Relationship Advice From the Millionaire Matchmaker

In the newest issue of Engagement 101, Patti Stanger gives advice on how to get a guy to pop the question. The famous matchmaker is best known for matching rich bachelors on her Bravo hit show Millionaire Matchmaker, so she knows a thing or two about relationships. Her stance on snagging guys is simple and direct: If a guy doesn’t see commitment in his future, don’t date him.

After six months of dating, Stanger recommends that you both “share your deep, dark secrets and decide if you can deal with each other’s messes.” She also advises that just because the ring is on your finger doesn’t mean you should stop working on the relationship. Stanger has very strict rules on the whole engagement process. Her two biggest ones are, “Don’t move in with him,” and “You cannot propose to him!”

She also says when you ask a guy if he wants to get married, if he doesn’t give some sort of time frame (“in ten years” or “I need more time”), then he’s not the man for you. As for guys who are comfortable with the relationship and don’t see the need to take it further, Stanger suggests making yourself less available for these men, that way they’ll pine for you.
For example, she uses Barack and Michelle Obama’s relationship as an example. Barack courted Michelle for several weeks before they started dating (or “hunted,” as Stanger suggests). Michelle made him reveal to her why she should say yes.

If you want to read the full article, check out the newest issue of Engagement 101.

New App Turns iPhone Into Virtual Jewelry Store

The iPhone is continuously becoming the go-to device for useful applications. Their latest one takes a dip into the engagement ring market. Live Diamond Try-On, a free application produced by Stuller Diamonds and Gemvision Corp., lets you create and try on engagement rings right from your phone.

The “try-on” feature lets you take a picture of your hand. The image of the created ring is then superimposed over your hand to give the appearance of actually wearing it. You can then send the image to friends, family or as a not-so-subtle hint to your potential fiance.

There’s unfortunately no iPhone in the office, or we would have gladly took it out for a test drive. But I guess you’ll just have to download it and try it out for yourself. If you create something you like, check out our friends at Denatale Jewelers who sell the Red Box Diamonds featured in the app.

What do you do when your family disapproves of your fiance?

On the Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi, the newbie on the show, is about to get married to her boyfriend. The downside is that her family is standing in her way. Her mother in particular refuses to have anything to do with Kandi’s fiance.

You see, Kandi’s fiance has six children from three different women. He also may or may not have a job or any stable income. But those are rumors. For the sake of this blog topic, I’ll overlook the fact that Kandi’s fiance is most likely a deadbeat and concentrate more on how her family is reacting to it.

In one episode, Kandi tearfully tells her mother that she loves AJ. Her aunt and her grandmother, although reluctant, take her side. Her mother, on the other hand, stubbornly refuses to accept AJ. She tells Kandi that she’s making a mistake.

What do you do in this situation? Although family acceptance of a loved one is important, when a family member doesn’t like who you’re dating it could possibly be because they’re seeing something you can’t see. On the other hand, it can also be family members setting an unrealistic bar of acceptance that’s impossible for anyone to reach.

When family members don’t approve of your fiance/fiancee, it could take a drastic turn, even possible disownment. By far the best thing you can do in this situation is to try your hardest to win your family’s approval. Obviously your happiness should come first, but complete alienation from your family shouldn’t be the inevitable option. They might not be 100 percent pleased, but the goal is just to win them over enough. Parents especially are going to be picky about who their sons and daughters marry. You should take their advice wisely, but still follow your own heart.

Now if your whole family threatens to boycott your wedding, then perhaps you should take a step back and look at the larger picture. Maybe they’re simply trying to help you dodge a bullet?

Is anyone engaged or about to get engaged to someone their family disapproves of?

Just a few more days to read "The Skinny on Bethenny"

Bethenny Frankel, the best selling author of Naturally Thin, gives tips on how to slim down while preparing for an engagement or wedding in Engagement 101. Here is a tease of the article you will find in newsstands everywhere next week! Also, remember to follow Bethenny on Twitter.

Click the image to enlarge.

Retraction: On page 63 of the print issue of Engagement 101 with our Bethenny Frankel story we unfortunately misquoted her. She never suffered from bulimia but was exposed to it as a close family member did. Our sincere apologies to Bethenny.

