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For most brides, the wedding dress is hugely sentimental -- even though you will probably never wear it again. So instead of just keeping it in the back of your closet, why not do something with it?

Here are some suggestions we've collected from brides and wedding professionals:

• Use the skirt to make a bassinet lining for your future children.
• Use the material in a wedding quilt.
• Use the fabric in a christening gown for your children
• Make handkerchiefs from the gown fabric, and have your monogram and wedding date stitched in.
• Make decorative pillows for your home from your gown fabric.
• Use the fabric to make smaller accessories like headbands, garters, and purses that you can pass down to your future daughters to use in their weddings, or give to your friends for theirs.

Of course, all of these ideas require cutting up your gown. If you can't bear that idea, there's really nothing wrong with storing it in your closet in hopes that maybe one day your future daughters will want to wear it when they walk down the aisle. But before you get your hopes up too much, just remember how we feel about the fashions of decades past.

Then again, there's always Halloween...

Yesterday we told you how to get your marriage proposal on the big screen at a baseball game. Today we'll find out if you should. In an infamous episode of Friends, "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits," Phoebe ruins her boyfriend's big-screen proposal at a Knicks game when she comments to him that such proposals are tacky and impersonal. Oops.

Scoreboard proposals are nothing innovative; you see them all the time. But is the fact that they're not creative a reason to hate them? Getting down on one knee has been done before -- does that mean you're going to do it differently?

The main thing to consider is whether the person you're proposing to would find a big screen proposal more romantic or more awful. Someone who is an introvert and doesn't like the spotlight might be terrified by such a gesture. Furthermore, if you're going to propose publicly, you want to be sure in advance that the answer is yes.

Would you appreciate a scoreboard proposal?

A recent Redbook article breaks husbands down into two categories: the Boyfriend and the Husband. The Boyfriend is what you always imagined you were looking for -- fun, spontaneous, and sexy. The Husband is the guy with whom you've dreamed about starting a family.

Each has pros and cons. The Boyfriend, while exciting and probably great in bed, might not be as dependable in real life, leaving you to handle a majority of household chores and kid duties. The Husband will be a fantastic partner and never leave you hanging, but you might lack a bit of passion. And, according to Redbook, that is essentially that.

We (somewhat) disagree.

The Sex and the City movie has been ruling the box office since before it came out, and everyone's talking about it (see our review here), especially the fashion.

The show and its characters have become fashion icons over the last decade, but there are times when costume designers abuse their power and try to pass off some really hideous outfits as high fashion. Surely I'm not the only one who thinks Carrie Bradshaw's wedding getup was one of those times.

Before she selects her gown in the film, SJP models several gowns from the hottest designers for a Vogue spread. Of the group of to-die-for dresses, the one that Carrie falls in love with is, well, something I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. Honestly, it looks like it belongs in the bad-80's-clothes montage (a real treat in the movie -- I wish that scene had been longer!). What's going on with that neckline? It looks like Madonna handed down one of her old corsets to Carrie, which she wore even though it was two sizes too big. And she didn't do herself any favors by accessorizing with a bird.

Usually the SATC people really deserve their fashion honors, and I don't know much about fashion, but I do know I hate that dress. What do you think? Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong!

If we were to base life on romance novels and soap operas, we wouldn't even bother with this question -- obviously, the main thing on everyone's mind when it comes time for the honeymoon is sex, right? You'll go to a swanky hotel with a gorgeous bed and get busy four times a day, just like everyone else.

Except, in real life, everyone else isn't doing that. In fact, many newlyweds don't rank sex even close to being their top priority on their honeymoon. According to this article, couples are more interested in getting a tan, seeing the sights, and (yawn) reading a book than they are in getting busy.

We understand that, on your wedding night, you might be a little to tired to do the deed, and that's totally understandable. But, we were surprised about the honeymoon. What about you -- what part of your honeymoon is your top priority?

We're stumped. An appalled bride recently wrote, disgusted after her bridal shower, that she couldn't believe the guests kept all the prizes from games for themselves. Didn't everyone know that you're supposed to give those to the bride?!

Um, no, not everyone "knows" this. In fact, we'd never heard it before, and we think it sounds sort of silly. Why would there be prizes at all if the winners aren't supposed to keep them? But hey, just because we've never heard of it doesn't mean it's not a tradition somewhere. Maybe we're wrong.

What do you do with bridal shower prizes?

I cast my vote in the Virginia primary election several weeks ago, but I've been traveling in Oregon recently, where the primaries are yet to happen, and for perhaps the first time in the state's history, they will matter. (Because Oregon's primaries are so late in the political calendar, usually a candidate has already secured the nomination before the state's delegates are assigned.) And what do you know -- Bill Clinton and I were in the same place this morning, so I went to hear him speak about his wife's campaign for President.

The Clinton family is somewhat of an anomaly. We all know about the scandal that plagued Bill and Hillary's personal life (and bled over into their public lives in the political circus of the late 90's), but to hear the former President speak today, it would be easy to think him the most supportive husband in America. He's clearly passionate and enthusiastic about Hillary's campaign. Politics aside, this was refreshing to see.

Seeing President Clinton speak about what Hillary will do in the White House got me to thinking -- what will his role be if his wife becomes President? All our previous presidents have been married men, so their wives were First Ladies. When James Buchanan was sworn in as an unmarried President, his niece took over First Lady duties. So, if our President is a woman, will we have a First Man (Lord? Husband?) instead? Or will we still have a First Lady, and give the job to Hillary's daughter Chelsea? What do you think? Cast your vote below!

There are a lot of fun colors in nail polish right now. Chanel's Blue Satin nail polish has flown off the shelves, and OPI has come out with a new collection of Brights, overflowing with shades of green, yellow, orange, and more.

Since summer is here, we're kind of excited about trying some funky new colors. It made us wonder, though, about wedding day nail polish -- are brights and funky hues appropriate for brides? Bridesmaids? Fingers? Toes?

Many brides opt for a French manicure, or a neutral color, while others stick to trademark reds and pinks. However, maybe blue nail polish is more your style, in which case, would you switch it up and go with something more traditional for your wedding? Or do you think your wedding is the perfect time to show off that new acid green nail color? Let us know!

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!