The Citizen, 1992-02-12, Page 19THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,1992. PAGE 19.
Plan your finances before you walk down the aisle
Couples and credit
Before taking their trip down the aisle, couples need to
review their joint income and debts and formulate a
financial plan for their future. Deciding who will pay the bills
and drafting a flexible budget is a good start.
When modern love
bridges the love gap
When Cupid takes aim at a man
and woman, he doesn't always
examine their vital statistics first.
That's why some brides find them
selves marching down the aisle to
marry grooms who are significantly
older - or younger - than them
selves. While age is seldom an
obstacle to these couples' love, an
article in a recent issue of Bride's
Magazine suggests that it does have
a subtle yet strong impact on mar
riage.
Author Miriam Amod addresses
some of the special challenges that
lie ahead for these “age gap” cou
ples:
Parenting: A bride may find her
“biological clock” ticking much
faster, or louder, than her groom's.
Older women are often eager to
have children long before their hus
bands feel ready to become fathers.
A younger woman who marries a
man with children from a previous
marriage may find that her desire
to start a family right away isn't
reciprocated. And the pressure can
come from him, too - especially if
he's older and wants to spend time
with his children while he's still
young, healthy and energetic.
Money: Should money be spent
on momentary pleasures, or invest
ed towards a secure and comfort
able future? Older and younger
partners’ views often clash when it
comes to cash.
Felice, a woman twelve years her
husband's junior, was surprised by
his insistence that they invest in life
Romantic gold jewellery
suits modern bride
As a bride-to-be plans her wed
ding day, there's nothing more
exciting than deciding what she'll
wear. For modem women, this sea
son's fashion choices couldn't be
more appealing and tailormade for
the romantic at heart.
Keeping in order with the pouf
and pomp shown by most designers
this season, “the latest bridal wear
marks a return to the feminine
form” says Suzanne Gould, Fash
ion Editor at Modem Bride, “Bridal
gowns are romantic in spirit with
new, modem styling that's both
feminine and sexy. The best looks
combine the charm and coquettish
ness of movie star Audrey Hepburn
with simple, striking details.
Revealing strapless gowns and bare
off-the-shoulder dresses with layers
of petticoats are the trend, provid
insurance, plan for retirement, and
make up a will. “I wouldn't have
thought about these things if he
hadn't brought them up,” she said.
Health: Concerns for a partner's
health invade every marriage, and
they can be particularly trouble
some if he or she is much older. A
younger wife may find herself nag
ging her husband to have regular
check-ups, watching what he eats,
and worrying if she'll be alone
when she gets older.
Cultural background: People
who grew up in the fifties, sixties
or seventies often have dramatical
ly different perspectives on every
thing from politics to morality to
humor. Even finding music that
both partners enjoy dancing to is a
challenge to some “age gap” cou
ples.
Spending time with the other's
friends can be disorienting, too,
when they seem more like parents
(or children) than peers.
Jealousy: Jealousy is seldom an
issue early in the marriage. But a
partner who turns forty while the
other s barely thirty may fear that
he or she will begin to look for a
more youthful companion.
Couples who learn to respect
each other's differences rather than
challenge them will find that love
overcomes many contradictions.
While it may be true that love is
blind, “age gap” couples who open
their eyes to the issues that lie
ahead can smooth the path to a hap
pier marriage.
ing the perfect showcase for a
dazzling piece of gold jewellery.”
“Accordingly, this year's news in
jewellery is real gold with a nostal
gic flavour,” says Ms. Gould. Each
piece draws upon the romance of a
bygone era with a demure and girl
ish flavour. For the bride-to-be
there is an assortment of pretty
golden hearts and bows, all
designed with a delicate touch to
complement her all-over wedding
day glow.
To decorate the ears, there are
fly-away ribbons or the classic
pleated bow tie adding graceful
femininity to a ruffled neckline. For
the sophisticate, a sweep of pol
ished gold hearts that climbs the ear
or a single bold gold heart accented
with a dangling pearl makes a soft
yet elegant fashion statement.
Financial planning is probably
the last thing on the minds of most
prospective brides and grooms.
However, it is one of the most
important issues they will face as a
couple. To avoid what (according
to various reports) will probably be
the cause of their first fight,
couples need to sit down together,
share information on their financial
resources and credit histories, and
establish a working plan for their
finances well before they march
down the aisle.
Sterling bridal gifts
ideas are blooming
The arrival of the nineties has
ushered in a re-discovery of nature
and all of its benefits.
Time magazine reports that gar
dening is the number one hobby in
America.
Experts say the surge is a reac
tion to the changes in today's social
climate - the fast-paced, materialis
tic eighties have given way to
kinder, gentler times. People are
spending more time at home, and
trying to make it' a more enjoyable
and interesting place to be.
Where once BMW's and designer
handbags were the “power tools”,
down-home gardens are quickly
becoming the status symbols of the
nineties. According to a recent sur
vey by the National Gardening
Association in Burlington, Vt.,
people spent $20.8 billion on gar-
den-related merchandise last year,
up from $16.3 billion in 1989.
This “back-to-nature” trend is
having a major design impact on
everything from home furnishings
and tableware to fashion, jewellery
and gifts. Literal and imaginative
motifs of a radiant sun, friendly
insects, climbing vines, leaves and
flowers of every variety, bunches
of fruits, and miniscule replicas of
garden tools are in abundance.
Quaint garden weddings, bou
quets of fragrant old-fashioned
New couples' financial planning
starts with “yours, mine and ours”
- your previous bills and responsi
bilities, my previous payments and
savings, and our joint incomes,
investments and lines of credit.
You, the bride and groom, have to
make equitable decisions at the
very beginning on how to handle
debts and combine current
resources. Here are some general
guidelines that will help you get
started on your financial plan:
• Decide up front who will be the
flowers and heirloom silver gifts
for the bridal couple and their wed
ding party have been long-held tra
ditions that are once again being
embraced. Sterling gifts for the
bride and her attendants are taking
their cue this year from down the
garden path.
Some original and charming
“natural” sterling gift ideas from
the Silver Information Center
include:
• Bold, yet feminine, satin-fin
ished or brightly enamelled silver
flower earrings, or dainty leaf and
flower drops with dangling silver
beads, pearls or pastel coloured
stones; enamelling and stones can
be colour co-ordinated to match the
bridemaids' dresses;
• a silver butterfly, flower or leaf
pendant to accentuate a scoop,
sweetheart or “V” neckline;
• a heart-shaped picture frame or
bud vase entwined with silver twigs
or vines, or in nature's own rough-
hewn textures;
• a key ring with a dangling
miniature garden tool, flower, fruit
or insect charm;
• a charming bumble bee, sun or
favourite flower brooch to embel
lish a jacket lapel or dress shoulder,
or:
• a choker and bracelet of en
circled flowers or leaves.
best person to pay the bills and
balance the checkbook. It usually
works best if one person takes over
this responsibility, but you can try
rotating once or twice a year.
• Start a joint checking account
by pooling your paychecks or
agreeing on a set amount you will
both contribute to the account.
• Earmark a percentage of joint
income to savings and put this
away before you pay the bills.
• Decide how much of a cash
allowance each of you will have
between paydays and stick to it.
• Review the status of your credit
cards and consider joint accounts to
achieve higher credit lines.
Once you have made your joint
financial plan, commit to periodic
“economic summits” to review its
status and make necessary adjust
ments.
t! ITT
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