You got the ring. You cried the beauty-queen cry, the ugly cry and the can't-stop-crying cry. And you couldn't be more thrilled. But what happens next is where the real fun begins, from calling friends to staring at your new piece of bling like you're Gollum and it's the "precious." Every woman is

"Dear Laura, thanks for the excellent, disheartening essay you wrote about sober dating," an articulate stranger named Eli (not his real name) typed in an e-mail to me. This wasn't the first time a random lonely heart had reached out about my writing. But this time was different: I wrote back.

1. California Coast Wedding  Lauren Fair Photography In the excitement of shooting the wedding photos, the groom, Andrew, left his wallet somewhere in the redwoods. Thankfully, he found it later that night, after a long drive back down the coast. Photographers Tim and Lauren said, "That's what

Quite a few single people I know both personally and professionally say they need a partner who is "conscious," by which they do not mean breathing and showing other signs of life. They mean someone who is evolved, self-aware, self-reflective — in other words, "not too screwed up." The reality, of

In a gift that's gonna be hard to beat next year, a man filled a jar with 365 reasons why he loves his lady. You hear that? That's the sound of you either creaming your jeans (sorry) or being a little weirded out by the intensity of his capital-F Feelings. Either way, good luck outdoing this next