyondWith this perfect guide, you can plan a perfect wedding—and say “I do” on the best day of your life!

How to create the world's new urban future With the majority of the world's population shifting to urban centres, urban planning—the practice of land-use and transportation planning to help shape cities structurally, economically, and socially—has become an increasingly vital profession. In Urban Planning For Dummies, readers will get a practical overview of this fascinating field, including studying community demographics, determining the best uses for land, planning economic and transportation development, and implementing plans. Following an introductory course on urban planning, this book is key reading for any urban planning student or anyone involved in urban development. With new studies conclusively demonstrating the dramatic impact of urban design on public psychological and physical health, the impact of the urban planner on a community is immense. And with a wide range of positions for urban planners in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors—including law firms, utility companies, and real estate development firms—having a fundamental understanding of urban planning is key to anyone even considering entry into this field. This book provides a useful introduction and lays the groundwork for serious study. Helps readers understand the essentials of this complex profession Written by a certified practicing urban planner, with extensive practical and community-outreach experience For anyone interested in being in the vanguard of building, designing, and shaping tomorrow's sustainable city, Urban Planning For Dummies offers an informative, entirely accessible introduction on learning how.

If you’re starting a new business or planning your business’s future, there are plenty of things you should take into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and maintaining a competitive advantage – no matter what business you’re in. Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics, including: How a strategic plan is different than a business plan Establishing a step-based planning process Planning for and encouraging growth Taking a long-view of your organization Evaluating past performance Defining and refining your mission, values, and vision Sizing up your current situation Examining your industry landscape Setting your strategic priorities Planning for unknown contingencies If you’re in business, you have to plan for everything – especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether you’re planning for a small business, large conglomerate, nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan, understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and, finally, plan where you’re going. And there’s much more: Learn to analyze business trends that will determine your business’s future Set measurable, realistic goals that you can plan for and achieve Make strategic planning a habitual part of the organization Prioritize multiple strategies that you can implement simultaneously Set a defining vision for the organization that guides all your planning and strategy This friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can’t afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it’s even more imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an uncertain business future. With this book, you’ll have all the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you’re ready for anything that comes.

Advice and guidance on planning for retirement Retirement Planning For Dummies is a one-stop resource to get up to speed on the critical steps needed to ensure you spend your golden years living in the lap of luxury—or at least in the comfort of your own home.  When attempting to plan for retirement, web searching alone can cause you more headaches than answers, leaving many to feel overwhelmed and defeated. This book takes the guesswork out of the subject and guides readers while they plan the largest financial obligation of their life. Take stock of your finances Proactively plan for your financial future Seek the help of professionals or go it alone Use online tools to make retirement planning easier Whether you're just starting out with a 401(k) or you’re a seasoned vet with retirement in your near future, this book helps younger and older generations alike how to plan their retirement.

Your expert guide to the dos and don'ts of getting married Your wedding should be fun, exciting, and worry-free-but most brides, grooms, and their families run into sticky situations or unique circumstances that surround etiquette. Now, there's a definitive guide that provides the solutionsfor all those dilemmas big and small. Wedding Etiquette For Dummies provides sound information and guidance-whether it's deciding how to handle divorced parents, inform guests of where the couple is registered, or tastefully incorporate new traditions into your ceremony and reception. You get plenty of proven advice and tips for everything from who pays for the wedding and properly announcing the engagement to hosting events leading up to the wedding and dealing with destination wedding snags and pitfalls. You'll even see how to gracefully handle wedding cancellations and postponements. The dos and don'ts of wedding etiquette for any bride, groom, relatives, or friends of the marrying couple Tips for proper behavior during the engagement, ceremony, and reception Advice on dealing with the wedding party and opinionated or pushy in-laws Special considerations for second (or more) marriages and military, ethnic, and religious weddings How to set up a tasteful, interactive wedding website and write the all important thank you note Sue Fox is the author of Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition and Business Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition Leaving no wedding dilemma uncovered, Wedding Etiquette For Dummies is your one-stop guide for having the wedding of your dreams without the stress!

Think and act strategically every time In today's business environment, strategic planning stresses the importance of making decisions that will ensure an organization's ability to successfully respond to changes in the environment and plan for sustainable viability. Providing practical, field-tested techniques and a complete 6-phase plan, Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies shows you how to make strategy a habit for all organizations, no matter the size, type, or resource constraints. Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies is for companies of all types and sizes looking to build and sustain a competitive edge, set up an ongoing process for market assessment and trend analysis, and develop a vision for future growth. This revised edition includes: new and updated content on planning for both the short and the long-term; crucial information on succession planning; help preparing for the unexpected using scenario planning and agile strategy; strategies for implementing change and integrating strategic plans successfully by involving all staff members; and more. The supplementary CD lays out a comprehensive, 6-phase, step-by-step program, complete with downloadable spreadsheets, charts, checklists, video links, and more Provides value for any business or entrepreneur looking to improve efficiency, focus, and competitive edge Includes practical, field-tested techniques Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies gives today's business owners and upper-level management the tools and information they need to think and act strategically in order to more effectively weather current economic storms while planning for future growth.

The fast and easy way to get a handle on business succession planning While the demand for effective managers continues to grow, the retirement of baby boomers is producing a sharp decline in the ranks of available management personnel. In addition, the executives of the future are expected to be more sophisticated in order to develop and lead new global and technological initiatives. For these reasons, strategic and often long-sighted succession planning for the eventual replacement of managers at all levels has reached a critical level. Business Succession Planning For Dummies aids managers, human resource professionals, and upper management in cultivating and retaining their existing employees to ensure the availability and capability of persons to assume leadership roles in the future. In plain English, it prepares business owners to ask the difficult questions when it comes to developing a working succession plan for their businesses key positions. This book also offers information on how to retain and train personnel within an organization so that a more seamless transition can be made when a senior leader or other important personnel retires or leaves the organization. How to retain and train personnel for a more seamless transition Easy-to-follow guidance on developing a working succession plan Tips to create a plan to save time, money, knowledge, and clients by hiring from within If you're a manager or human resources professional looking to develop a working succession plan, this hands-on, friendly guide has you covered.

Expert advice on becoming a successful wedding photographer Wedding photography can be a great hobby or home-based business. But while it's an exciting and lucrative field, it also has its challenges. Now, you can turn to Digital Wedding Photography For Dummies for friendly, hands-on guidance on selecting the right equipment, building a client list, and developing the skills and techniques needed to create stunning and memorable images. Covers tools and techniques practiced by some of the most successful photographers in the business Advice on camera settings, lighting, and angles How to create a professional experience that will put clients at ease Build a portfolio and connect with clients Start a wedding photography business Whether you're an aspiring wedding photographer who wants to learn about the techniques that make the best wedding photographers successful, or are in the business and want tips and advice to improve your skills, this practical guide has you covered.