I’m just bursting with joy! My baby sister Jennifer Grotke and her wonderful guy Tony Perez announced their engagement this week, so of course I had to check out some advice for the recently engaged. This is from Lillian Eichler’s Etiquette in Public, first published in 1924. Congrats to the happy couple! 1924: Etiquette for Engaged […]
The Wedding-Day
This selection goes out to my dear friends Sarah Carter and Iain McPhie, who have a little event planned this weekend. The invite said something about “marriage,” so I decided to do a bit of research on the topic. I stumbled across this advice from J. R. Miller’s The Wedded Life regarding the much-anticipated wedding day, […]
“Can I, um, like, Marry Your Daughter?”
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What are the various older traditions (Victorian Era, for instance) for how to go about proposing? In particular, how and when to ask the bride-to-be’s father for her hand? Signed, Traditionalist A Dear Traditionalist: Ah, the 1880s. A time of proper manners and traditions. Who could ask for anything more? I […]
Am I in Love?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: How do I know if I’m in love? Signed, Rocky Road A Dear Rocky: Ah, one of those age-old questions that just never seems to die. At least you should take confort in the fact that you are not alone. Millions of people out there, including this writer, have wondered the […]
Man & Woman & the Golf That Came Between Them
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I have been dating a girl who I love for two years, on June 5th, 1999. She was frustrated with our relationship, we have never fought, or argued, I feel as if she is my soul mate, we can talk for hours, but obviously I never talked about the steps of […]
Spotting Soulmates
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Is it true, that if we know ourselves well enough, we’ll be able to spot our soulmates at first sight? Signed, Searching A Dear Searching: Gee, I was kinda hoping this answer would be more positive. You know ~ love at first sight, everything happy-go-lucky, those wonderful movie endings with soulmates […]
Brandon and Brittney Sittin’ in a Tree
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Will Brandon Boston and Brittney Chisolm get married and live happily ever after? Signed, Brittney A Dear Brittney: Yes! Oh wait, I changed my mind. No! Ah, shucks, I don’t know. Maybe you can decide for yourself, with a little help from Sex Behavior in Marriage, published by Charles A. Clinton in […]
How to Tell Whether You Are in Love
This week I focus on a topic very dear to me and my some of friends. Is it lust? Is it love? Or is it just a silly old crush? How about you and I ponder these questions, with the help of Dorothy Dix, in this excerpt from her book titled How to Win and Hold […]
Platonic Relationship = Happiness?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I have a fantastic friendship with a woman, which has been going on for a over five years now. Though I have dated other women, and she other men, we remain strictly platonic, much to the surprise of our friends and respective families. We love each other, but only as friends. […]
Is He “The One” for Me?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: How do I know if he is “The One” for me? Signed, Just Curious A Dear Curious: Although it is easier for some to find that perfect person, all too often the situation is more complex; as Max O’Rell says in Her Royal Highness Woman, “Unfortunately for you, they are not labelled.” […]