Becoming the Missus New brides choose to take their husbands names for a variety of reasons, and not all are bound up with tradition: they may just love the romance of it, prefer his last name to hers, want a symbolic start on a new life, choose to do it for their children, or simply [...]

Dealing with Instant Family Having children from an earlier marriage brings the thrills–and the challenges–of being newly wed to a whole new level. At least one of you is now a stepparent, and that adds a new dimension to your role of husband or wife. In order to smooth the integration into a brand-new family [...]

Ready for Takeoff Honeymooning in an exotic locale you can barely pronounce? Or just hoping to see what Niagara Falls looks like to Canadians? Use this checklist to make sure everything goes smoothly on your international travels. And start checking it off between three and six months ahead of go-time. Check restrictions. Travel to certain [...]

Raising a Glass to the Bride and Groom Weddings are toasting festivals. For spotlight-lovers, the bevy of hot microphones is a dream come true; for others, it’s a vigorous exercise in the fight-or-flight reflex. Whatever your place in the toasting lineup, the following suggestions can help you handle the attention and honor like an old [...]

The Unbroken Circle As long as there has been matrimony, there have been wedding bands. Brides of ancient Egypt, Greece, India, and Rome all wore such symbols of eternal love, and the hands of countless grooms have borne rings since the 16th century. With that kind of legacy, choosing your own bands may seem daunting. [...]

Even the best-laid wedding plans can go awry for unexpected and unlucky reasons. Though not for everyone, wedding insurance can be a valuable safety net if the groom gets food poisoning or the caterer files Chapter 11. Wedding insurance protects you from circumstances, damages, and loss. If a storm threatens your outdoor wedding or your [...]

It may be just a four-word question, but “Will you marry me?” is no small utterance for the asker. Of course, you want the proposal itself to be right–and we’ll get to that part later. But before you hire skydivers to spell it with their bodies or spend your life savings on a chunk of [...]