Say goodbye to jarred elbows and soaked shoulders. Reader Teaqa pointed me toward this silly but ultimately useful gift for newly engaged or newly married couples: The double umbrella. I can’t tell you how many times The Beard and I have jockeyed for position under a largish yet still inadequate umbrella. I think this umbrella, which opens to a generous 44 x 36 x 24″ and is available here, would make a lovely engagement or shower gift, particularly for those brides and grooms living in rainy climes.

For those couples who want to stay dry but are afraid of the looks they receive while carrying the two-for-one umbrella, there is always the gigantic GustBuster Gold golf umbrella. It’s more than big enough for two.

With fall fast approaching–there is a brisk morning chill in the air here in Boston–I thought it would be nice to drool over a summery destination wedding dress. Just to help us remember what we’re missing when we’re knee deep in colored leavers and decked out in thick scarves. No doubt some folks will be spending the fall and winter months eagerly counting the days until their warm weather weddings.

This princess-line Alfred Angelo dress features beaded Shiffli lace on net over satin, with spaghetti straps and a semi-cathedral train. At under $599, it’s a real bargain for the summertime bride and a wonderful reminder that even though autumn looms large, next summer will come round before you know it.

Gone are the days when a groom-to-be’s main obligation was to show up at the ceremony site washed, neatly dressed, and on time. Though there are still those timid souls who cower at the mention of catering headcounts and veil lengths, more and more men are taking an active interest in the planning and execution of their weddings.

The problem, according to Doug Gordon, author of The Engaged Groom: You’re Getting Married. Read this Book and the brain behind PlanetGordon, is that while brides-to-be have been dreaming of their weddings since they were yay high, many men are unfamiliar with the wedding planning process. Gordon helps engaged grooms (catchy notion, no?) find those areas where they can make a positive and thoughtful contribution to their nuptials.

Unlike many other wedding planning tomes intended for guys, this one was written with guys in mind. Don’t expect to open The Engaged Groom and find flowery prose. Gordon does not talk down to grooms-to-be or outline every single nuance of the wide world of wedding planning. Nor does he badmouth bridezillas or make clichéd mother-in-law jokes. He simply does what he can to help grooms-to-be identify the strengths and talents they can use to make their weddings truly special.

Gordon also identifies those dude-friendly aspects of weddings that men will feel most comfortable taking charge of, like music, photography, and food. He gives on-the-mark, practical advice, whether he is detailing how to tie a bow tie, how to format a wedding spreadsheet, how to choose an officiant, how to troubleshoot your wedding ahead of time, or how to create a registry. In every chapter, engaged grooms are given a clear picture of western wedding traditions and then reminded that they are under no obligation to bow to tradition. And in between passages of smart how-to’s and guidance for the male members of the wedding party, real grooms, vendors, and wedding guests weigh in on a variety of matrimonial topics.

The best part about The Engaged Groom, IMHO, is the countless times Gordon advises engaged grooms to take a wedding break. He sees the value of the wedding, but also stresses the value of preparing for your marriage. At the start of the book, he suggests declaring a wedding-free block of time.

“During the time of your mutual choosing, you and your bride should talk about anything…except your wedding…Like a carefully monitored IV drip dispensing 250 cc of perspective and relief, regularly going to dinner, a movie, or a stroll through a park can keep both of you calm and levelheaded as you hurtle toward your big day.”

And at the very end of the book (just before a quickie guide to eloping), Gordon likewise reminds potentially frazzled engaged grooms that while weddings are fun and exciting and special, they are overall less important than the marriage that will result. That is a sentiment I can get behind. So, if you happen to be a groom-to-be or you know one, I’d definitely recommend picking up this book.

I’m not sure if Barbie has ever had a wedding that wasn’t annulled. I mean, how many times has she donned a wedding gown only to end up swinging single once again? Poor girl probably has a complex.

