Tailor the length of your engagement to the length of the relationship, and other advice from a newlywed
Drea has been through the scheming, planning, and wedding having and she’s made it through the other side all in one piece. She was kind enough to offer up some of her post-wedding-having advice for us. So let’s glean all that we can. Get to gleaning!
Damnit, my mom was right… (don’t tell her!)
I knew that weddings were expensive, but I thought the expense was attributed to pricey perks like dresses made out of Swarovski crystals and 500lb twelve-tier cakes, not the sheer cost of simply feeding your guests. You know who did know some of this stuff? My mom.
OPEN THREAD: Is keeping my ex-husband’s last name disrespectful to my fiance?
I feel greatly conflicted. At this stage in my life, I resent the burden of having to change my name (again) when men have the privilege of bypassing this antiquated and gendered tradition. As a woman, why must this “choice” be thrust upon me and why must I face judgment from others? How do I respond to others who feel that retaining my current last name is disrespectful to my fiance?
The Cheap Bastardette’s guide to self-catering your wedding
Our plan: rather than pay $15 per head for upwards of 160 guests (is it just me, or is the guest count never where I left it?) we’re stretching our $5,000 budget as far as we can by offering a variety of snacky things. Here’s how we’ll pull it off.