I’ve talked very briefly about pre-nups before, but I tend to avoid the topic because I think the whole idea is a little weird. To me, working out a pre-nuptial agreement is like saying, “We’ll be together forever, of course, BUUUUT just in case we’re not, I want to make sure I get what I deserve/you don’t get more than you deserve.”

Not being overly moneyed myself, the only comparable thing I could have said to The Beard would have been, “We’ll be together forever, of course, BUUUUT just in case we’re not, I’m going to want my William Shatner records and that $4,000 I brought into the marriage back.” Sounds silly, right?

It’s not the silliest idea for a pre-nup out there, however. LegalZoom published a short list of crazy clauses that brides- and grooms-to-be agreed were fair. Pool boys and pets play a larger role in pre-nuptial agreements than you might have imagined. Yes, sometimes it’s not enough to divide assets…domestic help gets shuffled around in the fray. The “no diaper” clause is apparently popular among those looking to avoid children, and some couples even stipulate how (and how often) they’ll have sex.

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Once upon a time, I was delighted to receive wedding invitations festooned with stuff. I’d save the ribbons — the cats like them and they came in handy when Christmas rolled around — and clip off and save things like tiny wooden rings, carved plastic medallions, and mini broochy sorts of things I could hot glue onto photo albums in need of a touch of sparkle.

Nowadays I tend to admire these marvels of invitational engineering before clipping off whatever embellishments are recyclable and tossing whatever isn’t. I don’t know exactly when my tolerance for do-dads, thingies, ribbons, and bling went down, but it might have had something to do with all the nuptial chachkas I’d accrued over time.

I’m still of two minds on the subject. Yes, an invitation wearing a cameo choker, gilded frame, or enamel brooch is fun and visually interesting. On the other hand, if your invitation won’t close without a velvet and rhinestone belt, that’s a tad strange. My own wedding stationery was comprised of rather plain gold seal-n-send invitations, but we chose those because the price was right and neither The Beard nor I wanted to spend ages assembling multi-part packets.

I do think the Carciofi Design stationery above is very pretty, though according to the web site it’s also pretty pricey.

For 100 custom wedding invitation sets with printed outer envelopes, reply cards, printed reply envelopes and enclosure cards the price ranges from $1200-$4000. Letterpress, engraving, or thermography are available upon request (special pricing applies). Quotes do not include shipping and handling.

Right now, the invitation I’d most like to receive would be one of those traditionalesque one-sided ecru numbers with only a hint of embellishment. If I was getting married all over again, that’s probably the sort I’d send out. I am curious to know whether or not I’m in the minority here, so I simply have to ask: Do you get a kick out of invitations with all the trimmings or would you (like me) prefer to receive something simpler?

Labor Day already? It can’t be! As someone who still measures a year as the period between two Septembers, I cannot tell you how dismayed I am to know that autumn and it’s leaf-dropping chill are just around the corner. I recommend that we all take advantage of temperatures that support water-based activities and do something wonderfully wet…like get married.

Talk about doing your own thing! Oregonians Brian Wilson and Christina Gunn were married under twenty feet of Illinois River water somewhere near the spot where they first dived together. Gunn “said” her I dos in a white veil, a red garter and black neoprene, while Wilson (who also opted for neoprene) wore a red bow tie.

Luckily, the couple found a pastor who is also a diver…or is that a diver who also happens to be a pastor? They wrote their vows on slates and when asked if they promised to be together forever, each held up a sign reading “I do.”

“My family thought it was kind of corny,” said Wilson. “Christina’s family was a little nervous about it because she’s still a novice at diving.”

They eventually jumped on board though.

A small group of family members gathered on the riverbank.

“It’s really different, I’ll tell you,” said Gunn’s grandmother, Genevieve Eppele, who scrambled down the rocks with her husband of 63 years, Fred.

“I told her, ‘Can’t you get married like normal people?’” said Gunn’s mother, Gail Stading.

Good for them, I say. They enjoyed the wedding they wanted, planned it in less than five days, and probably had a total blast. What more could you ask for?