When Dancing with the Stars stars Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy got engaged on New Year's Eve, Maksim's proposal was at once the most perfect proposal ever, and also, completely a disaster, according to a new video on The Insider At first, she didn't even realize that it was proposal, mistaking the ring for a receipt in her new Louis Vuitton bag. Then Maksim was totally tongue-tied, and when he did speak, his first words were, "I've been with a lot of women." Not exactly the right way to start a marriage proposal. But in the end, she totally loved it, and has a funny story to tell - though it's one that comes at his expense.

Sounds like Max should have read my Marriage Proposals Dos and Don'ts, which would have told him to practice what he was going to say!

What was your marriage proposal like? I'd love to hear about it, and add it to my collection of Real Reader's Marriage Proposal Stories.

Yes, I'm telling you it's okay to take a chance and scale back on the number of wedding cake servings. You may be thinking, "But everyone wants wedding cake!" I've been to several weddings where the wedding cake got passed out to every single table, but guests were having too much fun dancing to eat it, and lots of cake was wasted. Then there are those who don't really like cake, and take one or two bites just to be polite.

So what should you do instead? Offer a cake and coffee station, where guests can come get a piece in between dancing. Since between 10% and 20% of your guests will pass, you can take the chance and order less cake. If you're the nervous type, this tip isn't for you, as there's always a chance you won't have enough cake. But for those who hate to see food go to waste, especially when you're the one paying for it, this chance might be worth it.

Forget the standard three-tiered white wedding cake with plastic columns and a smiling bride and groom. Baker Shinmin Li, owner of San Francisco's I Dream of Cake, has a background in art and sculpture, so it makes sense that her cakes are works of art. Like a couture wedding dress, Li's cakes are custom-designed for every wedding, and are sure to be nothing like what your guests have seen before. Read more...

Whenever I tell friends I've been to a wedding recently, they want to know about two things: the bride's dress, and the food. Amazing wedding food can make your event, but it can also break your budget. Here's my tips on how to have your friends exclaiming, "The food was amazing!" Read more...