Married in Maryland - baltimoresun.com

The search for the right venue was a little like the search for the right college

By Douglas Nivens II — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:22:00 EDT

Couple searches for pretty, gay-friendly space within their budget

Traditionally, the bride’s parents are the hosts of the ceremony. They send out the invitations, pay for the reception and coordinate a long day of celebration. The groom’s family takes care of the bride’s ring, the marriage license and their honeymoon.

Being a wife will be nice, but I also still need to be a daughter, sister and many other things

By Jamie Bacon, For The Baltimore Sun — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:21:00 EDT

It is just under a year until our wedding, and I can’t help but think about how things will change or how things will stay the same. Sure, we will file our taxes differently and my name will change but what will the main differences be?

All it took was some ribbon, silk and tulle

By Olivia Hubert-Allen — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:16:00 EDT

Trying on a wedding dress for the first time brings an 'a-ha' moment

“Let’s try that one first,” I said, pointing to the craziest wedding gown the saleswoman had selected for me. It was tight through the hips, with geometric ribbon designs that started on the bodice and trailed down through the choppy tulle skirt. It was an avant-garde kind of wedding dress you might wear if your reception was at Sidebar in Downtown Baltimore or the Renaissance Festival – a little punk, a little medieval. It wasn’t remotely my style, but I wanted the first dress I tried on to be memorable and this certainly fit the bill.

If you have two grooms, what do you call the rest of the wedding party?

By Douglas Nivens II, For The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:56:00 EDT

It didn’t take my fiancé and me very long to decide who would join us down the aisle. We have a small, intimate circle of friends, so choosing them was easy. We settled on having six of our friends who would make up our party: four women and two men. The hard part was finding the right words to call them. The traditional bride/groom format has well-defined roles, traditions and terms for each person in the party. However, when faced with a bride/bride or groom/groom setup, the rules don’t fit so neatly.

Ideas for including underage bridesmaids in all the pre-wedding activities

By Jamie Bacon, For The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:44:00 EDT

A few guidelines come along with being part of a bridal party. You generally have to buy a dress and shoes, get your makeup and hair done but most importantly be there for the bride and partake in the important events leading up to the wedding. These events usually include the bridal shower and bachelorette party. One of my bridesmaids is my cousin, Taylor, who will only be 16 at the time of these events. It won't affect the shower obviously but I worry about her not being able to be involved in the bachelorette party.

The planning is over and it's time for the wedding

By Katie Mercado, For The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 8 May 2013 11:41:00 EDT

Well, it’s been 19 months and we’re finally here – it’s wedding time! I want to make this last post about the experience. Not the experience of being engaged and prepping for a wedding, but the experience of capturing it all in writing. While I hope my posts have been helpful and insightful for other brides, I also selfishly think it was most beneficial for me to chronicle this time in life. I will forever be able to look back on the experience and remember all of the details leading up to the big day. For that, I am forever grateful.

Is it OK to have guests bring unwrapped gifts to a shower?

By Jamie Bacon, For The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 7 May 2013 18:51:00 EDT

While my wedding and bridal showers are still a ways away I can't help but think of them often.

Time to start setting goals as a married couple

By Katie Mercado, For The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 7 May 2013 18:28:00 EDT

To wrap up our pre-marital counseling, Sam and I were guided in setting goals for our future. Individually we each set three personal, couple and family goals, then shared them with each other and compared notes.

A kinetic proposal

By L'Oreal Thompson , The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 7 May 2013 10:04:00 EDT

It's not every day a giant pink poodle assists with a marriage proposal. On May 4, Bob Keefer, 38, proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Erin Alexander, 30, at the 15th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race.

Who makes the cut for the invitation list?

By Jamie Bacon, For The Baltimore Sun — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:27:00 EDT

I wish there were clear cut rules on who should or should not make your wedding guest list. This is one of the most difficult decisions I have come across so far in the wedding planning process.