In my profession, I get to see (and admire) a lot of wedding dresses.

But, I admit this one gets my attention more than many of them; click on the image to find out why.

[clearboth] Enjoy!

[clearboth] Click on the image, and see what I mean.

A friend of mine just sent me this cartoon and, I gotta tell ya, there have been times when I wish more of my couples would think ahead like these two did, when crafting their wedding vows…
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[clearboth] Click on the picture, and enjoy!

New Year’s Eve is usually a festive time. In our family, though, NYE also marks a downturn; my sister’s husband passed away that night, back in 2009. Because of that, I’ve been thinking of him a lot these past few days…

Jeff was a bit older than me; when he and my sister got married, I was only 10 years old. Of all the times we spent together over the decades since, and all the hundreds of conversations we had, one moment stands out sharply in my memory:

I was a freshman in high school back in the early 70’s, and had a full workload of books that I had to carry (off my hip, with my arm wrapped around them) from class to class. I was very much on the ‘nerd’ side of the fence (big surprise), and the jocks used to love coming up behind me and tipping the books out onto the ground, leaving me to pick them up again, and again, and again…

When I told Jeff about this constant tipping, he offered me one of his old briefcases. “Carry your books in that,” he told me, “and the jocks can’t reach your books.” “I can’t do that,” I replied, “everyone would _laugh_ at me.”

His reply still rings in my ears decades later: “Kid, they’re laughing at you _anyway_. You have nothing to lose.”

That idea changed my life; from that moment on, I’ve never given much thought to what others think of what I say and do. It shaped what I did for a living, it shaped who I became, and it’s really helped me see things more clearly and objectively ever since.

I started carrying Jeff’s briefcase the next day. The funny part of the story? Within a few days, all the other nerds were toting briefcases as well, and the jocks had to find a new place to feast. For some of us, at least, the balance of power shifted permanently.

Moments of mentoring can come from the darndest places.

A friend of mine sent me this recently, a great reminder of how a couple should really pay attention to each other… Enjoy!

Here are some v-e-r-y cool ways to present an engagement ring; enjoy!

 

It’s not often I like stories about weddings that didn’t happen, but this one is a great exception.

Click here, or on the image, and see if you agree:

OK, I admit it: In just about every wedding ceremony I perform, there’s one moment I dread. It’s one of those moments where you hope nothing happens at all …

A friend of mine just sent me an extreme example of that moment; click here (or on the image) to see what I mean!

I’ve always loved when one of my brides brings something to the ceremony that belonged to her mother, or grandmother…

My wife Phyllis shared a story recently with me, about a bride who brought an heirloom to her wedding that everyone will definitely remember. Click the image to read the story: