I decided who better to get some dating advice from then one of the finalists of the Married On MySpace competition. Nina and Justin are not only most deserving of this wedding but their love is one that many of us would aspire to have. However, Nina definitely dealt with some frogs before finally meeting her prince... So for all of the single ladies out there who are tired of meeting Mr. Wrong's and hoping to meet Mr. Right here is some great dating advice!!! 

Dear Fellow Daters Of BAD Guys-

I know we've all dated some lousy guys, but I have to admit that I've dated some REAL losers. Should I start by mentioning the guy that asked me to take home his gardener while he finished getting ready to go out to dinner,  then there was the guy who told me that since my face was SO pretty- he didn't understand why I wouldn't just lose a few pounds, or maybe the guy who secretly kept slipping away to do drugs at my brothers wedding (horrific), or lastly (& possibly the worst)...the guy who AFTER breaking up with me, decided to show up at my birthday party with his NEW girlfriend just to ruffle my feathers. In retrospect, I guess that guy #3 & guy #4 are a close tie for "Idiot of The Year".

Well my luck finally changed, & with a little hope and faith yours can too! I never wanted to listen to the people that said "love happens when you least expect it"! I thought that sounded like a line of crap that a girlfriend would console you with when you found that your boyfriend had a secret myspace account (my deepest condolences if this applies to any of you readers). Regardless, I'm closer to 30 than 20, and I was starting to get sick of family members giving me the stink eye because I never had a date for Thanksgiving dinner. YES I too wanted to get married and give them all grandchildren, I just hadn't found the right man!

That is, until I stopped looking. I met my NOW fiance when I was having the time of my life. My career was in full swing and I spent most of my free time laughing & vacationing with my girlfriends. I knew there was one more missing piece to my puzzle; but I wasn't sitting home every Friday night and crying about it. TRUE- I had given dating a temporary break; but I knew that I would get back on that horse when the time was right....

And then one day (while on a cruise in Mexico) Mr. Right walked right by me & I grabbed the reins of that horse with ALL my might! I told him that he had the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen & that we'd get married and have gorgeous babies someday. We've been together ever since! Sure we've had our fair share of disagreements- but this man LOVES me for who I am. He does my laundry, cooks pizza for us every Monday night so we can enjoy eating it while watching "Gossip Girl" TOGETHER, & constantly leaves me post-it notes on the bathroom mirrors that say something like, "You look gorgeous WITH or WITHOUT your make-up"! He finds a way to make me smile everyday.

What did I do to deserve a man of this calibur you wonder? I waited. I stopped allowing myself to be hurt by unworthy men and make exscuses for them when they wanted to come back & "try things again". I put an end to going dates just because I felt like I needed attention from men to feel good about myself. Most importantly, I acknowledged the fact that by staying in relationships with Mr. Wrongs, I'd NEVER have an oppurtunity to meet Mr. Right!

So, if I may, I'd like to give all you single ladies out there a few hints...

#1. On a first date there should be some sort of coffee, lunch or dinner. I'm not saying we need to go 5 stars here, but none of this "Wanna meet me & my boys at the club?" nonsense! NO thank you!

#2. A man should open doors for a lady. Call me old fashioned, but it says a LOT about his upbringing & manners.

#3. The way a man treats his mother is often the way a man will treat his future wife. This being said, when I went on a date with a guy who answered his phone WHILE we were eating & proceeded to YELL at his mother- I had a feeling we weren't soulmates. Did I mention that he also told me that I shouldn't order the carrots because they were filled with sugar?!? YUCKY.

#4. Be comfortable in your own skin. This means that whether you're all dolled up OR wearing a paint stained pair of your older brothers sweat pants, this man should look at you like your God's most beautiful creation.

#5. Try to find a man who brings out the best in you! For example, if you love to work-out & find yourself in a relationship with a man who does nothing but drink beer and watch UFC fights, chances are that he won't be your new hiking partner. You might be better off meeting someone at the gym!

#6. Last but definitely NOT least...be yourself! If you like to dig your fingers in the bottom of peanut butter jars to get those last couple bites out, then you should be able to! We all have our gross little vices (Lord knows that my fiance has seen me burp more times than I'd like to admit), but it's those little vices that make us who we are. If you plan to marry a man- you better believe he's going to figure out who's been drinking milk straight from the carton when you've left a lipstick mark!

I truly hope these rules of thumb can bring at least one or two women some sort of hope! I know it's hard to believe- but I PROMISE that you will find your Prince...he is probably out there looking for his missing Princess! Just keep on being the strong, independent, wonderful, fun & beautiful women that you are, & the days of kissing frogs will be a chapter of your past. EVERY woman deserves a "Happily Ever After"!

Xoxo, Happily Engaged :)
 

If you get a minute to check out Married on MySpace, watch Justin and Nina's video. I have a feeling you'll be voting for them just like I am because they truly deserve their dream wedding!