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It's said that "A diamond is forever," and while that slogan has been huge for jewelry retailers, most of them hope you'll adopt the unspoken follow-up into your jewelry philosophy. The full saying is, of course, "A diamond is forever -- until you can afford a bigger one."

Most major jewelry retailers offer trade-in programs where you can exchange your original purchase toward something bigger and better down the road -- provided that you're trading up to something at least twice the value. (This is the Zales policy, which is pretty standard throughout the industry.)

This sounds like a nice idea for the couple who doesn't have the money to buy what they want when they're first engaged, but we have to wonder -- doesn't an engagement ring (no matter the size of the rock) have huge sentimental value? Is this something one could really trade in? Grooms, how would you feel about your bride trading up for something "better" than what you first gave her? Tell us what you think!

We've been involved in about a million weddings, and out of all of them, and nearly every bride we've known has selected her bridesmaids' dresses saying, "I totally think my bridesmaids will be able to wear this again -- don't you?"

Truth be told, many of these dresses were quite beautiful, but did we think the bridesmaids were going to keep them at the front of their closets and wear them at the very next opportunity? Nope, not likely.



This makes us wonder -- how much do bridesmaids really care about the "post-wedding wearability" of their dresses? And if that's something that's important, what factors are most important? Color? Style? Formality? Or should brides worry more about what dress fits in best with their wedding and not worry about whether the bridesmaids will wear it again?

It can be difficult to find ways to include all the people you hold near and dear in your wedding, especially when those people are children. Whereas adult attendants get antsy about how they look in the dress you picked out as they stand in front of all your friends and family, kids are totally psyched to have all eyes on them. But what will they be doing?

The common solution is to include the wee ones in your life as flower girls and ring bearers, but what is the appropriate age for these designations? Is a three-year-old mature enough to understand the job and cooperate? Would a ten-year-old be offended that you'd even ask her to play such a kiddie role? At what age should a girl be promoted from flower girl to junior bridesmaid?

We suggest speaking to the parents first when you decide to include children in the wedding party. The parents can give you an idea of where the child will best fit in, and whether or not it's a good idea to ask. Maybe a two-year-old won't do the flower girl job exactly by the book, but who says she won't be an adorable part of your wedding? It all depends on what you want.

In Massachusetts, gay couples are allowed to marry. And in several other states, couples can take advantage of civil unions or domestic partnerships. Those arrangements at least offer some of the same protections as marriage.

Until it comes time to filing taxes. While gay couples can file in their respective states with no problem, they still can't file together on federal taxes. And that means paying more money to Uncle Sam. According to CNN, a couple making $60,000 would pay over $800 more than if they filed together.

There are many benefits that gay couples could get from marriage or civil unions. But until the federal government recognizes those unions, taxes won't be one of them. So what do you think, should the federal government recognize same-sex marriages? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.



Photo by babasteve licensed under Creative Commons.

There are a number of reasons couples don't opt for a prenup. Some couples go into the marriage with little in the way of money or assets, and therefore little to dispute should they ever divorce.

Others, though aware of the fact that the divorce rate is near 50%, just don't believe for a moment that they could ever get divorced. As a matter of fact, a Harvard Law School study showed that couples gave themselves a 12% likelihood of getting divorced. This even has a name -- optimism bias.

If you've opted against a prenup, what are your reasons? Take the poll below and share in the comments!

We all agree that it's bad form to just ask for cash gifts. Sure, you can hint at it, and spread the word through your bridal party that "the couple would really prefer cash gifts since they already have all the stuff they need for their house." That's a pretty effective way to get the word out without looking greedy.

But what about registering for cash? While some think registries of any kind are tacky, they're still a generally accepted part of wedding culture. So what difference does it make if you register at the Pottery Barn or at the bank? Lots of banks are jumping on board with this growing trend and offering bank accounts that double as registries where guests can simply make a deposit.

We've seen honeymoon registries, which are really just another form of cash registry -- what do you think? Are bank registries over the line of proper etiquette, or are they no different than any other registry?

According to the results of this poll, most brides are willing to rent a wedding dress instead of buy one. But very few people actual do this. I asked around on message boards: why, if you are willing to rent a gown, are you buying them anyway?

Most of the answers were that brides didn't know they could rent gowns, or couldn't find a place that offered such a service. Hmm. There are a few places online that offer this service, but it seems that it's just not widely available. Yet, according to our readers, there is a market for dress rental.

Entrepreneurs, here's your chance. And if you know of any stores that will rent wedding gowns, by all means, let us know!

Ever notice how everything wedding is aimed at the bride? Some days, you brides probably resent that the weight of all this rides mostly on your shoulders. Some days, you grooms probably resent feeling like a mere accessory to her show. But even now that men and women are more equal than they've ever been, the wedding is still mostly all about the bride. Why is that?

