By now, most of you have probably heard that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg married longtime lady love Priscilla Chan yesterday. As always, I hope you will join with me in wishing them a long, happy marriage.

But there’s one aspect of this wedding you might not have heard about yet: it was a surprise to the entire guest list.

Chan had graduated from medical school during the week, and she and Zuckerberg sent out invitations to a graduation party. But when guests arrived, well, Chan was wearing a white gown and veil and the next thing guests knew, they were witnessing the start of a new marriage.

While this approach certainly isn’t for everybody, I have to say I like the concept. It’s low key, so it’s easier to avoid jitters. Nobody is expecting a wedding, so they don’t worry about shelling out money they can’t afford on new clothes and gifts. You don’t have to corral your nearest girlfriends into the bridal salon to argue over which available dress they hate least as a group. Nobody can accuse you of boring them to death with wedding details. Nobody has a chance to object to the aspect of the wedding that means the most to you.

In short, all you need to do is organize a party in a place you like, invite the people you’re closest to, nab yourself an officiant, get a license, and give everyone there the surprise of their lives! It’s up to you whether to plan for months or do it on a couple days’ notice, whether to include traditional trappings or drop every wedding convention except the vows.

I took a long time to plan my wedding to Mr. Twistie. I enjoyed the entire process. I loved sharing my plans with others. But there’s definitely something to be said for keeping an exciting secret, too.

So how about you? Would you ever consider a surprise wedding?

There are few truly unique places to get married left in the world. People have used McDonald’s, KFC, dollar stores, fish tanks, hot air balloons, IKEA, and goodness alone knows what else in the search for new and unique wedding sites.

Well, Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland and his bride, Helga, found one place that hadn’t yet been used: the North Pole.

The couple gathered the wedding party together on the Russian Barneo ice base, and then took a helicopter to the pole, where the actual wedding took place. The bride wore a white silk wedding gown and the groom traditional Norwegian wedding attire. There was a cross of skis, candles, champagne, and fireworks, all of which were scheduled. What was not scheduled was the appearance of British explorer Mark Wood.

Wood was skiing to the North Pole to bring awareness to climate change, but wound up adding another layer of normalcy to the Ousland wedding: a wedding crasher.

The happy couple seems to have taken things in good stride. They invited Wood to join in the champagne and stay to watch the fireworks.

My very best wishes to the happy couple! May they take all future surprises equally well.

This May will mark the twentieth anniversary of the day Mary Jo Buttafuoco opened her front door, had a brief conversation with a teenaged girl she’d never met before, and wound up shot in the head by her husband’s underaged lover, Amy Fisher.

Fisher spent seven years in prison for the crime, and then became a stripper. Joey Buttafuoco spent four months in prison for statutory rape since Fisher was only sixteen at the time of their affair. Mary Jo underwent multiple surgeries to repair some of the damage Fisher did to her. The shooting had left her face partially paralyzed and she was deaf in one ear.

In short, this woman has been through some relationship hell the like of which I hope and pray nobody else ever goes through.

Still, Mary Jo has faced it all with pretty amazing fortitude. She eventually divorced Buttafuoco and has been going by her birth name of Connery. She wrote a book about her experiences. And while she’s been open, given interviews, and willingly discussing the details of the crime committed against her, she has not turned herself into a media circus star or spent a lot of time being publicly bitter.

So I’m happy to announce that on sunday, Mary Jo Connery took another chance and tied the knot with Stu Tendler, a print shop manager, in Las Vegas at the Always and Forever chapel.

Here’s hoping that always and forever is how long the happiness lasts this time.

I think the lady’s earned it.

Yes, it’s Kate and William Barbie and Ken. According to an article from MSNBC, Mattel plans to release the hound… er… dolls… er… collectible figures in April to coincide with the royal couple’s first anniversary.

The pair will be dressed in wedding finery modeled on that worn by the actual couple, from her Alexander McQueen gown to her diamond tiara and the groom’s Irish Guard uniform in striking scarlet.

Of course, some couples get immortalized as Barbie dolls faster than others. Last month, Mattel released their Twilight line Edward and Bella Barbie and Ken… and they were only married last summer.

Then again, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are available for pre-order at $100.00 a set, while Edward the Sparkly Vampire and his eternal bride go for just $29.95 each.

For those looking for something down the middle, Mattel did release their wedding edition Faith Hill and Tim McGraw wedding Barbie and Ken for $69.95. They come with microphones.

After seven years of marriage, three children, and yearly reaffirmation ceremonies, Heidi Klum and Seal announced yesterday that they are filing for divorce.

No very specific reason was given for the split, but the couple did release a joint statement, saying they had “grown apart” and that their separation is amicable.

Whatever their reasons, I do have to appreciate the fact that they are refusing to air their dirty linen in public. That, my friends, is how to do it the classy way.

The other split that made the news this week is Aretha Franklin and fiance Willie Wilkerson, who announced the end of their engagement just weeks after announcing its beginning. While the engagement is off, though, there is no word of whether or not they have ended their romance.

Franklin’s statement said that she and Wilkerson had decided they were moving “a little bit too fast” and said there were “a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly.” The upshot? “There will be no wedding at this time.”

Whatever their issues, it is my fond hope they can be resolved to the satisfaction of all involved. But if they can’t, I do believe it’s better that things end in a broken engagement than a painful divorce down the road.

None of this is happy news, but the heart is a resilient muscle. May all four parties find happiness in the long run, if not at the moment.

Olympic figure skater and all around Very Colorful Person Johnny Weir tied the knot on New Year’s Eve with his Russian love Victor Voronov, who now goes by Weir-Voronov.

Weir tweeted:

… he’s kind of everything that I’ve ever looked for and aspired to be in a relationship with.

That’s pretty much how I think people should feel about their life partners. Congratulations, Johnny and Victor! I wish you every happiness.
(more…)

Okay, they weren’t the ones to actually speak the words. I don’t have any evidence one way or the other about whether either one of them had a hand in writing them.

Still, the other day I happened across their wedding ceremony, and found myself deeply touched by the thoughtful, gentle view of marriage it expressed. In particular, I loved this passage:

May you always need one another, not so much to fill the emptiness as to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. Look for things to praise, often say ‘I love you’ and take no notice of small faults. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.

I could wish nothing better for each and every one of you in your marriages.