36 — Wednesday, January 30, 1991 — North Shore News The fabuious designs for 1991 have arrived; they are more beautiful than ever, at very com- petitive prices. Come see them soon. Liar Bridal Celaald Ween Phone 689-1023 ge Canadian Heritage ee Designs Ltd. ys “a introducing ... wy @ Our Bridal Registry @ 3 , a] For the finest Canadiana pine reproductions and accessories ° from Rustic to Refined Sunday Mon-Sat. 980 Marine Drive, North Van 12:00. 5:00 ot . (at Mackay Ave) 985-3359 Parking in rear x a 2 rN BS e025 aa CoE BRIDAL BRUNCH FASHION SHOW Presented by BACK hoqse Restaurant ff Sunday, February 3, 1991 ~. Two Shows: 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. ‘ Wedding consulations and exhibits to plan your special day. Admire the beautiful view of the city, sea and mouetains, while enjoying @ scrumptious branch or afternoon tea, as uell as a first-class fashion show. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT - BROCK HOUSE RESTAURANT OR THROUGH ANY SPONSOR $20.00/Person Plus G.ST. vee Ne -BROGK hOUsE . Restaurant ideally situated on Vancouver's Jericho Waterfront at 3875 Point Grey Road, Vancouver, BC. Telephone: 224-3317 for tickers SPONSORED BY Royal Wedding Centre The Total Look = Inflated Ideas Lee's Wedding Collection Cakes By Bev Merle Nonnan The Zaniacs Confetti Bridal Planner. Bride's Room Hor Hit Productions Lonsdale Renral Centres Codorniu au Chocolat ODoul’s Hotel & Restaurant Bonnie Bach Hagen’s Travel Collins of Kerrisdale Down 7o Earth FoR A BEAUTIFUL BANQUET By THE BEAUTIFUL 8 Two beautiful banquet rooms for groups from 50-300 ¢ Bar Mitzvahs 92 1 -7 71 1 ¢ All your special events -°2 6190 MARINE, WEST VANGOUYER «7 * Business Mectings ¢ Company Parties Pre-marital counselling is a wise investment The following financial advice is excerpted from The Best of Mike Grenby, by Mike Grenby. Published by Self-Counsel Press, 1989. Reprinted courtesy of the publisher. THE EQUATIONS couldn’t be simpler. When you are together, it’s usually Yours plus Mine equals Ours. And when you split, it becomes Ours minus Mine equals Yours. But actually working through those calculations can be a real challenge. Yet failing to come up with the right answers can be disastrous, personally as well as financially. “Money plays an integral part in all our lives,’? says Peggy Waterton, a partner in Dollars & Sense Budget Planners, ‘‘But it is also an extremely sensitive area. A survey in the United States reveal- ed that 57 per cent of the people interviewed would talk about their sex lives but only 28 per cent about their money.”’ So the sooner you start to talk the better — because it could cost you dearly if you don’t. Waterton urges people who plan to live together or get married to invest in pre-marital counselling. ‘Don’t scoff,’? she says. ‘‘It could be one of the best invest- ments you ever make. Parents might even consider this an engagement present.’’ Churches and community groups often offer pre-marital counselling at low or no cost. Whether you are partnering for the first time or having a second (or third) relationship, open communication about money will definitely pay off. “You must recognize each other’s needs, wants and priorities — and realize you won’t be able to change the other person very much,’” Waterton says. ‘‘By discussing these needs and priorities, however, you can then decide on a joint timetable.”’ If you plan to marry, start with the wedding. ‘“‘One couple who planned things as inexpensively as possible still ended up spending $4,300,”’ says Waterton. ‘And it doesn’t take much to run the total up to $12,000.”” Other major items include: * Buying a home. By the time you add to the actual purchase price the mortgage interest, maintenance, repairs, and renova- tions, you could easily spend sev- eral hundred thousand dollars. ¢Having children. “If you want to provide wants as well as needs — being in the school band, taking school trips — you could spend $250,000 on a child from birth through second year of post-secondary education,’’ Waterton says. “That includes the cost of another bedroom or a larger home. If you have several children, the per-child cost should decrease because you can use things for more than one child.”’ *Travel and holidays. These expenses can be compounded when you have children. ‘‘When Let us create a wildly romantic bouquet unique to you Fresh flower arranging with a difference, for all occasions 925-3237 FAX 925-9852 1751 Marine Dr., West Vancouver you are together, you should make note of every disagreement about money,’’ Waterton advises. “If a common pattern shows up, then you can deal with that area.”” When a relationship breaks down, try to have a frank talk about finances. ‘‘Family maintenance payments worked out with the cooperation of both par- tics are more likely to be main- tained than those ordered by the * courts.’” All aspects of daily, monthly, and annual expenses that are en- countered by both parties must be considered when working out how much maintenance is required — or how much an individual can afford to pay. Expect it to be a dramatic change, accompanied by a lower standard of living. The total cost of running two households will obviously be more than the cost of one household, especially if there is only one income both be- fore and after. . The same applies if both parties have pooled their incomes to run the one household and now must support two households on the same total. “Don’t forget the cost of guilt,’’ says Waterton. ““When the mother has the children most of the time, as happens most often, the father finds he spends far more on gifts and entertainment than before. The costs of living apart after a relationship ends, especially when there are children, involve much more than just maintenance.” : Know etiquette From page 34 otherwise want to be there. But I do not want to hurt my daughter by not attempting to invite a few special friends. There ave several people whe have met her future partner, and everyone seems to agree that she’s a wonderful per- son. . My daughter plans to have a reception afterward. Although her friends will be attending, I hope cheerful support will aiso be there from other directions. GENTLE READER — Wed- ding guests are always hand-pick- ed; you don’t get them wholesale. It’s too bad, because then you could order the attitudes you want, What everyone has ta do in- stead is to try to collect people who, because of their ties to the couple, wish them well — only too often in spite of reservations.