Man Stages a Raid to Propose to Girlfriend

A Baltimore County state delegate wanted to go way out when he proposed to his girlfriend, so he staged a raid. While the couple slept in their private boat, they were awoken by circulating helicopters and armed officers charging in.

The armed officers pretended to search the boat and then turned the girlfriend around as if they were about to handcuff her. As she turned around, though, she saw her boyfriend on bended knee and holding a box. How romantic? But amidst all the high tension, she still managed to choke out a yes.

I have to say, the proposal is quite creative but probably would have been a lot better if the delegate didn’t use taxpayers’ money to stage the whole thing. The Baltimore city police are now being investigated. Whoops.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now update your relationship status."

Could this be the new wedding tradition? A couple in Chicago decided to ceremoniously update their Facebook relationship status on their wedding day, according to Examiner.com. The couple updated their status during the reception as a finale to a very nontraditional wedding.

“We didn’t have a first dance, or throw the bouquet or have a garter or anything like that,” bride Ellen Hampton Filgo said. “So why not change our Facebook status ceremoniously?”

The couple also provided a live stream of the ceremony via Ustream for family members that couldn’t make it to the wedding. Oh, technology. What will you think of next?

Would you ever have a high tech wedding?

Why Won’t He Commit?

An article at Divine Caroline attempts to explore the age-old question of, “Why won’t he commit?” The writer sets up the common dilemma: Girl loves guy. Guy loves girl. So how come guy won’t just hurry up and marry me already??!

Although the “dilemma” is a common one, and one women feel understandably upset about, the piece at Divine Caroline seemed overly negative and riddled with stereotypes about both men and women. Their reasons for why some men won’t commit are 1.) They’re not that into you, 2.)They’re perfectly content with where they are and 3.) They’re cheating on you. Well, ouch.

The issue of to-commit-or-not-to-commit is way less black and white than that. It depends on the people involved, the type of relationship they have and what life goals they have. I somewhat reiterated this a bit on another topic about how long to wait. For guys, waiting to commit until some kind of goal is accomplished (graduation, first job, a raise, etc.) is more favorable. Other reasons are age (too young), finances (no money for a ring/wedding) or fear (afraid of divorce).

But whatever the reason, couples who are serious about getting engaged should consult each issue together and construct a plan on where the relationship should go based on what each person wants. If each person wants different things, than it’s clearer on whether the relationship is salvageable or if they should both abandon ship. Anyone here have to end a relationship because he wouldn’t commit?

Love Games for Couples

Yesterday we talked about cheap activities you and your partner can do together. But while a romantic night at home while dressed in your favorite outfit sounds sweet and romantic enough, some couples still might need an extra push — an activity to get them having fun. A great way to promote communication and have a little fun is through games, particularly games targeted at just couples. Below are three suggestions on different types of games to alleviate boredom and promote some healthy fun in a relationship:
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Does Facebook Fuel Jealousy Between Couples

A recent study published in CyberPsychology & Behavior says young couples who spend a lot of time on Facebook are more likely to feel jealous about their partner, fueling them to spend more time on Facebook looking for information, and thus, becoming a green-eyed addict.

Amy Muise, MSc, Emily Christofides, MSc, and Serge Desmarais, PhD, who conducted the study at the University of Guelph in Ontario, studied a group of young couples and monitored their behavior. The couples became infatuated with the information they learned about their partner via Facebook and kept returning to learn more.

Researchers are still unsure if the Facebook theory will affect older adults, but this study could hint at how social media and relationships might intertwine in interesting ways in the future. Thoughts?

One Skinnygirl Margarita, Please!

After a hard day’s work of finalizing the distribution of our next issue, I found out that gossip spreads extremely fast over the internet. Faster when it comes to our new cover girl Bethenny Frankel. When we interviewed women in the streets of New York for our Behind The Scenes photo-shoot, it became obvious to us. She is becoming THE role model for US. Who are WE? Women from all ages. Young and a little less young who want it all. A career, health and love. We love Bethenny because we know that if she can make it happen we can too. So the question du jour… what is going on with Bethenny’s personal life? Seems like lots of people want to know and the answer is…only she knows for sure. I can tell you that she is really in love and that she looks lovely in a wedding dress… for now. Since nobody has read our article yet, anything else is speculation. For those who want to know everything Bethenny, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BETHENNY. As for our exclusives, you will have to wait until you read the issue.

Good Evening Gossip World,
Severine Ferrari