Because we run a large marriage and parenting site and we produce movies on marriage, people want to know our story. They want to know how we met and when did we know that we had "the one." Of course, our answers are different, as we've had different journeys that led us to each other. Lamar and I were engaged after dating for 11 months. He planned a very romantic proposal for me. But what made me so sure? My last relationship was not good ( to put it mildly.) So how could I trust my judgement now? How could I let my wall down and trust Lamar? Why was I so confident that I was making that right decision with Lamar? Here are 7 reasons why I knew Lamar was the one. - By Ronnie Tyler

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by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

In a post-Sex and the City world, all women know every intimate detail of their friends' sex lives, and in fact, discuss matters like penis size and "funky spunk" loudly over brunch in the presence of their babies and their waitresses. (Side note: Men now fear women's public laughter.) What's that? No, that's probably not entirely accurate? True. But in my personal experience, girlfriends do tend to discuss their sex lives at least a little!

According to adult product company AdamandEve.com, and its "Great American Sex Survey," women are more likely to gab. Of participants who were asked "Do you share intimate details of your sex life with friends?" 30% of the female respondents said that they did, while only 18% of men copped to it.

See more: 31 January Outfit Ideas

First of all….only 30% of women? Really, you guys? Like, no details at all?!? I mean, I'm not going to take a snapshot of his orgasm face to pass around at the next book club

Dates don't have to be fancy to be great.By HowAboutWe

This past Friday, the New York Times all but declared that dating is dead (though they hedged with a question mark: "The End of Courtship?"). You're probably familiar with the territory of this well-worn trend story: We're now living in a "hookup culture" where women are lucky if suitors grace them with a booty call text message before 10 p.m., much less show up with flowers, much less pick them up, much less ask them on a proper date at all.

Dates may have suffered a beating, but it's crucial that we save them from further harm. (And let's be clear: a "date" can be anything from a seven course dinner at a five-star restaurant to a free museum tour; it doesn't have to be lavish in order to count.) But dating is absolutely necessary; its importance cannot be overstated. Here's why dates are so critical to the beginning (and duration, but that's a separate story) of a relationship:

1) Sexual chemistry - do you have it? A date isn't the only way to tell, but it's the

Stoopin' ItBy Chiara Atik for HowAboutWe

Dating, courtship, and any hope you might have of a functional relationship is dead, at least according to The New York Times, which this past weekend painted a pretty bleak picture of the romantic lives of twenty-somethings. In "The End of Courtship," Alex Williams describes a world where an evening of boxed mac n' cheese equals romance, where attraction is conveyed via tweets, and where all of it seems to be happening without the consent of women, who are forced to covet scraps of male attention in the form of 10 pm text messages and group hang-outs that may or may not result in sex but will under no circumstances lead to a relationship.

The article cites a laundry list of reasons for this depressing landscape, both economic and technological, but the fault seems to lie in the hookup culture that permeates major cities and college campuses around the country. Because we came of age by hooking up at parties, the argument goes, millennial women are

At age 30, single writer Amy Webb was coming off a long-term relationship when her friends and family convinced her to try online dating. But after joining Match.com and JDate, a website for Jewish singles, she was horrified by the caliber of dates she was going on—tacky sexual innuendos, drunken sloppy moves, even married men.

Fed up, Webb vowed to do things different. She leaned on her background in data analysis and created profiles for ten male archetypes, then went undercover, interacting with 96 women online, observing their flirting techniques and gathering information such as the types of language they used and the amount of time they waited to reply to her messages. Webb then scrutinized the female profiles that were ranked as most popular. After, she turned her findings into a book Data, A Love Story: How I Gamed Online Dating to Meet My Match (January 31, Dutton). Here's what she uncovered about successful online daters: 

—They speak in code: Using aspirational language

By Jane Wells, CNBC.com

Online dating can be a funny business, but one new endeavor freely admits it's crazy.

I have not dated in a loooooooooong time. Thank. Goodness. I admire the courage it takes to put yourself out there and meet someone new. Blind dates, in particular, take the sort of energy and fortitude I wish we could see more of in Washington.

But has something changed about dating since I got out of the game? Has it evolved to the point where dating sites are actually working against you?

[Read more: 12 Best Cities for Online Dating]

I'm scratching my head over a new app from OkCupid called "Crazy Blind Date." Download the app and then upload an image of yourself. Mashable reported that OkCupid distorts most of the image to keep all possible dating candidates "blind." You are then paired together based on the time and location you are both available.

After the date, if you like you partner, you buy "kudos" on OkCupid to rate him or her. The more kudos you buy for $.99,

From blush hues to lace mermaids to gold accents, the hottest gowns from the 70th annual Golden Globes can easily be worn down that aisle as well. Here are some of our favorite looks that will take you from the red carpet to the white.

More from Bridal Guide:

• Find Your Dream Wedding Gown!
• 20 Sexy Wedding-Night Secrets
• 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Got Engaged
• Marriage Firsts Every Newlywed Experiences
• 100 Ideas for a Winter Wedding

By: Rachel Dichter and Noelle Gharbi

Welcome back, Bachelor compatriots. If you watched last night's episode you already know that buildings were jumped from, vampire teeth were worn, pranks were had at an innocent person's expense, yoga instructors bowed out, and two people you'd never seen until the last five minutes of the show got sent home. What you may have missed is all the the weird stuff that happened in between.

--Piper Weiss, Shine Staff