Weddings

By Sheryl Nance-Nash
Your sweetheart may be keeping a secret from you, and it's not that there's some other guy or gal, or that you really do look fat in those pants. It's the truth about their money.

According to new online poll from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 24% of respondents would not tell their spouse if they were experiencing financial difficulties.

Why would a spouse keep mum over something so significant? The NFCC data showed that 9% said they would keep silent because knowing about the issue would worry their partner, 7% said they'd keep it secret because telling would damage their relationship, while 8% said, with a certain circular logic, that they wouldn't tell their spouse because their spouse had no idea about the debt.

Last week I was in an Au Lit store browsing the fine linens section. I thought I'd look at sheet sets. After falling in love with a particular sheet with a stunningly high thread count, I found out that the set (fitted, flat and two pillowcases) would cost me $1,000 before taxes.

On a side note, when I mentioned that in the weekly Walletpop editorial meetings, the general response was, "People buy $1,000 sheets?"

I blanched which made the sales associate tell me that they have their white sale in January when everything will be 20 per cent off. That doesn't mean I'll be buying those sheets. Instead, here's a list of what to buy on sale during the months of October, November and December.

Summer is the time for holidays, fun and for many of us, its wedding season.

June has traditionally been the chosen month for weddings, but July and August are now just as popular, and according to a recent survey, more people are getting married in the latter half of the year.

Guests need to consider the all-important gift. But is a cocktail shaker and set of martini glasses the right choice for your bestie? Does it feel right to buy your cousin a place setting of fine china when you know she doesn't cook?

Samba Days, an experiential gift website, offers suggestions that won't gather dust on the shelf.

Jorgen Wouters

Weddings have become big business, the source of several "reality" shows and a target for scammers. With the average wedding costing upwards of $30,000, couples need to be careful to avoid getting taken to the cleaners on their way to the altar, the Better Business Bureau recently warned.

The BBB received nearly 1,000 complaints about wedding-related services in 2010. Topping the list were wedding planners, bridal shops, limousine rentals, DJs, photographers, florists and jewelers. The most common complaints often involved a company's unwillingness to honor its cancellation and refund policies once a deposit had been paid.

It's that time of year again, gentlemen. If you're looking for a suit, shirt, tie or cuff links, Moores Canada is having its Buy One, Get One Free sale.

The sale is good on everything except shoes and runs until June 19th.

Moores Canada is also running another deal: If you're getting married and you get your tux at Moores, you'll receive $30 off every tux and the groom will score his suit or tux rental for free. Click here to print off the coupon.

I went to the Indie Wedding Show at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. It being a wedding show the first thing I saw when I walked in were videos of the royal wedding everywhere.

"So," I asked bridal gown designer Catherine Langlois as she stood in front of some of her wedding dresses. "How many times have you been asked about Kate Middleton's dress?"

"Oh, constantly," laughed Langlois.

Early Retirement with Kids
If you think that having kids makes it harder to retire early, you're right. But a guest blogger over at Canadian Dream: Free at 45 says that there are some ways that having kids makes retiring early easier. Read about his family's approach to saving money while having kids.

Where Do You Include Dividends in Asset Allocation?
In a classic asset allocation model, there are essentially 2 types of assets: Asset class A: Fixed income and Asset class B: Equities. Fixed income assets are pretty easy to define because they all pay a steady interest income. Equities are shares issued by public companies. Dividends could fall into both camps. So where do you put a share of a public company paying steady dividends? The Dividend Guy explains how he sees this.

Although many people equate Valentine's Day as the day many couples get engaged, the most popular time to get engaged is the Christmas and New Year season.

And the second most popular time of the marriage calendar - June, July, and August - its high season aka wedding season.

In Canada, 150,000 couples will get married, with almost 70,000 getting married in the summer months. And the next question - how to pay for that ideal wedding and combine finances?

According to Investors Group, many couples get caught up in the romance and excitement of their upcoming nuptials. The reality may not be all flowers and champagne, but the key is to take the time to insure all those wedding-related bills will get paid and financial goals are discussed.

Are you attending a wedding this year? If you're thinking about getting the happy couple a gift,then forget going to the Bay or Kitchen Stuff Plus or William Ashley.

It's not about the punch bowl that will never get used or the blender that will collect dust in the cupboard. The new trend in gifts is something that you know they'll use.

Why? It's because they'll be living in it. Instead of giving the couple appliances, you can now contribute to their down payment.

In a sign of the times, it appears that good old traditional hometown weddings are on the wane with a growing number of Canadians preferring to say "I do" at their dream destination.

Fifty per cent of Canadians said they would prefer a destination wedding opposed to a traditional wedding, according to a survey of 2,353 adults conducted by Ipsos Descarie for travel companies Nolitours and Transat Holidays. The destination wedding is even more popular among the 35-54 age group, with 60% of those surveyed preferring the dream getaway option compared to only 17% wanting a traditional wedding close to home.

But funny enough, a quick survey between me and my six closest friends shows similar results. Three of us recently had destination weddings, three got married relatively close to home, and one has yet to tie the knot.