The Plunge? Worst. Website. Ever.

[Lauren8211]

The Plunge - How to Handle an Ultimatum from your GF

theplunge.com is horrible. I stumbled across it, and I cannot believe the advice they give guys! It''s so mean and cruel!

GF Ultimatums? They tell the guy to give vague answers and string the girl along. AWFUL.

What to do if you cheat on your fiancee? Don''t tell her.

I hope that no guy actually reads this site for real advice. *Shudder*

 

[princesss]

Okay, I''m sorry, I''ve read through it and (when not taken seriously) it''s hilarious.

It also advises to not pick out the ring together (ruins the romance) and a few other ridiculous things.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 6/9/2009 8:50:33 PM
Author: princesss
Okay, I''m sorry, I''ve read through it and (when not taken seriously) it''s hilarious.


It also advises to not pick out the ring together (ruins the romance) and a few other ridiculous things.

If it was fake... I''d laugh. For real, its hilarious. Unless real lives are involved.

I am frightened by the prospect that guys take this seriously.

 

[Squirrly]

ick, i''m pretty sure it''s a joke though, however the poll results are pretty fun, and definitely fairly re-assuring (60-something percent for both asking her parents out of respect for tradition as well as for saying stripper''s aren''t really my style for bachelor parties as a couple examples) definitely not the results i expected

 

[Lilac]

I''ll admit, I''m laughing hysterically at some of the things on this site. Very funny - as a joke.

If someone takes it seriously though, then it''s definitely not as funny

 

[BlueSki231]

hmm i think my boyfriend may be taking the advice from the "Your Doom" and "Your Flexibility" sections...

 

[HopeDream]

I checked the website out and yeah, the response to ultimatums thing is a bit bogus.

On the other hand that article links to an "Is she the one?" quiz and article which seems quite reasonable and may help guys to get off the fence and propose.

There are tips to decrease wedding spending which also seem helpful.

Keep in mind that to engage today's 20-40 something guys there is a necessary amount of irreverent sarcasm, and douchery to make the whole thing approachable and palatable (think any Judd Apatow movie meets theknot.com).

This website does its best to lure guys thinking and talking about weddings without having them feeling all sissy-like.

To deal with the inherent prissy lisping limp-wristed ~faaaaabulous~ nature of wedding planning and all that accompanies it, this website goes overboard with the manly "pants-wearing" swagger of tough guys invading a traditionally feminine domain with testosterone and playful chauvinism just to make guys feel comfortable.

The whole website is full of bizarre reverse-psychology type wedding machismo.

Case in point:

about us page:

"In an industry that is wholly focused on the bride, The Plunge addresses the needs of the other half of the equation. With advice written for men by men, it comes with our Pledge:
We will never:
Treat you like an idiot.
Pretend wedding planning is fun.
Give a damn about florists.
Insult your relationship. Wedding planning sucks. Marriage itself (probably) doesn't"

Slashing costs in the recession page:

"Let it slide: Flowers
Can you save money by picking tulips instead of long-stemmed roses? Yep. Should you ever in your life—ever—spend another second thinking about tulips or long-stemmed roses? Nope. Only one exception: your fiancée whispers the words “Preston Bailey.” This is like her saying the words, “AMEX Black Card” or “Tiffany’s Shopping Spree.” You are looking at a flower bill that will cost more than a Mercedes. Get involved and get involved now."

See what I mean? Oh how quickly the tune changes!

Who is the architect of this man-befuddling matrimonial mayhem?

(Yeah..I spin it like batman pulp journalism)

"The Plunge is owned and operated by XY Internet, LLC, an online media network focused on men and the wedding industry. Started by David Fortunoff in January 2009, the first site to launch under XY Internet's umbrella was RingTutor.com, www.ringtutor.com, an online shopping service that saves consumers time and money when shopping the internet for diamonds. ThePlunge.com, www.theplunge.com, is XY Internet's second venture, geared towards men looking for a wedding resource that finally speaks to them. Prior to founding XY Internet, David was a principal of Fortunoff Fine Jewellry"


Card well played diamond industry..........card well played.

HD

 

[kittybean]

I checked out RingTutor, just to see what they might be recommending to men as far as diamonds go. Check out point #5 in this "must-read" advice article . . . thumbs down for them

.

