Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter

Meet Stanley Banks, a normal fellow who’s about to embark upon a heroic ordeal that will take him and his bank account to the limits of endurance. For, you see, he is the father of the bride…and the wedding circus has just begun.

The basis of the 1949 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy (and the 1991 remake with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton), Edward Streeter’s Father of the Bride is the hilarious novel about a bewildered man who’s tossed from crisis to crisis—from the dreaded meeting of the in-laws to the rising costs of, well, everything—when his little girl tells him she’s getting married. 

Complete with original illustrations, this is a classic in every sense. You’ll laugh with sympathy and enjoy every word.

I've never seen the 1949 movie version of this story, but love the Steve Martin remake, so when Doubleday Book Club offered the 85th Anniversary volume of the book that started it all, I jumped.  It's a cute story about a father who is totally lost in the world of out-of-control, over-the-top wedding preparations.  Although wedding customs have changed in the past 85 years, the obsession with "the perfect wedding" hasn't - If you doubt me, watch just one episode of a wedding reality show, and you'll see my point - so the story still feels current in spite of outdated protocol.  A fun read - especially for those who have ever tried to give their daughter everything she wants, only to have her want something totally new.