Maybe Ken will finally settle down once and for all, however, when he sees his best girl in Monique LHuillier. Barbie’s custom designed gown features a white silk lace bodice, full tulle skirt and a thick satin sash in sable with a rhinestone floral brooch. Her ensemble is completed with a faux diamond engagement ring (ooh, Ken), faux diamond stud earrings, lacey underthings, and an off-white garter embellished with a blue ribbon.

But if Barbie decides at the last minute that LHuillier just isn’t for her, she can simply trade places with the Carolina Herrera bridal Barbie (who wears a beautiful, beaded gown featuring ecru corded lace) or the Badgley Mischka bridal Barbie (who wears an a-line gown embellished with iridescent beading, rhinestones and embroidery).

To me, wedding invitations are one of those things that you either open and rave about to everyone you know or open and quietly stick it in a nook in your desk. If you are too afraid to go the print-your-own route but want something truly fabulous, you are going to pay out the nose. And if you are planning your nuptials budget-style, be prepared to buy plain white invites.

It seems like such a shame. Even lovely invitations like the one above from Something Different (mocha ink, peridot stock) will eventually find their way into the trash or recycling bin. I’d rave about this invitation if it showed up in my mailbox. And then, when the wedding was done, I’d toss it. Is it really reasonable to spend $700 on something that will end up tossed?

I’d love to hear your opinions on this. Do you like the more modern invitations festooned with ribbons and bits of twigs (like me), or are you a traditionalist? Do you feel that invitations can be a budget item without compromising a wedding’s overall style?

TIP: Love reading other people’s proposal stories? Online invitation retailer Wedding.Orders has a page where you can upload your own tale of love and read others’ proposal stories.

Looking for a wedding theme with a rich history? Try a traditional Chinese ceremony, where vows and rings take second stage to intricate dances and solemn tea ceremonies. Recently, a couple in Pittsburgh performed such a ceremony – marking the first time in three decades that the city has seen the ceremony performed.

Garbed in flaming red robes and eye-catching headpieces, Christine Cheung and Justin Ging yesterday bowed first to the Heaven and Earth, next to their parents and then to each other, thereby marrying in a traditional Chinese ceremony.

Need a how-to? According to About.com, the Chinese wedding feast “is loaded with foods symbolizing long life and prosperity. It is customary to serve eight courses, since eight is thought to be a lucky number.” Fowl that mates for life typically makes up the main dish.

Find out how to hold a Chinese wedding tea ceremony here and here. Finally, check out the history that lies behind the traditions on the Chinese History and Cultural Project’s wedding web site.

Personally, I think western veils can’t hold a candle to the traditional phoenix coronet (as seen above on Cheung).

It’s common knowledge that money woes can put stress on a relationship. More fights in marriage are caused by money disputes than by any other issues, according to Kristen Houghton, BellaOnline’s marriage editor.

Money is one of those areas where the very best possible solution to avoiding trouble is to be forthright about your ideas on spending and saving before taking those vows at the altar. The sweet-sounding vow “for richer or for poorer,” takes on an ominous tone when married life seems to have too much of the “poorer” and not enough of the “richer.”

Well, duh. There is nothing more dismaying than stepping out to buy a fabulous pair of Manolo Blahnik Batazky pumps only to be told you’re spending irresponsibly. Or checking your bills only to find that your spouse has charged $10,000 of high end stereo equipment to your joint credit card.

The good news is that brides’ and grooms’ individual credit scores won’t be automatically merged when they tie the knot. Yes, you are jointly responsible for debts incurred within marriage and, yes, one spouse’s bad credit can interfere with the other’s on joint credit applications. However, this can easily be overcome by making sure that the spouse with the good credit is the sole buyer of big stuff like cars, houses, and so forth.

So, here’s the lesson for the day: Before you say ‘I do,’ read For Love and Money: How to Share the Same Checkbook and Still Love Each Other. Then sit down with your spouse-to-be and have a long, unsexy, and entirely frank talk about money. It will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.