IDoSugar -- Meant to be.

Do Tell: Have You Ever Been Jealous of a Friend's Engagement?

DearSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

When you're in a relationship and ready to take that next step, waiting for him to get down on bended knee can feel like an eternity. But if a friend gets engaged before you, it can make the waiting game even more unbearable. I've never been in the engagement race before, and while I know it's not about who gets a ring first, I do know that jealousy can easily get the best of you. One would expect someone's first reaction to a friend's engagement to be that of excitement and joy, but if you're waiting in the wings for your time to shine that reaction could be resentment instead. Of course you can't help how you feel, so do tell, have you ever been secretly disappointed by your friend getting engaged before you?

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Dear Poll: When The Roles Are Reversed, Does Age Still Matter?

DearSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0700

News of 39 year-old Rachel Hunter and 26 year-old Canadian ice hockey player Jarret Stoll's engagement has just hit the wire. While dating out of your age bracket is nothing new, the woman being the older part of the equation isn't as common. Though most of you feel a ten to 20 year age difference is too far of a gap, does your opinion change when it's the woman who's older? I know it's a double standard, but it just feels more scandalous when the man is dating a much younger woman. I could be way off on this one, so tell me, when the roles are reversed, does a big age difference still matter when it comes to relationships? Source

Dear Poll: When The Roles Are Reversed, Does Age Still Matter?

Yes, I agree with you Dear, it seems more acceptable when it's the woman who is older than the man.

No, an age difference is an age difference no matter how you look at it.

Other — Please explain.

Handle This: Your Parents Don't Support Your Marriage

DearSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

When you receive a surprise proposal from your boyfriend of two years, you’re thrilled to spread the news to your family. But when you tell your parents, they seem disappointed and angry — they tell you that you’re far too young to be getting married.

After numerous arguments, they inform you that they won’t financially or emotionally support you unless you hold off on the wedding for another couple of years. Meanwhile your boyfriend is getting more frustrated with the situation, so how do you handle this?

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Where Do You Stand: Asking Her Parents For Permission to Propose

DearSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I’ve always thought that when a man knows he wants to propose to his lady, he should ask for her parents' permission. Now I know it’s a tad old-fashioned, but I think what I like about it is the idea that he’s taken the time to contact her family and let them in on this momentous occasion so they can be a part of it from the very beginning.

But every family is different, and I know that there are some people who don’t have a relationship with their parents that would call for such formality. What do you think? Where do you stand when it comes to a man asking his girlfriend’s parents’ permission before popping the question?

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What Should You Do With the Ring After a Broken Engagement?

DearSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

As disheartening as it may be, not all engagements lead to marriage, and it unfortunately seems that being on The Bachelor lessens your chances even more. As many of you guessed, last season's Bachelor Matt Grant, who popped the question to actress Shayne Lamas, called off their engagement earlier this week and according to People.com, the claws are coming out as to what to do with the 2.85-carat Tacori platinum-and-diamond eternity ring she once wore on her left hand.

According to the article, she wants to keep it “safe and clean and in a glass box — like a glass slipper” while he thinks she should auction it off for charity so "something good [can] come out of this" — no wonder it didn't work out! While every couple is different, and each breakup is unique, deciding what to do with the ring after the engagement's over is completely circumstantial, although etiquette says the ring should be given back. So what do you think should happen to the ring once an engagement is called off? Who should keep it? Or is Matt right, should it just be sold so a greater cause can reap the benefit?

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Man Must Pay $150,000 For Breaking Engagement "Contract"

SavvySugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:02 -0700

Breaking up is rarely uncomplicated, but the stakes rise considerably when one person in the relationship has made financial sacrifices for the other. Rosemary Shell took a substantial pay-cut when she moved from Florida to Georgia to be with her then fiancé Wayne Gibbs. She earned $81,000 a year, plus a 15 percent bonus at her previous job and her new position in Georgia paid only $31,000 a year.

Three days before the wedding, Wayne left Rosemary a breakup note in the bathroom, and later she learned that he was unfaithful during their engagement. Her revenge? A lawsuit claiming breach of contract. The three day trial decided that Wayne must pay his ex-fiancée $150,000 for financial loss and humiliation.

Rosemary's lawyer focused on arguing the broken contract, which I'm assuming is the broken engagement. Are engagements contracts? Do you agree with the jury's decision to punish Wayne for his heartless ways?

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Handle This: Your Parents Hate His

DearSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0700

In the years you've been dating, you and your significant other's parents have met on more than one occasion, though they haven't spent all the much in the way of quality time together. Now that you're engaged, the time has come for them to get better acquainted.

Prior to the night of your engagement party, you plan a dinner for both sets of parents to enjoy. But after less than an hour together, it's clear to both you and your fiancé that they aren't having a good time. In fact, when it's over, both complain separately about how they don't like the other. You're both close to your families and need their help planning the wedding, so how do you handle this?

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Your Two Cents: Is Any of Your Jewelry Insured?

SavvySugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:02:47 -0700

Insurance is available for most things that are valuable to us like health, homes, and vehicles, and it makes sense that you may consider protecting your jewelry. You can purchase additional insurance for jewelry as a rider through your current provider or through an insurer recommended to you by the appraiser. After your jewelry has been appraised you simply select the type, or how much coverage, you'd like for it.Engagement rings and precious family heirlooms are often insured by their owners because of the sentimental and monetary value. Do you own any jewelry that's insured? Source

Your Two Cents: Is Any of Your Jewelry Insured?

Yes, I have jewelry that's insured.

I've been meaning to but have been procrastinating!

No, I haven't found the need to insure any of my jewelry.

Other. See my comments below.

Where Do You Stand: Engaged to Be Engaged

DearSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

I can be picky when it comes to certain terminology — you know how I feel about the use of "banged" and "nagging". Sometimes a word or phrase just gets under my skin, like "engaged to be engaged." Though I understand what the phrase is meant to describe, I find it frustrating, because it seems to put an entirely satisfactory relationship into the context of marriage. Perhaps a couple is more than happy just being where they are and feels no need to justify their relationship status with a totally made-up phrase.

Like promise rings, I just don't get the appeal, but do you agree? Or do you find it a perfectly reasonable description? When it comes to the phrase "engaged to be engaged" to represent a serious couple's status, where do you stand?

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Ask Savvy: Should Engagement Announcements Include School and Work Details?

SavvySugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:34:28 -0700

Dear Savvy,

I am looking ahead to engagement announcements in newspapers for my upcoming wedding. Is it necessary to list where both the bride and groom went to college and subsequently what each does for a living? I do not mind, but my soon-to-be fiancé says he doesn't want his place of work in the article. Also, is it still customary to put a picture of just the bride or of both bride and groom? I would love to see what fellow Sugars suggest about things like including education and work in the engagement announcements!

See my answer and then share your own opinion in the comments! Just