One reason put forth by the authors of the book Cinderella Dreams is that with a wedding, a woman's status changes more than a man's, so she's more invested in the ritual. In fact, the authors test out the idea then dismiss it, but we're not so sure. In the US, going from Miss to Mrs. changes a woman's name a solid 90% of the time. She'll probably alter her career path to include children in a way her husband just won't. Once she's married, statistically she'll do more housework, while her husband will do less. She has probably suffered more pressure to marry from friends and family (though men get it, too, just not so much).

What do you think? Does marrying change a woman's life more than a man's?

Kaela Covert, a 17-year-old high school junior in Quincy, Illinois, has been looking forward to her prom for a long time. She wants to take her 22-year-old fiance, and her parents want them to go together, too -- but her school district says she can't bring him because he's too old.

Her parents insist that he's just a normal kid who won't cause any disruptions, so the school should let him attend the dance with Kaela. The two have attended several school dances prior to the installment of the new policy that requires all prom attendees to either be high school students or under the age of 21. Is this a case of the school stepping in where the parents won't? If the parents are fine with the relationship, should the school back down?

No one gets married expecting to get divorced. Divorce is one of those things that happens to other people, right? Certainly not you. We hope you won't ever go through it, but the fact is, about half the people who never think they'll get divorced are proved wrong.

In this very misogynistic article, Askmen.com lays out the practical reasons for signing a prenup. The underlying assumption in the article is that women are ruthless gold diggers who will screw all men who drop their guards, which is annoying to read, but take out those undertones and the points about protecting assets are still true.

Prenups simply determine how assets will be divided in the event of a divorce. It's a wholly unromantic and really depressing idea, but if you do end up splitting, a prenup can save both people a lot of money and anguish. If your terms are already agreed beforehand, no one has to pay a lawyer for hours and hours of fighting about how to divide things. For tips on negotiating a prenup, read our post here.

I pose a question to you brides and grooms out there (former, present, to-be, whatever): What's up with china?

I get it -- it's nice to have a lovely matching set of dishes. But I ran across this post recently, and, to put it in a nutshell, the couple wants china that is microwave and dishwasher safe and informal enough to go with some really casual flatware they've chosen. So, I ask again, why china? Why not a nice set of matching dishes that are less expensive and more to the couple's taste?

Also, most couples I know will be inheriting china sets (whether they want to or not), so why continue the cycle? In a home where you plan to have many ritzy dinner parties and where the guests will recognize a Wedgewood china pattern, I understand. It's a status thing. But for most people, is it necessary? Let me know!

Also, be sure to go through the gallery. Can you guess which ones are fancy china and which are everyday dinnerware?

Why is it that grooms are never expected to buy tuxedos, which can be worn again to other events, but brides are expected to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a dress they can really only wear one time? Does anyone else find this sort of stupid?

We understand that wedding dresses can be hugely sentimental, and many women like to own theirs simply to be able to look at it hanging in the closet, or dream of passing it down to daughters and granddaughters. But think of all the other keepsakes you'll have from your wedding -- gifts, framed invitations, photo albums, your spouse -- do you really need to spend so much money on the dress, too?

Some people will say yes, but for those of you who want to cut costs on the wedding dress and are willing to rent instead of buy one, you're in luck, because you can do that! Most brides don't even think to ask about this, because it's so out of the norm, and most stores won't mention rental to someone willing to buy, but just ask around and you may be surprised at how many options you have. Many of the stores that offer gown rentals will also rent out bridal accessories to save you even more money.

Once a woman hits the big 3-uh-oh, she invariably has that moment of utter bewilderment as she stares into the mirror murmuring unkind phrases to her reflection. Inevitably, she must ask herself that downright dirty, evil question: Is it better to be single or to settle?

Author Lori Gottlieb addresses this very question in an excerpt from "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough" in the March 2008 issue of The Atlantic magazine.

The Mississippi House voted earlier this week to eliminate the three-day waiting period for marriage licenses in an effort to boost tourism by making it easier to have a destination wedding in the state. Supporters of the bill argue that it will bring more out of state couples to wed in Mississippi because it will be easier for them to get marriage licenses, while opponents fear that wiping out the waiting period will encourage hasty weddings and cause the divorce rate to rise even higher.

Even if the bill passes, though, Mississippi is far from becoming the next Nevada. The state will still require that you apply for your marriage license from a county circuit clerk during regular business hours, and a blood test will still be required.

This is the fourth year that this kind of bill has been debated in the Mississippi government, and it looks like it may have trouble passing yet again. What do you think about this?

A week ago, we asked wedding attendees to weigh in on the ceremony length. While a sizable chunk of our responders said that wedding ceremonies up to an hour in duration are acceptable, the vast majority preferred the short and sweet weddings, lasting no more than 30 minutes.

Over 20% of responders said that weddings should not exceed 20 minutes. This is something to keep in mind as you plan out the details of your big day. The ceremony may be the part that's most important to you, but most of the guests there are just waiting to get to the reception.

If you're planning a marathon ceremony, see if there aren't things that you can cut down or incorporate somehow into the reception instead, where the guests are more comfortable than when they're sitting on a hard church pew being quiet.