It’s a tradition for the bride and groomto exchange gifts on or before their wedding day. The goal of such gifts is typically to present one’s future husband or wife with a memento of their wedding day.

Most grooms opt for something like a diamond heart pendant or a spa gift basket.

But one mystery groom-to-be from Minneapolis, Minnesota is putting the power of determining the scope of his gift in the hands of the Internet populace. He recently launched The Groom’s Gift, a site he hopes will allow him to raise one million dollars through ad revenue and associate shopping links. He has his own GoogleGroom search, as well as links to software and other stuff people might like.

But will it make him one million dollars? I’m skeptical. I mean, I’d love it if The Beard proposed and then thought up some crazy scheme to get me a million bucks. But the Mystery Groom is scheduled to be married in roughly three months and has only made a scant $43. He may need to start eyeing the jewelry department.

After the ceremony is over, all of your friends have congratulated you, the last call has passed, and you’re safely encapsulated on an airplane to somewhere like Tahiti, it’s time to think about changing your name. You may want to become Mrs. Bride, Mrs. Groom, Mrs. Bride-Groom, Mrs. Groom-Bride, or something else, but Bankrate suggestions leaving the official change until after the ceremony. Why? Because apparently, many places will ask for a copy of the marriage certificate. They recommend starting this arduous process by ordering 25 copies of your marriage certificate…lest meddlesome officials fail to believe you’re actually hitched.

Next, request an updated Social Security card by calling (800) 772-1213 to get the necessary forms. Doing this first makes almost everything else easier. Your taxes will be more likely to stay straightened out because they notify the IRS for you, which is a huge plus.

To match your new name with your old number, file Form SS-5 with the Social Security Administration. For more details on the process, check out SSA Publication No. 05-10642 on the office’s Web site.

Then, call your local DMV (or RMV, for people who live in states like MA), and ask what forms (yes, more forms) you will need to change your name on your vehicle registration and license. Don’t forget to ask about which documents you’ll need to bring with you. Having a photo ID with your new name will help the rest of the process along.

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Sorry it’s taken me so long to post today. WordPress was acting kooky. Anyway, while trying to figure out how to unbork it, I found a very interesting article on how the US army is helping its soldiers learn to choose good spouses.

Defense Department records show more than 56,000 soldiers have gotten divorced since the 2001 campaign in Afghanistan. I’m not really surprised, since I’ve heard it’s hard to be an army wife/husband. It used to be that soldiers without spouses waited until after getting out of the service to get hitched. Hence the saying, “If the Army wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one.” But times have changed and chicks and dudes are serving side by side.

Thus, army chaplains have instituted a new program, aptly titled “How To Avoid Marrying a Jerk.”

The “no jerks” program is also called “P.I.C.K. a Partner,” for Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge.

It advises the marriage-bound to study a partner’s F.A.C.E.S. — family background, attitudes, compatibility, experiences in previous relationships and skills they’d bring to the union.

It teaches the lovestruck to pace themselves with a R.A.M. chart — the Relationship Attachment Model — which basically says don’t let your sexual involvement exceed your level of commitment or level of knowledge about the other person.

Maj. John Kegley, a chaplain who teaches the program in Monterey, Calif., throws in the “no jerk salute” for fun. One hand at the heart, two-fingers at the brow mean use your heart and brain when choosing.

To bad they don’t offer this program for civvies. However, if you aren’t an enlisted man or woman, there are some books out there that can help.

The ABC’s of Choosing a Good Husband: How to Find and Marry a Great Guy can help lonesome ladies find marriage-minded men. On the flip side, there is The ABC’s of Choosing a Good Wife: How to Find and Marry a Great Girl. Um, maybe that should be woman.

I don’t know what to say about The Program : Fifteen Steps to Finding a Husband After 30. Except that I find the existence of such books very, very scary.

As far as innovative and wacky gifts go – and please note that I did not say “classy” or “useful” – few things can beat these limited edition bride and groom PEZ dispensers. Yes, they are kind of cute. But they also carry a hefty price tag. This is not your usual supermarket impulse buy PEZ. A little bride and groom whose necks split open to reveal chalky, fruity candy cost an outrageous $30.95. Five thousand sets are available and, from the looks of it, about 380 have been purchased so far.

If you’re in the Twin Cities and also happen to be a dude (or know one), be on the lookout for Today’s Groom, a new quarterly magazine. William Easton and Jacob Schraufnagel, recent graduates of the University of St. Thomas, thought up the idea in one of their classes. The focus of the publication? The usual fare for men, like poker tips and travel destinations, and the not-so- usual, like bachelor party how-to’s and advice on proposing with style. As there is no national men’s wedding magazine (compared to the bazillions of bridal rags), there may be room to grow.

Of course, how many grooms are truly interested in the wedding planning process? Guys tend to like making choices. Ladies tend to like to browse and shop around. It has the potential to become a match made in hell. Do dudes really want to read a wedding magazine? Who knows. But…

Thirty-five percent of grooms say they are involved in almost every wedding-planning decision, according to a recent WeddingChannel.com survey. That’s because more and more of them have a vested interest: Today, 42 percent of U.S. weddings are paid for entirely by the bride and groom, not their parents, the same survey notes.

Personally, I wish Easton and Schraufnagel all the luck in the world.