Did you ever wonder what people in the 1800's did when they needed to plan a wedding? I can't help but think there wasn't  dozens of books available on choosing the perfect wedding dress and picking out a caterer in the old west.

So it begs the question does a modern bride really need a book to help her plan a wedding? How have things changed over the years? Perhaps the biggest change is technology. Everything is done on a computer. I have had friends that blogged with wedding planning activities, the invitations can go out as e-mails and photos are available to look at digitally as soon as they are taken.

None of that really has an impact on if you need a wedding book. I think the main reason a person needs a wedding book is that the sheer number of decisions a bride and groom need to make has changed. In the past, the wedding was always at the family church and that also often served as the place for the reception.

Today, people spend weeks or months planning where to have the wedding and where to have the reception. In the past, there was really only a few places to cater the reception and bake the cake, but today there are literally hundreds of places that can do it if you are in an urban environment.

Do you really need a wedding book? I guess it depends on the type of person you are and the size of the wedding. Me, I couldn't have done it without it, plus its a nice keepsake.