Journals Unlimited Review

There are a number of special times in your life that you'll want to remember for years to come.  One of those special events is your wedding!  I'm sure that many people will remember the big things but you may easily forget the small things...such as the ideas that went through your head, the feelings you felt, and the process you took in deciding on different aspects for your wedding.  Journals Unlimited offers a great product to make the wedding planning process something that you will be able to relive for years to come!  Journals Unlimited's Write It Down! series is a series of journals that includes checklists and spaces for you to journal about your experiences. 

Journals Unlimited also sells a number of  Write it Down mid/mini journals, The Color Collection full/mini journals, Notepads, Write to Remember, Between Me and You and special online exclusives.  Some of these titles include, 'Vacation: The Travelers Journal', 'Daily Devotions: A Prayer Mini Journal', 'Meal Planners Notepad', and 'Reunion - My Family Reunion'.  This list reflects only a small fraction of the books actually offered by Journals Unlimited (they have over 60 titles all-in-all).

In the book Wedding Planner: My Wedding Journal, Barbara Morina starts off the journal with this quote, "Life is an adventure.  It's not the destination we reach that's most rewarding, It's the journal along the way.  So, 'Write it Down' & treasure the memory forever..."  How true and what a nice concept!   The Write It Down series is a great way to document your experience and pass those stories down through the generations.

Review
The owner of Journals Unlimited was kind enough to send me a copy of Wedding Planner: My Wedding Journal (full-size) to experience and share with all of you.  The first aspect of the journal that caught my eye was the beautiful natural look of it (the journal also comes in color for those of you who prefer that option).  The book is made from recycled material, which I think is fabulous!  Not only can I capture my memories, but I can help save the earth one memory at a time! :)  This journal has a hard cover and it seems to be very durable.  The journal is comb bound and the pages contained in the book are 70lb acid free recycled paper.

The first few pages of the journal includes spots for the bride and groom's names, information about the wedding party (and other contacts - e.g. photographer, officiant, etc.), specifics about the wedding celebrations, ceremony, and reception, as well as an detailed wedding checklist.  The wedding checklist starts at the engagement and continues all the way through the wedding planning stages.  This journal reminds people that the list is not inclusive since all weddings are unique, which means there are different tasks couples will need to complete.  When I was originally looking for a wedding checklist, I found the exact same thing - there was no checklist or budget template that exactly matched the vision for my wedding.  Personally, I think that is a good thing; every wedding should be unique to capture the aspects of the soon-to-be married couple.

The rest of the journal is filled with 'journal pages'.  These pages include spots for you to fill in the following:
-date
-time
-plan for today (a.k.a. your to do list)
-people to contact
-progress you've made/updates
-how you are feeling (emotions)
-items that you are concerned about
-the best part of your day
-your plan for the next day
-how many day to go before the 'big day'
-and a full page dedicated to notes/plans/ideas

The journal pages are helpful because they are both structured and free flowing; you can make them what you want by filling out only a few or all of the spaces and by adding more info on the notes pages.


I have a couple of suggestions for improvement in regards to the checklist.  First of all, I'd like to see some of the 'to do's' separated into different points.  For example "Order tablecloths, napkins, centerpieces, dishes, glasses, guest book, decorations, etc."  My first thought when I saw that was 'Wow.  That's a lot of stuff to do for one check mark'.  Since most couples do these things at different points in the planning process (I know we did), I'd like to see them as separate items.  Also, I'd like it if Journals Unlimited included a page of blank lines and check marks that I could use to add my own 'to do's'.  This would help me stay a bit more organized by allowing me to keep everything in one place.

Other than the checklist, I would like to see a few more pages added at the front that ask open ended questions about the wedding planning process, etc.  For example, I've love to see questions asked specifically about why certain decisions were made, why some decisions were harder than others, obstacles faced, the meaning behind different aspects you chose, etc.  It would also be nice to include a few blank pages at the end of the book that could be used to showcase mementos, such as invitations, photos, business cards, etc.

Overall, I thought this book was a great idea.  It is good for people who love to journal.  Because of the style of this book, I would suggest people purchase it towards the beginning of their wedding planning (shortly after the engagement) to get the most out of the journal.  There are enough pages to accommodate for a long or short engagement.  The book is flexible in that you can write an entry whenever you have a chance - you can write as much or as little as you want!

I think the Wedding Planner: My Wedding Journal by Journals Unlimited is a great way to preserve your memories, including some items that you might forget in future years (e.g. some of the emotions you felt leading up to the big day).  This book is reasonably priced at $18.95 on the Journals Unlimited website.  If you like personalized items, you can get a personalized journal for only $11.00 more (including custom text and an image of your choosing).  You can also purchase the standard journal on Amazon.com.

In my mind, this journal would make a great engagement gift for the bride (or the groom) to-be!