Tag Archives: getting engaged

Hitched: The Bizarre Phenomenon Of Being Rewarded For Getting Married

Andrea GrimesMarch 28, 2012 //
Premarital Counseling
Should Andrea and her fiance get counseling before getting hitched? Read More »

On Saturday morning, Patrick and I were enjoying some delicious breakfast tacos when I got the greatest e-mail of my life from Susan, my person of honor at our wedding: in the next week, we should be watching the mail for the trampoline the wedding party bought us.

Yeah, you read that right: the trampoline the wedding party bought us! Tramp! O! Line!

I could hardly contain my excitement. I read and re-read the email over and over again. I envisioned the giant trampoline in our backyard, and the afternoons we’d spend sunning and jumping on it, and how our backyard parties were about to get approximately a million percent more fun, and how oh my God, we are going to have a trampoline!

Because of course we put a trampoline on our wedding registry. Why not put a trampoline on your wedding registry, if you have the choice between not putting a trampoline on your wedding registry and putting a trampoline on your wedding registry? Keep reading »

Hitched: Should We Go To Premarital Counseling?

Andrea GrimesMarch 21, 2012 //
Hitched
Can you throw a cheap wedding in this day and age? Read More »

The State of Texas, beautiful and God-blessed land led by the white conservative men Jesus always intended it to be led by, rewards people who go to premarital counseling. The prize? You get to waive your license fee and don’t have a three-day waiting period between obtaining the license and getting married.

I discovered this fun new law while checking out marriage licenses generally, and learned that as of March 1, 2011, Texans getting married can either pay an increased fee for a license or get their asses to a counselor for an eight-hour course that will allow them to waive it.

The program is called, barfily enough, Twogether in Texas. I figured hey, if we can waive the fee and get counseling, that might be kind of cool. Of course, it’ll have to be free counseling because otherwise, there’s no money saved in waiving the fee. And we’re sure not paying a stranger hundreds of dollars to tell us we love each other and agree on major life issues like children (not for us, thanks), money (let’s make a reasonable amount of it and share it with each other) and religion (we’ll pass). Duh. That’s why we’re getting married. Keep reading »

Evening Quickies: Propose This Valentine’s Day, Courtesy Of … Pizza Hut?

Jessica WakemanFebruary 10, 2012 //
pizza hut marriage proposal
V-Day Survival Guide
For all your Valentine's Day needs. Read More »
  • Get engaged at Pizza Hut — with breadsticks and an engagement ring! —  for only $10,010 this Valentine’s Day. The full package includes a red ruby ring, a fireworks show, limo service, photographer, videographer, and of course, a pizza. [Newser]
  • Meet the Grammy elite: the biggest winners of all time. [Uptown Magazine]
  • Five tips for lingerie shopping this Valentine’s Day. [Betty Confidential]
  • Whew! Halle Berry and Madonna’s stalker has been captured after fleeing a mental institution last week. [PopCrush] 
  • Should you worry if your dude sends one word texts? [Gurl.com] 
    Keep reading »

Hitched: My Maid Of Honor Hates Weddings

Andrea GrimesJanuary 25, 2012 //
Inviting Strangers
Why does Andrea have to invite complete strangers to her wedding? Read More »

When Patrick and I got drunk at the lake and decided to get married, we announced it to our friends a couple days later like the classy, plugged-in media power couple we are: via mass text message. Exclamation points. That kind of thing.

The congratulations came flooding in. A couple folks even called. It made me feel like the most important person doing something totally boring and normal in the whole wide world.

But the response I was really worried about getting, and the response that kept me glancing at my phone for validation, was one from my best ladyfriend Susan. I didn’t know what to expect, because I knew Susan hated weddings and wedding-related culture and generally always has a shitty time at weddings. How would she react to me, her best friend, shoving her into the center of a swirling, twirling wedding maelstrom?

“Awwww!” she exclaimed. “Awwww!” Keep reading »

Hitched: Wedding Planning Is The Worst

Andrea GrimesNovember 18, 2011 //
Engaged Without A Ring
hitched photo
Andrea's engagement didn't involve a giant rock. Read More »

I started having emotional breakdowns about a month into wedding planning. Sweaty palms, heart racing, knees weak, teary eyes, total immobilization. I would find myself staring at a web page filled with tiki torches or green bridesmaid dresses or centerpiece ideas, and I would just stop dead in my wedding tracks.

It became the worst when Patrick would ask me for ideas or advice. Two questions in a row about the wedding and I’d be a shaky, sweaty mess. All of a sudden, my mind was deluged with worst-case scenarios and paralyzing fear of judgment from others. How do you plan a party everyone has already been to before, but also make it the paragon of amazing loveness that super-embodies the perfect lovey-face of your wonderful and unique relationship?

Moreover, will our venue let us put party lights up and what if we don’t have party lights and we trigger Armageddon right then and there?!

Wedding planning is the worst.  Keep reading »

Hitched: Getting Engaged Without A Ring

Andrea GrimesNovember 10, 2011 //
hitched photo
Wedding Body Project
hitched photo
Andrea on the expectation that all brides-to-be want to lose weight. Read More »

When you get drunk with your boyfriend at the lake and decide to get engaged while under the influence of a decent-sized bottle of Jim Beam, you don’t exactly get the whole kneel-down, velvet-box proposal. No, what you get is peeling your face off a mattress the next morning and wondering where your pants are and oh my God, donde tacos?, and oh yeah, forever love.

But I’m of the School of Functional Alcoholic Thought that subscribes to the idea that alcohol just lubes you up for stuff you really want to do in your secret heart, rather than forces you to do things you’d rather not. So not only do I not regret our engagement story, I think it’s true to who Patrick and I are (enthusiastic boozers) and what kind of relationship we have (the kind where we do s**t the way we like to do it.)

The drunkgagement is also a good way to end up being engaged without a ring, because who just goes around getting wasted with diamonds in their pockets? I mean, besides fancy people, obviously.  Keep reading »

What’s An Engagement Vacation?

YourTango.comJanuary 16, 2011 //

The world has been all a-twitter (especially on Twitter) about the royal engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The future Princess brings a newfound sense of romance and excitement to the royal family, as well as some much-needed genetic diversity. Their long-term romance, culminating in a proposal while on vacation in Kenya, is prompting other couples to engage in the next big trend—the “engagementcation.” Keep reading »

What I Wish I’d Known Before I Got Married

YourTango.comOctober 3, 2010 //

So you’ve met Mr. Oh-So-Right, and you’re pretty sure he’s about to pop the question. Or maybe he already has, and you’re halfway done planning your wedding. You’ve been dreaming about married life and … stop right there. Keep reading »

How I Got Over Being Afraid To Get Married

YourTango.comFebruary 20, 2010 //

I had always been sure I wanted to get married, and the longer I dated Dean, the more sure I was that he was the right one for me. That is … until I got engaged.

Dean’s proposal wasn’t a surprise. I was too nosy to not know it was happening, and I enthusiastically said yes the moment he asked. However, once it happened (in a sweet and thoughtful way, I should add), I began to feel these nagging questions eating away at me: Did I really want to be married? Would we be any good at it? Keep reading »

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