Columns

Among my larger social group/community there’s a select 15-20 really good friends that I’d like to invite to my home for a private summer party. I know I could go to most of them and say, “This is invite-only, keep this hush hush” and I trust I will only have said respectable, responsible people on my property. My concern is one individual in particular. He’s a roommate of two of the people I want to invite, a work colleague of another, and probably most importantly my best friend’s boyfriend. I simply don’t like him or how he and my friend alienate themselves as a couple and avoid any sort of social interaction…

It’s time for Wedding Week Shortcuts. For every question, I’ll give my advice in just a few sentences because sometimes the answer to a person’s question is so obvious and the need to hear it so great that being as clear and frank as possible is simply the best way to go.

My wedding is in three months and I have serious doubts about changing my name. Coming from a somewhat traditional family, I always assumed when I got my married I’d take my husband’s name, just like my mom and sister, but the closer the wedding gets, the less I want to drop my last name. It’s part of my identity, it signifies my heritage and connects me to my family. I’m not far enough along in my career where I NEED to keep my maiden name, so that’s not an issue. More than anything, it’s an emotional urge – I just don’t want to drop my maiden name. I don’t even want…

So, I am a bridesmaid in the wedding of my best friend, who lives about 900 miles away. A couple weeks ago I visited her to attend her bridal shower. I’ve known things weren’t going great in her relationship, but I didn’t realize how bad they really were. She told me that she loves her fiancé as a person, but she is not in love with him. What she’s known all along about him — that he lacks maturity, is extremely insecure, and is not motivated on the career front — really bothers her. And she feels like during their entire relationship he has held her back from new experiences. She has…

My boyfriend of 2.5 years was excluded from my best friend’s daughter’s wedding. My BFF & I have been BFFs for over 41 years; I’ve known the bride since birth and have been as close as an auntie could be without the biological gene. This is an out-of-town affair — out-of-country, actually since it’s in Canada — requiring approximately $1,500 in travel expense to me. Until I received the invite addressed only to me, I would have crawled there if I had to. The bride is precious to me, and, though I have met the groom only once, he seems a super guy; they are a wonderful couple. The mother of the…

I know I’ll catch a bit of heat for this, but my boyfriend and I have been engaged for two years now (I know, I know… just get married already!). We’ve faced some roadblocks and financial strains, but we’re finally at a point where we can have the wedding we want… which is to say, a Vegas elopement! I’ve never, ever wanted a big wedding (especially seeing all the stress and drama my sister’s 200+ guest list wedding this summer has created), and I like doing things a bit differently. My boyfriend had always wanted to get married in Vegas but figured he’d never be engaged to someone who would agree to…