I have never been to a "normal wedding." I grew up in the LDS church and all the weddings I ve seen happen were "temple weddings." The couple goes off to the temple with whichever family members or friends are "worthy" to go with them and get married while everyone else who s either too young or "unworthy" waits outside. Then they have a reception usually at the church gym (tacky, I agree) where they stand in line and greet everyone while the guests eat food. Most couples cut the cake and throw the bouquet. A few do a couple s dance. What happens at a real wedding? Who performs the ceremony? Do you serve food, drink wine, etc? Are dances common? How long do they last? How long does the ceremony last? The sad thing is, I honestly have no idea. I m hoping to get married eventually and at this point, I ll have no idea how to plan it since I m no longer Mormon. Help.

My mom thinks it s a really good idea, but I m worried it will come across like I m just asking for money and gifts. It s a pretty intimate event, close friends and family only. What do you guys think of this?

So I am 18 and planning on proposing to my current girlfriend eventually. I don't know when, possibly in 2 years or maybe less. The point is, within the past year, her father died from a heart attack, and her mother and stepfather were killed in a motorcycle accident. (They were divorced prior to the deaths) I was wondering who I should ask to gain permission to marry her. She is also 18 and she has a younger brother who is 17. Her grandparents are uncle have been around a lot so I know them pretty well. I was thinking the uncle or her grandfather.

In past we had arranged marriages, so we engaged marriages. But now that almost all marriages are love marriages, particularly in the West, so what is the purpose of engagement? Another question, why do so many couples spend extravagantly in weddings?