When the weather is grey and dreary (like it is today where I live), I like to put on one of The Beard’s old ratty sweaters and my comfy slippers, and spend the afternoon watching movies. And not just any movies. I’m talking about looooooove stories. Tear-jerkers, movies that make me laugh, and movies that make me cry.

I like to get the most love story bang for my love story buck. So I bought Love Tickles – a four disc set that includes My Best Friend’s Wedding, Sleepless in Seattle, The Wedding Planner, and As Good as It Gets. The last one is my favorite, just because it’s so bizarre.

I love this movie! If you think all of the Windex references in My Big Fat Greek Wedding are pure fiction, you need to meet my family. At my parents’ house, Windex is used as a weapon as well as for wiping down counters. Plus it’s nice to watch a movie full of normal looking people every once in a while!

So I Married an Axe Murderer is full of awesome, silly fun and says a lot about the dangers of being too suspicious.

I hope those of you who are having a grey day like mine or are just in a plain old grey mood will see fit to join me in hunkering down on the couch, watching some flicks, and dreaming about love!

Because I love courtship and marriage and love and romantic entanglements, I love Jane Austen. And because I love Jane Austen, I love Pride & Prejudice. And because I love Pride & Prejudice, I love Mr. Darcy. He’s like the original bad boy. Well, the gentleman of bad boys, anyway.

Last night, I was lucky enough to check out the soon-to-be released DVD of the newest version of Pride & Prejudice. (Hint: it stars the subtly handsome Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy.) Besides being a wonderful adaptation of this, one of my favorite books, it was also quite realistic in that the characters were all sort of gritty and unkempt – as was the norm back then when baths were seen as something frightfully bad for your health. It had some fabulous extras – I like my DVDs to have tons of special features – like a profile of the Bennet family and a short biography of Jane Austen.

Anyhow, to celebrate love, Jane Austen, getting married, studly leading men, and all that, I want to hear your craziest wedding stories – from your own wedding or a wedding you attended. Maybe the best man was caught in flagrante delicto with the matron of honor by the wedding photographer, who taped the whole thing and sent it to the mother of the bride. Or perhaps the bride showed up drunk and married an usher by mistake.

Whatever your nutty, funny, wacky, or even disturbing wedding story is, I want to hear it. The lady or gent who sends me most enthralling story will receive a Pride & Prejudice prize package, courtesy of Universal Studios and Salon Tea, that includes:

• A copy of the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack CD

• A romantic gift set from Salon Tea that includes one canister of Romantic Tea (green tea and jasmine) and one canister of rock amber sugar crystals, plus Tea For Two lip balm (in chai tea for the gentleman and green tea with roses for the lady) in a cute little flannel bag.

• And a Pride & Prejudice “I’m with Darcy” or “Mrs. Darcy” baby t-shirt

E-mail your bizarre or hilarious wedding story to Never.teh.Bride@gmail.com by February 27 and on February 28, I’ll announce the lucky winner and post their story. I’ll also choose the stories of two runners up to share as well on subsequent days. Good luck! And let’s hear those crazy stories!

Let me tell you a secret. Even though I love thinking about marriage and am crazy about all things pertaining to weddings, I am not one of those people who has to have a man on Valentine’s Day. Likewise, I am not expecting The Beard to present me with a ring tomorrow nor do I anticipate his making a “big deal” out of this Hallmark holiday.

That said, I can definitely understand how many people without singificant others can get a trifle peeved when subjected to the site of hearts, roses, chocolates, and cherubs for the six weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day.

So, for those of you ladies out there who are single and proud, here are some neat gifts you can buy for yourself to celebrate your independence.

Alice Steinbach is definitely an independent woman. In Without Reservations : The Travels of an Independent Woman, a memoir and travelogue, she bounces from city to city throughout Europe, making friends and learning about her inner self. Pair it with A Journey of One’s Own: Uncommon Advice for the Independent Woman Traveler and you’ll be primed and ready for your own journeys.

If you find your folks or your friends give you a hard time come tomorrow, point them to Even God Is Single, So Stop Giving Me A Hard Time by Karen Salmansohn. It’ll shut them up fast.

Forget the wilting lily act and get a double dose of independent womanhood by spending an evening with leggy yet bad-to-the-bone Lara Croft in the first two Tomb Raider flicks.

Finally, as Ben suggests in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, “frost yourself.” There’s no rule saying you have to wait for some man to lay out the bling bling.

Have fun tomorrow!

On the subject of not dresses but dressing, I’d like to say that there is no one in the world whose personal style I would most like to emulate more than Audrey Hepburn‘s. Audrey Hepburn was not only a absolutely fabulous dresser, but also charming, humble, and kind. For Christmas this year, if anyone I know is listening, I would like a stocking filled with the Hepburn style. If anyone on your Christmas list has aspirations of being not only glamorous, but also giving, engaging, and gracious, consider surprising them with one of the books, movies, or other stuff below.

How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life is a tome of Audrey’s wisdom and philosophy.

Roman Holiday was Audrey’s breakthrough film.

Who could forget Moon River? Not me. Which is why I want the Music From The Films Of Audrey Hepburn CD so badly!

The Audrey Hepburn Deluxe 2006 Calendar has twelve months of Audrey!