The goddess that is Uma is engaged to her boyfriend Arpad Busson. All I know about him is that he is LOADED. Like, mega loaded. So was her ex-boyfriend, Andre Balazs, come to think of it. And her ex-husband Ethan Hawke only looked homeless, but he was richie-rich too. Hmm, me thinks she has a type. [At Nelson Mandela’s Birthday Party, London, 6/25/08]

I’ve been reading this book I Was Told There’d Be Cake, a collection of personal essays by Sloane Crosley, for the last few months. Though I think the book, in general, is a little “try too hard”, there’s one story in particular that really struck a chord with me. “You On A Stick” is about the time that Sloane’s best friend from her youth called her up out of the blue, after not having spoken for years, and asked her to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. The essay ends up being about a lot of issues associated with being a bridesmaid—from the mundane and annoying tasks associated with the duty, like making a veil out of wrapping paper at the bridal shower, to the more serious issue of female friendships and what they mean. The latter hit home for me though—for the record, my bridesmaids will never have to make an asinine hat for me out of ribbons unless they put a gun to my head and force me to wear one—because I’ve been having a really hard time with this particular part of getting married.

Scarlett Johansson and her boyfriend Ryan Reynolds are engaged and “thrilled” about it. She’s 23, he’s 31, and was previously engaged to Alanis Morrisette. Hope this one works out! [People]

I was the kind of kid who never had my friends over to my house to play or for sleepovers because I would get really stressed out about entertaining them and making sure they had a good time. Even now I sort of dread having overnight guests or visitors from out of town—even my own family!—not because I don’t, like, love them and want to see them, but because I get serious anxiety over making sure they have THE BEST TIME EVER. I have a birthday party every year, sure, but do not for a second doubt that I have a knot in my stomach about people showing up until I get good and drunk. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I have loads of anxiety about planning a wedding that is both friggin’ awesome for me and the feef, but for our guests as well. So why not elope and save myself the gray hairs and crippling anxiety? Because I truly want to have a huge bash surrounded by our friends and family; I want to wear a pretty dress I will never wear again; I want a professional photographer to take our picture and airbrush out the three zits on my face that never go away; I want to have the kind of party that really embodies who the feef and I are.

I want to have a wedding, damn it. There. I said it.

If your status on Facebook is “engaged”, you get inundated with various bridal and wedding B.S. on your profile page. As if you need a reminder that you’re supposed to be planning a friggin’ wedding, not adding “tanning, indoor gardening, and mac ‘n’ cheese” to your interests. Ugh.

Who better to answer relationship conundrums than random people we found on the street? Lori posed the tough questions, and they answered pretty brilliantly. Enjoy!

I’ve had a case of baby fever practically since I was an infant, so the possibility of someday having children has always been a no-brainer, even more than the idea of getting married. Put me in a room with a dozen adults and one youngster, and the child will have my ear all night. When I was freelance writing from home last year, I made extra cash, though not much, babysitting. It was mostly for fun and to put a damper on my crazy baby cravings. One thing I never considered in my non-debate over someday having kids was the possibility that my partner-in-crime might not want them as bad as I did…or even at all. When that became an issue for my fiancé and me long before we even got engaged, rest assured some tears were shed.

Ryan Reynolds has been on everyone’s lips this week.  While we wish he was pressed against ours, rumor has it he and Scarlett Johansson might be engaged—the blonde bombshell was seen shopping for wedding dresses with her mom over the weekend. Although they’re denying the rumor, there is no denying how hot Ryan is. He’s so funny and yet still so fine. While we loved him in the ABC sitcom Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place back in the day, did you see him in that tight grey suit on the red carpet at the premier of Definitely, Maybe?  This Van is driving us Wilder!