Hello and happy engagement season! What better thing to get you in the right mindset for wedding-planning than a hilarious novel about a young wedding planner? Without a Hitch, written by best friends Mary Hollis Huddleston and Asher Fogle Paul, is the story of Lottie Jones, an aimless twentysomething single gal who stumbled her way into wedding planning at a boutique event firm. She's working with the richest of the rich in the South, specializing in the most extravagant weddings imaginable—parachute landings, unlimited budgets, and many hijinks included.
Of course, there's just one problem. The latest wedding Lottie's planning is for her ex-boyfriend. The one who, seven years ago, she was planning an imaginary wedding with, and then promptly got dumped by. Though years have passed, the wounds of the breakup are still there, and even meeting handsome wedding photographer, Griffin, can't soften her heart toward trying love again. Surrounded by glitz and glamor in the Texas heat, Lottie has to find herself and figure out what—if anything—she'll do for love.
Without a Hitch is a hilarious romp through extreme wedding planning, which will undoubtedly entertain your anxious wedding-planning heart. For starters, here are some tips for your own nuptials, taken from Lottie's story and from the authors' real life anecdotes of wedding planning!
Don't hire a stuntman…for any reason
No matter how awesome and Mission Impossible-y you think it'll look, just don't. Please. It can only end in disaster and the possible prank isn’t worth the risk.
Don't bring your pets
Does your beloved dog really need to be the ring bearer with a bowtie? Sure, they can be cute, but four-legged friends and white wedding gowns just don’t go together. If they must be a part of your big day, they can always make an appearance on the Save-the-Dates or place cards!
Don't keep your desserts in sunshine
Unless you want your beautiful three-tiered cake to turn into a puddle of sugary soup, be sure to keep the desserts somewhere cool until it's show time. Preservation is all in the details, y'all.
Don't opt for an outlandish exit
If your dream is to row off into the sunset or fly off to the horizon after the reception, be sure the experts are there to navigate the way. Otherwise, you might watch your means of getaway drift away, along with your vision for a perfect day!
It's stories like this that remind us of who we really are deep down. And also bring out that 13-year-old girl who plucks pages out of magazines and pastes them into a secret scrapbook, ranking each dress, location, meal, and husband on a 5-star scale. For future use, of course.
Without a Hitch is about so much more than the chaos of weddings, though! It's about learning and growing and becoming the best version of yourself. It's about realizing that your dreams when you were 20 are definitely not your dreams when you're almost 30. Most of us would plan a wedding nearly opposite to that of our wedding Pinterest boards made a decade ago. With time and age comes maturity and realizing what really matters on our special day.
Without a Hitch by Mary Hollis Huddleston and Asher Fogle Paul is sure to, at the very least, bring you a smile and remind you why you love watching wedding TV shows and movies way more than you like planning—or even attending—them.