My husband and I are married not because I said, "I do," but because he said, "I'll do it."

Last year, when Jay got on one knee in Battery Park in Manhattan and proposed, I accepted and realized I was filled with joy—at the prospect of spending the rest of my life with him—then panic, associated with the idea of becoming a bride. 

We were eight years into our monogamous relationship, so I wasn't a commitment-phobe, but the thought of donning a big white dress and playing the lead role in a family-filled wedding drama inspired a tsunami of anxiety … Read More

Before I got engaged, I used to think a couple's truest test of compatibility and readiness for marriage was living together. What could be more of a test, I reasoned, than successfully sharing the same space, splitting the bills, and delegating household chores while still enjoying each other's company and remaining sexually attracted to one another? That's why, when my boyfriend proposed after nearly a year and a half of co-habitation, I didn't hesitate in saying 'yes.' I'd lived with a boyfriend before—for over three years—and when that relationship eventually became more like brother-sister than boyfriend-girlfriend, … Read More

Forget rain on your wedding day.

A Milwaukee couple is heading into the sea of marital bliss surrounded by some unexpected artifacts—namely those from the Titanic.

Melissa Vartanian is planning to wed her fiance at the Milwaukee Public Museum's Titanic exhibit. Vartanian told the Journal Sentinel that it was her personal history with the Titanic that made it an ideal place for her wedding and also helped her win a local contest for an all-expense-paid wedding at the exhibit. How To Be A Good Wedding Guest Without Going Broke

Vartanian's grandfather, David, had fled fighting in the … Read More

Yes, times are tough but let us not forget that love carries on. Case in point, that growing stack of wedding invitations you have thumb tacked to the calendar. If it seems as though everyone you know is suddenly getting married this summer, that may very well be the case. Wedding season is officially in full swing and just because you're counting every penny, don't discount the fact that you're still required to send a gift for every invitation that comes your way.

While Brides.com suggests that the average amount of money to spend … Read More

Does your groom have delusions of grandeur when he talks about the size of his... reception hall? Then he might be a Groomzilla! Newly engaged or weeks away from your wedding, the symptoms of a Groomzilla can strike your fiancé at any time. Craig Bridger, author of Surviving Groomzilla: A Bride's Guide offers warning signs and tips on how to tame the beast that has taken over the wedding planning.

Read an excerpt from Surviving Groomzilla by Craig Bridger.

I asked my wonderful wife, Tara, to marry me on October 19, 2004, in a tiny black box theatre in Brooklyn, New York, where we first met. I took a knee in that ugly little room because of its sentimental significance for both of us—and because the swirling sky was spitting bullets of freezing rain in the park under the Brooklyn Bridge, where I'd originally planned to do it. But everything turned out great in the end. She said yes; she cried; she called her mom. And now, when we tell the story of our engagement, it seems as though … Read More

Sophie Clarke had been planning her wedding day for three years. Every detail was in place, including the fairy-tale touch of a horse-drawn carriage transporting her to the site of the ceremony. Turns out, the reality was not anywhere near the fantasy the British bride had in mind.

The horse pulling Clarke's dream carriage bolted on the way to the church, ousting the driver. With the bride and her father still in the open-air carriage, the horse continued galloping, eventually crashing into a car and losing Clarke and father from the back before settling down to graze in an open … Read More

As we know, traditional weddings are out and unique weddings—be them green, red or otherwise—are in. Weddings today are about adding a personal touch, and one of the clearest ways couples are choosing to convey their distinctive personality is through music and, specifically, the ceremonial first dance at the reception.

Love Buzz knows a couple who, since the groom was in the music industry, had their DJ friends clamoring to control the tunes at their reception. Rather than choose one friend or genre, the couple delegated slots to all their musical pals and had a rockin' time … Read More

Weddings may be all about the details, but gone are the days when fretting over minor points was constricted to the colors of candied almonds and what dresses the bridesmaids will wear. The New York Times reported this weekend some couples now dictate what guests should wear.

Everyone knows never to wear white to a wedding, but now some guests are instructed on their wedding invites not to wear outfits that will clash with the flowers, candles... and other guests. Couples are asking friends and fam to wear all white, or pastels, for example, presumably so no … Read More

Today's Washington Post has a slideshow of the best dresses for second weddings. Eleven percent of engaged women and 17% of men said their upcoming nuptials would not be their first, according to a Conde Nast poll.

Second time around, brides tend to choose gowns that are very different from what they wore at their first wedding. And red carpet events and celebrity weeklies that showcase fanciful frocks are fueling both brides' and designers' desires for creative wedding dresses.

Other second wedding dress trends include flared skirts instead of long trains, asymmetrical cuts over Read More