The Plunge Blog

"WTF is a Bridal Gift? Do I Need One?"

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes in the forums:

"I was just informed this weekend that I need to get a wedding-day gift for my fiancee.

"This was news to me, and I thought I was pretty well-informed about such things. Of course, this leads to a flurry of new questions.

"How long has this "tradition" been around, an [...]

How to: Deal with a Best Man Dropping the Ball

Wed, 25 May 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes: "We're getting married on a cruise ship. We gave everyone almost a year's notice. About 15 people from her side, and my mom and dad will be attending the ceremony/reception on the boat before we set sail for our honeymoon. "None of my wedding party has agreed to come, some because they can [...]

She Forbids Strippers. What Do You Do?

Wed, 18 May 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"Okay I want a bachelor party......and my girl doesn't care if I have one. I was thinking of going to the strip club with the fellas having a couple of drinks, going home and playing cards/X-box 360/ Bones (dominoes).....the works ya know?

"But my girl has a problem with the strip club.....and str [...]

No Sex in Engagement: Should They Call it Off?

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A female reader writes:

"i found this site and i think its WONDERFUL. i love reading things from the man's point of view, but now i need a LOT of help.

"My fiance and i started dating almost 2 years ago and we would have sex a few times a week-perfect for me. then after 2 months of dating he left for a deployment (he's in th [...]

Woman Asks: What if the Groom Just Doesn't Give a Damn?

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"First of all, love your website. Yep, I'm a chick, I hate wedding porn. I find it obnoxious. I love how honest this website is.

"I have a question. It's about my fiancé...I'm torn. Maybe it's just a dream of mine but I'd like to think he can have as much fun at the wedding as I can. Maybe [...]

How To: Replace a Fallen Groomsman

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"One of my groomsmen called me to let me know his wife's mother is seriously ill.

"Because they are taking on her bills--and taking her into their home--he will be unable to come to our wedding which is next summer.

"I have a friend who was in the running to be a groomsman but I ende [...]

What If You Don’t Have a Best Man?

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

I am having problems finding someone to identify as a Best Man. I have a couple of close friends who I can use as Groomsmen, but I can't really see anyone as able to fill the role of Best Man.

"My former best friend and I don't talk anymore and I don't have anyone that can handle the responsib [...]

Honeymoon Sweepstakes as Wedding Gift: Brilliant or Boring?

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader asks us:

"What do you guys think about honeymoon sweepstakes? Any tips or ideas? Any sweepstakes?

I know your advice on this is that this isn't going to be our best vacation ever, but I'm seriously wanting to get the heck out of dodge and the only way we can afford it... would most likely be through a sweepstakes of som [...]

How to "Speed Plan" Your Wedding

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"Yes, I'm a woman (gasp!) and you didn't scare me away. Nice try.

"It's like this: Neither my fiance or myself really care about the wedding or wedding planning. We both care about marrying each other and that's it. I know I want some kind of wedding, but planning is like pulling teeth. I don't give a f [...]

The Plunge Hits the Morning Talk Shows to Talk Relationships, Platinum Rings

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

We've made no secret about our preference for Platinum. When you're buying a ring--whether for her or for you--it's the safer choice, the longer-lasting choice, the better-investment choice.

So in the past couple of months, Plunge editor (Jeff Wilser) and fellow relationship expert Andrea Syrtash hit the media waves to discuss relationships, prop [...]

Jealous of Her Sexual Past? This Dude Is. What Should He Do?

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

In the Plunge Forums, a reader writes:

"I'm the guy that was never popular in high school, doesn't have many friends, and was never given the time of day until college started. I'm 21 years old now, as is my fiancée.

"She was the girl that everybody wanted al [...]

What Does "STD" Mean? Wedding Abbreviations, Decoded

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

You might not know it, but your fiancée has just picked up a foreign language.

Over at all the "wedding forums," the brides use a confusing, jumbled system of abbreviations that would, we suspect, impress the sonar-encryption-scientists from World War II.

Every now and then, it's possible that she might slip th [...]

The Plunge Unleashes 50--Yes, 50--New Year's Resolutions for Men

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

We hate New Year's Resolutions. They strike us as cheesy and obvious and trite. And a little arbitrary, no? Why not March 17th Resolutions or St. Patrick's Day Resolutions? After all, you're pretty much the same dude on January 1st as you were on December 31st, just a little older, a little poorer, and a billion times more hung over. Not much changes. In a sense [...]

10 (Less-Obvious) Date Ideas to Augment Dinner and Drinks

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

What do you do for a date? Or, more specifically, what do you do when the obvious stuff runs dry?

Let's look at the classic date pattern:

1st date: Drinks.
2nd date: Drinks.
3rd date: Dinner + Drinks + Sex.
....
10th date and beyond: Sex.

The trick, therefore, is that awkward middle ground between the 3r [...]

What to Do if: Your Parents Don’t Approve of Her

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Plunge reader Ryanh007 posts in the forums:

"You meet girl. You fall in love with girl. You want to marry girl. What do you do if your family doesn't like her? This isn't the irrational "Nobody is good enough for my boy" dislike, its the irrational "Her family isn't [...]

The Wedding Booze Bible: Everything You Need to Know

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Alcohol is the lifeblood of your reception. You could blow $40,000 on ice sculptures, a coveted venue, and flowers coming out the officiant's ass, but if you run out of booze, suddenly the party craters at 8pm and everyone leaves unsatisfied.

So. While we typically recommend a "big picture" approach to wedding planning [...]

Will Your Wife Stay Hot When You Get Old?

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

In most areas of life, my talents are modest. I'm not a particularly great athlete, chess player, or flutist. I can't whistle.

One thing that at The Plunge that we're quite excellent at, however, is pissing people off.

Latest example? In our piece The 10 Dumbest Reasons to Get Married, we wrote the following:

& [...]

If Parents Are Paying, Do You Control Guest List?

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"My fiancee's mother is very involved with our planning, which at times is not a problem at all. However, we are almost 50 people over what we had wanted to invite for our wedding.

"Her mom keeps insisting that we invite her cousins' son (who my bride-to-be has never met), and refuses to back d [...]

Should You Give Up Alcohol for Your Woman?

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Some serious stuff in today's mailbag.

From a reader:

"I am in the military and my significant other and I have spent little time together. I was stationed away from the home town, where she lives, and saw her seldomly. I drank on the weekends or whenever I didn't have to work. Now I am deployed and when I return home, she [...]

Some Contrarian Advice: Do NOT Engrave

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A reader writes:

"I have 7 Groomsmen.

I was thinking of buying a bottle of Mccallan 15 Year Scotch($65) and engraving my name, my fiance's name, and our wedding date on it? Any thoughts?"

We're reasonably confident that every wedding publication in history would love your idea. They would say, YES, go for it, engrave it, t [...]