Judith Martin

Jacobina Martin

Today's brides are bombarded with wedding advice that promises perfection, but urges achieving it through selfishness and showing off. Couples who are able to resist such pressure see elopement or a slapdash wedding as the only alternatives to a gaudy blowout. But none of these choices appealed to a bride who happened to be brought up by Miss Manners. Judith Martin and her newlywed daughter, Jacobina, explain how to have a dignified ceremony and celebration without succumbing to the now-prevalent pattern of the vulgar, money-draining wedding that exhausts families and exploits friends. In this revised edition, the etiquette guru covers everything from whether or not to handwrite invitations to planning a classy shower and navigating the changing terrain of proposals and engagements. Martin and her daughter have included lots of new information and the most up-to-date dos and don'ts. Sure to help allay the usual wedding anxiety, this refreshingly witty companion will serve as a reassuring guide to hosting a 'surprisingly dignified wedding.'

Miss Manners' Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding

Bride and mother-of-the-bride rebel against today’s monster weddings and explain how weddings can be charming, affordable—and excruciatingly correct. Today’s brides are bombarded with wedding advice that promises perfection but urges achieving it through selfishness (“It’s your wedding, and you can do whatever you like”), greed (choosing the presents that guests are directed to buy), and showing off (“This is your chance to show everyone what you’re about”). Couples wishing to resist such pressure see elopement or a slapdash wedding as the only alternatives to a gaudy blowout. But none of these choices appealed to a bride who happened to have been brought up by Miss Manners. Judith Martin and her newlywed daughter, Jacobina, explain how to have a dignified ceremony and delightful celebration without succumbing to the now-prevalent pattern of the vulgar, money-draining wedding that exhausts families and exploits friends.

Pregnancy is a time for happiness, serenity, and discovery, as well as a time for inappropriate tummy touching and over sharing by friends and relatives. Is it acceptable to give parenting advice to your daughter-in-law? To a stranger on the bus? Must one endure co-worker baby showers? Entertaining as well as brutally honest, Miss Manners likens pregnant women to low-tier celebrities, and offers not advice but pronouncements on the proper etiquette of behavior to and by moms-to-be in this e-book original. Winner of the National Humanities Medal for her social discourse in etiquette, Miss Manners transforms respectful behavior into a tool for everyday life. Go ahead and let your mother-in-law visit the hospital when the baby is born and resist correcting your best friend when she nicknames your unborn child “Nat-Nat.” After all, Miss Manners reminds us, in a few months, you may need a babysitter.

Jacobina Martin

Books

Your next favorite book is out there