Review: Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: October 28, 2011

Pages: 320

Received: NetGalley ARC

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As a wedding planner, you'd think she would have the perfect wedding experience...

Sherilyn Caine has left Chicago behind to marry Andrew Drummond IV, an Atlanta native with a family name that tops all the social registers. Landing the job as The Tanglewood’s wedding planner is a piece of cake for someone with a Type A personality; she’s the perfect fit for a wedding destination hotel known for its attention to even the tiniest details.

But when everything else is going along swimmingly, why are her own wedding plans drowning right before her eyes? One way or the other, Sherilyn is determined to make this wedding work—until the latest development threatens to call the whole thing off. Is it possible that Sherilyn is allergic to her fiance?

I have not read the first book in this series, but I plan to pick it up to learn more about the characters. I didn't really feel like I missed out too much as there was a bit of back story revealed throughout the novel.

Sherilyn and Andy have a sort of whirlwind romance where they meet and get engaged very quickly - they feel like they've known each other a lifetime and their friends are supportive of their choice to marry quickly. But does fate have other ideas? 

It's an interesting concept of the wedding planner having troubles getting her own wedding planned and organized, so that her own dreams can come true. The different scenarios that seem set to derail all possible plans for Sherilyn and Andy's wedding are hilarious - some seem like they could  really happen and others not so much. 

I almost felt like too much happened to the main characters in this story - there were cute little secondary character story lines, but the main plot felt like there were too many things happening to these people and at times it felt like, "what more could this story possibly cover?" In the end all of the loose ends tie up nicely. 

The one thing that I thought gave this book a unique touch were the recipes, wedding checklists and wedding inspirations/ideas. It was a nice touch - considering this book was about wedding planning.

Other reviews that I've read mentioned that it was too religious, but I found that to be untrue. Yes there was mention of God, praying and churches - but nothing in the book seemed too preachy or overly religious in tone. It was just a nice, clean contemporary romance. I've actually come to enjoy Christian Romance for these exact reasons.