Seven essays celebrating the beauty of the imperfect marriage. We hear plenty about whether or not to get married, but much less about what it takes to stay married. Clichés around marriage—eternal bliss, domestic harmony, soul mates—leave out the real stuff. After marriage you may still want to sleep with other people. Sometimes your partner will bore the hell out of you. And when stuck paying for your spouse’s mistakes, you might miss being single. In Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give, Ada Calhoun presents an unflinching but also loving portrait of her own marriage, opening a long-overdue conversation about the institution as it truly is: not the happy ending of a love story or a relic doomed by high divorce rates, but the beginning of a challenging new chapter of which “the first twenty years are the hardest.” Calhoun’s funny, poignant personal essays explore the bedrooms of modern coupledom for a nuanced discussion of infidelity, existential anxiety, and the many other obstacles to staying together. Both realistic and openhearted, Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give offers a refreshing new way to think about marriage as a brave, tough, creative decision to stay with another person for the rest of your life. “What a burden,” Calhoun calls marriage, “and what a gift.”

Vows & Toasts provides inspiration for the most important words spoken at awedding ceremony and reception. Author Rita Cook helps readers find the rightwords to say I Do and Here's to You!

"Vows & Toasts" provides inspiration for the most important words spoken at awedding ceremony and reception. Author Rita Cook helps readers find the rightwords to say I Do and Here's to You!

This unique guide offers creative ideas for choosing and using hundreds of quotations to personalize wedding vows, toasts, invitations, and more. The authors also explain, with examples, how to make a great toast and use the quotes inventively for pre-wedding parties, invitations, receptions, and other events.

From the #1 wedding brand comes this indispensable resource, completely revised and updated, to help you choose the perfect words, music, and traditions for your ceremony and reception The ceremony is the cornerstone of your wedding celebration. There are countless ways to make it your own, from meaningful poetry readings to the music that plays as you walk down the aisle. The Knot Guide to Wedding Vows and Traditions is an important resource for brides and grooms. New and expanded topics in this edition include: -Interfaith ceremonies and blending spiritual traditions -Ways to use technology to enhance your ceremony -New online resources for finding the perfect words for your vows, program, and more -Gay marriages and civil unions -Popular song choices that are already considered classics Throughout, you’ll also find a rich and inspiring selection of both classic and original ideas for: -Religious or secular vows and readings -Traditions and symbolic rituals -Speeches and toasts -Music for the processional, recessional, and the special dances at the reception

"Come live with me and be my love..." Nothing personalizes a wedding more than using the right words. Brides- and grooms-to-be looking for unique, inspiring ways to celebrate their special day will find the best words of love in this practical guide. Romantic and witty, classic and contemporary, multicultural, pop-cultural, and just plain fun-if it's been said about love, it's in this book. Covering everything from invitations and wedding websites to readings, programs, party favors, and more, Words for the Wedding presents hundreds of classic and contemporary poems, quotes, quips, and blessings-from the Buddha to Bono-along with advice on how to use them most memorably. Whether you're planning a traditional nuptial or a do-it-yourself celebration on a shoestring, this useful and inspiring book will help you find all the right words to go along with "I do."