Are you planning a wedding? Let me help you!

On December 17th, 2011, my daughter, Adele, married the love of her life in a beautiful ceremony at a small church in Derby, Kansas. The wedding was a wonderful evening full of flowers, candles, cake, food, music, a beautiful bride, and many of the things that we have come to expect at a wedding. Leading up to this amazing night, however, were many stress-filled hours, for my daughter and I, spent wondering how we were going to make everything go smoothly. I am just an English teacher and a mom! I am not a wedding planner! The only real wedding I had any experience with was my own—and I spent that day in a dreamy daze, AND my mom planned most of it. So, if you are like me, then you might have more questions about how to plan a wedding than you have answers, questions like:

• How much money will I need to spend?
  
  
• Where will the wedding be located?
  
  
• What will the invitations look like?
  
  
• Who will make the cake and arrange the flowers?
  
  
• Will there be a catered dinner, or will cake, cupcakes, mints, nuts, and punch be served?
  
  

Questions like these spun in my mind.

After the wedding was over, I found all of my lists and schedules for the wedding and wondered if there might be another stressed mother-of-the-bride, or bride-to-be out there who could benefit from my blood, sweat, and tears—and sleepless nights. So, I began to compile this wedding book, in the hopes that something in it might help another mother-of-the-bride or bride to make some wonderful memories and create a day that the bride and her spouse would never forget. This is the no-nonsense book that I wish I had found as a reference to help me plan my daughter Adele’s wedding!

ARISE, MY BELOVED: Simple Suggestions for a Wonderful Wedding includes all of my lists and schedules, and many of my emails that I used to keep me sane and organized before my daughter’s special day! Of course you won’t use mine exactly as they are written, but you can have a template to adapt to your own unique ideas and special plans.

I hope that the wedding day you are planning is a beautiful expression of the love that is shared by the bride and groom, and I hope that this book might contribute in some small way to help you achieve your dreams and goals for a beautiful wedding.

Many blessings on you as you plan for your unique and special day,

Stacey D. Wheeler, M.A.

You’ve found it! The one, incredible, practical, readable, “I can do that!” wedding book you need, filled with all the advice and the “LISTS” and encouragement you need to pull off a wonderful, Blessed, on- budget wedding. That’s even if you don’t have a huge budget wedding. I know what Stacey Wheeler writes about is true – because I saw it first hand! It was my honor to get to officiate at Stacey and Tony Wheeler’s oldest daughter’s wedding. It was fun and beautiful and meaningful and realistically economical and honoring to the Lord and to the guests and the bride and groom. And it’s all here. How she did it – and how YOU can move step-by-step towards an incredible wedding of your own. You don’t have to spend a fortune to make a wedding wonderful – but you do need to buy this book. Her simple “must do” suggestions are a must read for anyone who said, “Yes” – but now needs a realistic, fun, step-by-step plan to get them to that place and time where they say, “I do.”

John Trent, Ph.D.

Author of The Blessing and The Language of Love

President of StrongFamilies.com