Why I Wrote Eight Wedding Industry Books

People are usually surprised when I tell them how many books are in the series. Eight. Not one handbook with a few spin-offs, but eight full books covering planning, styling, floristry, business and marketing, micro, intimate and destination weddings, and one written for couples.

The next question is always "Why?" Why would anyone running a busy education business, coaching wedding owners and co-hosting a podcast sit down and write eight books? It's a fair question. Here's my honest answer.

The gap I kept bumping into

When I was growing a planning business, and later when I took over The Wedding Academy in 2022, I kept running into the same problem. The wedding industry had plenty of inspiration. Gorgeous books, gorgeous feeds, gorgeous boards. What it didn't have was enough practical, written-down know-how for the people actually doing the work.

New planners didn't have a book that explained a supplier contract. Stylists couldn't find a reference that covered both colour theory and pricing their hire stock. Florists had technique books but very little on quoting, sourcing and running a profitable studio. And business owners were drowning in generic marketing advice that had nothing to do with couples, enquiries and wedding seasons.

I wanted books you could keep on the desk with a pen in the margins. Books that respected the craft and the business equally.

Why eight books and not one

I could have written one big "wedding industry bible". It would have been about two thousand pages and nobody would have finished it.

The truth is that a planner, a stylist and a florist do genuinely different jobs. They overlap, and they work side by side on the day, but the skills, tools and business models aren't the same. Squashing them together would have meant skimming everything. So each discipline got its own book, and where a subject was too big for one volume, it got two.

• The Wedding Planner's Handbook: the full process, from first enquiry to final invoice.
• The Wedding Stylist's Handbook, Volumes One and Two: design, colour and décor in the first; light, tables, spaces and the business of styling in the second.
• The Wedding Florist's Handbook: seasonal flowers, mechanics, installations and running a floral studio.
• The Wedding Business & Marketing Handbook 2026, Volumes One and Two: foundations, money, brand and sales, then marketing and social media.
• The Micro, Intimate & Destination Wedding Handbook: small, elopement and destination weddings anywhere in the world.
• The Couple's Wedding Planning Handbook: everything the professionals know, written for couples planning their own day.

What I refused to compromise on

Before a single chapter was written, I set a few rules for the series. They shaped every page.

Practical over pretty

Every chapter had to leave you able to do something you couldn't do before. That's why the books are full of worksheets, checklists and step-by-step processes, not just ideas.

The business is part of the craft

I've met too many talented people who closed their doors because nobody taught them pricing, contracts or cash flow. So business content runs through every book, not just the business volumes.

Real stories, not fairy tales

Wedding days go sideways. Weather turns, suppliers run late, families get complicated. The books include stories from the field because knowing what can go wrong, and what to do about it, is where judgement comes from.

Every couple, every wedding

Inclusive, cultural, sustainable, budget-conscious and intimate weddings aren't a niche chapter at the back. They're part of how the industry actually works now.

I didn't want to write books people admire. I wanted to write books people wear out.

What twenty years of producing taught me about writing them

Before weddings, I spent around twenty years producing: entertainment co-ordination for Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, creating The Burlesque Ball, bringing Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School to Sydney, a theatre festival and radio. Then I founded Business in Heels and grew it to around 50 branches across nine countries before selling it at the end of 2014.

Production taught me that great events are just a long list of small decisions made well, in the right order. Business in Heels taught me that most small business owners aren't short on talent, they're short on clear, honest information. Both of those lessons are baked into the handbooks. The structure follows the order you'll actually meet things in your work, and the tone is the one I'd use if you were sitting across from me with a coffee.

How the books connect to everything else I do

The handbooks sit alongside The Wedding Academy's courses rather than replacing them. The Wedding Academy has been teaching since 2004, is 100% online and has trained more than 11,000 students. A course gives you structure, assessment and support. A book gives you something you can pick up at 10pm before a client meeting. Plenty of people use both, and many start with a book to decide whether a course is right for them. You can browse the courses at The Wedding Academy.

They also sit beside my coaching. In coaching, we work on your specific business. The books give you the shared language and frameworks, so our time together goes deeper, faster.

If you're trying to decide where to begin, my post on the best books for wedding planners walks through which book suits which stage, and the Wedding Planner's Handbook post takes you inside book one.

Which book should you start with?

A quick guide:

• Thinking about a wedding career? Start with the handbook for the role you're drawn to: planner, stylist or florist.
• Already in business but not making enough? Go straight to the Business & Marketing volumes.
• Want to specialise in small or overseas weddings? The Micro, Intimate & Destination handbook.
• Planning your own wedding? The Couple's handbook was written for you.

Ebooks are $49 each, with the two-volume Stylist and Business sets at $69, and every paperback is $69 USD through Blurb. All the details are on the books page.

Explore all eight books

FAQs

How many books are in the Wedding Handbook series?

There are eight: The Wedding Planner's Handbook, The Wedding Stylist's Handbook Volumes One and Two, The Wedding Florist's Handbook, The Wedding Business & Marketing Handbook 2026 Volumes One and Two, The Micro, Intimate & Destination Wedding Handbook, and The Couple's Wedding Planning Handbook.

Who are the wedding handbooks for?

Aspiring and working wedding planners, stylists, florists and business owners, plus couples planning their own wedding through The Couple's handbook. Each book is written for a specific role.

Are the handbooks available as paperbacks?

Yes. Paperbacks are $69 USD each through Blurb, and ebooks are available through The Wedding Academy. Check each book page for current formats.

Do I need a course if I have the books?

Not necessarily. The books are a practical reference you can use on their own. A course adds structure, assessment and support, so many people start with a book and add a course when they're ready.