My work on the January Weddings in Style issue continues this week. Though I'm excited to write about trends in the colorful world of wedding flowers, it's also been very interesting to explore the drier, more practical side of a new marriage.
I interviewed Allentown attorney Elissa Griffith Waldron this week to get an expert's input on the legal issues that every young couple needs to consider when they're getting married, and it was a real learning experience. For one thing there's nothing better, in my own nerd-like opinion, than sitting down with an expert and basking in the wealth of knowledge they can offer. Phone interviews are new to me, but I did my best to jot notes on the conversation as Attorney Waldron unfurled the fruits of her long career in family law.
With the divorce rate at around 50 percent, marriage can seem a bit pointless to a young, single person like me whose life is a desolate love-desert. There are some legal benefits involving jointly-filed taxes and health insurance, but is the concept of a lifelong commitment unrealistic? Isn't it all just a holdover from when women were chattel and men were all about controlling the transfer of their property to rightful heirs? Thankfully, marriage has evolved with the rest of society to hold new and way more romantic meanings. For those who embrace the challenge, I think it's a noble endeavor, and hey—1-1 are okay odds.
Another thing that needed doing this week was putting together a Stepping Out calendar for the January issue. For my first attempt at a Stepping Out calendar, I got the toughest month—the month, it seems, when Valley residents would rather step in to a pair of fuzzy slippers and curl up with some hot cocoa than venture out on the town. Nevertheless, there are events worth bundling up for, like the State Theatre's presentation of one of my favorite musicals—West Side Story!
West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet, perhaps the most famous love story in the western world—and this should be heartening: Romeo and Juliet stayed married for life!
