The other day, I got a surprise in the mail from one of my closest friends.  The packaging from Amazon clued me in that it was something for my reading pleasure.

I was almost correct – part book, part wedding planning tool, the Anti-Bride Wedding Planner: Hip Tools and Tips for Getting Hitched was a well-thought out gift. She must have read my original blog post and agreed that I might be behind on the actual planning of our nuptials, and this was her subtle way of telling me to get cracking. The guide includes helpful articles such as “Where to Skimp & Where to Spend,” invitation ideas, quizzes to help you determine your wedding priorities, and even pocket folders to keep all of your special notes and relevant brochures. It seems to be a must-have for any organized bride.

The most helpful part about THIS particular book? It came fully loaded with someone else’s wedding plans.

Now, I am all for reducing, recycling, and re-using. In fact, when discussing wedding themes, Fiance and I have decided to be as green and earth-friendly as possible for our special day. Generally, if I need to personally own a book, I’m ok with going used, and am thrilled that my friend has the same environmentally and fiscally conservative approach to life.

However, it may be less than ideal in this case when I go to input the “Final Guest List” on page 21 and forget where the previous-bride’s list ended (Pablo and Marsha) and mine begins. Plus she only left me 20 lines, so I might need to cut the guest list back just a tad.

If the utility-factor has been diminished of this book due to it’s second-hand status, the entertainment factor has been greatly increased. Pre-bride left some great notes about pagan rituals and raved about her pedicurist (although, unfortunately, she appears to be located on the opposite side of the country from me). The section entitled “Music” has been entirely crossed out, and it appears that Pre-bride and her groom served as their own DJs. I wonder how that worked out.

I also wonder how something with this type of sentimental value ends up being sold in the Amazon Marketplace. Overzealous spring cleaning? Cat-burglar that targets items of low monetary value but high personal value? Anyway, if you have lost your Anti-Bride Wedding Planner and you believe you might be Pre-bride, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll see to it that you get notebook back.