In a 33-29 vote tonight, New York became the sixth state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage, just in time for the Gay Pride parades this weekend. And though you don't need a legal marriage license to have a wedding, or a marriage, it's highly likely that this legislation will increase the number of gay weddings in the next year. In fact for many, the celebrations started as soon as the votes were read. I loved this quote in the Times from the openly-gay senator who sponsored the bill, Daniel O'Donnell: "We're going to invite you to our wedding" Mr. O'Donnell said. "Now we have to figure out how to pay for one."

If someone told me, "I have a flower man", I'd be much more likely to think they've got a go-to florist who gets them special deals, than to think they're having a grown man toss flowers down the aisle of their wedding. But this article in today's New York Times would have you believe that having flower men instead of flower girls is a regularly occurring anomaly. (The New York Times is the sister company of About.com)

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for breaking the semi-rigid gender roles that weddings seem to be inscribed with. There's no reason you can't have a female best man, a male brides attendant, or even a male flower girl. At my own wedding we had "suits" and "skirts" rather than groomsmen and bridesmaids. And if this is about celebrating a feminine male friend's gender rather than forcing him to wear a suit with the other groomsmen, then I think that's awesome. But I wonder if this is more a case of a writer trying to find something new to write about weddings, than this really being anything like a trend.

What do you think? Vote in our poll, and tell us why in the comments.

Speaking of bridesmaid's dresses, if I had a dollar for every time a bride or a wedding vendor justified an expensive bridesmaid's dress by saying "You can wear it again!" I could buy a dress for each one of you.

So I love that the women who work for Jenny Yoo haven't just thrown these words around, they've proven them to be true. They took a relatively simple dress, the Nanette in a neutral color, then showed how it could be styled for a date, the office, and even a picnic. (That's the picnic look above).

If you want your maids to actually be able to wear it again, follow these rules: Read More...

The first time I was in a wedding, I was a bad bridesmaid. I know you probably don't believe me, but it's true. And there were a couple reasons for that - I didn't know what my responsibilities were, but also, I couldn't afford anything. I was still in college, while all of the other bridesmaids were professionals making salaries. At every turn, there seemed to be another party, another dress, another expense that I couldn't afford. So I sort of hid. I just avoided everything!

I mean, in my defense, there were four bridal showers. Four! There was a destination bachelorette! There were two engagement parties! And then there was the bridesmaid's dress, shoes, hair, makeup, hotel room, etc. Well, you get the picture. I was broke. I did show up on the big day, in my dress. But most of the other responsibilities I just ignored. You don't hate me, do you?

If I could go back in time with a magic wand to make everything better. I'd start with giving my young self the courage to talk to the bride about money. It's not easy. Many first-time bridesmaids don't understand that they need to pay for their dress and shoes. Would you? Who Pays for the Bridesmaid's Dresses?