 

[FrekeChild]

So FI was reading that earlier. And he learned that he has to buy me a wedding present. So I''m totally ok with him reading it.

 

[kittybean]

Also, on their list of services, you can hire a personal shopper, meaning that you can have their experts evaluate up to three diamonds for you for a mere $50! (Hmmm . . . or you could have neutral PS consumer-experts evaluate them for free.)

 

[princessplease]

The article you posted is crap, however, **some** of the rest of it may be helpful to guys to read. Just don''t leave it in your history after reading, lol!

 

[Lauren8211]

I think the part that bugs me about it is that there is real advice, mixed with terrible advice. So what is it... funny or serious?

It is humorous.. I readily admit that... but I just know some guy is reading that article going "Yeah, I should totally string along my girlfriend, and if I cheat, I should just keep it to myself"

I do get the sarcasm to make weddings less.... annoying. I have quite a sarcastic attitude myself.

Kittybean: I''m pretty sure PS would do a much better job, too!

 

[suchende]

HopeDream, are you a writer by trade?

 

[Liane]

I dunno, I thought it was pretty reasonable (that specific article -- haven''t read the rest of the website). How else is a guy supposed to respond to an ultimatum? Any instant response, whether it''s "yes" or "no," is likely to be subject to endless second-guessing by one or both parties. So he needs to delay at least long enough to get his head together and figure out what exactly he wants (or, if he knows he wants to propose and also wants to keep it a surprise, to kick up some camouflage for that). That''s one framework for doing it.

Besides, the article itself notes that if he''s been doing it for years, time''s up dude.

 

[Winks_Elf]

I thought some of the wedding planning advice was pretty good. I especially liked the "police lineup" part...if you can''t pick the guest out of a police line up, you really shouldn''t be inviting them to the wedding!

 

[KatM]

Date: 6/10/2009 8:43:23 AM
Author: elledizzy5
I think the part that bugs me about it is that there is real advice, mixed with terrible advice. So what is it... funny or serious?

Me too. I poked around and there does seem to be some decent advice, but there''s other slightly sarcastic advice that isn''t so great. I could see a lot of people getting burned.

 

[b.anna]

i took a look at it too last night and i gotta say i''m glad my fiance did not peruse this site before proposing, whether in seriousness or jest. but now that he''s stuck with me, hopefully we can both look through it and laugh. some parts of it are funny, but others, i''m like what? this isnt some hollywood film here. i would much rather tone down on romance than to get a ring i wasn''t in love with. i think it''s MORE romantic that the boyfriend care more about what the girl wants to wear on her finger forever.

 

[lilmissrugger]

HopeDream-"Keep in mind that to engage today''s 20-40 something guys there is a necessary amount of irreverent sarcasm, and douchery to make the whole thing approachable and palatable "

BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA. That was great, and sooo completely true.

 

[idreamofcushions]

That''s terrible!!! Good thing our guys have good sense

 

[lilmissrugger]

My FF and I just checked it out together- he thought it was amusing, but (thank God) had the common sense to know when it was being sarcastic and funny. Hooray for smart men, right?

 

[trillionaire]

I thought it was really funny!

 

[katamari]

Sociological Images did a blog entry on it here. I teach a sociology of the media course and Soc Images is required reading for the class. My students loved it (for how terrible it was) and it gave us a great day''s discussion on gender norms and heterosexuality. Can''t see it being useful for anything else, though!

 

[goldenstar]

I think this site is hilarious! I totally laughed out loud. I think its great entertainment with a teeny tiny bit of educational value. Personally, I''m not worried about any man taking it seriously. If a guy would, he''s not one I''d want to date/marry. (Not that I have to think about that anymore)

 

[HopeDream]

Suchende: Kind of you to ask!

Nope, I''m a scientist.

Cheers,

HD

 

[bee*]

lol I actually think it''s really funny-I especially like the "wake up or hit snooze" tips for grooms when planning.

 

[OneAngryElf]

I didn''t read the ultimatum article but I read a lot of the other wedding planning ones. I have to say, I really think they''re great. They''re clearly very..."manly", I guess?! A little too "don''t be a wuss" but overall, the wedding planning articles for guys have some good content.

I also love that I found the website www.blissport.com in one of their articles.

They''re recommending guys help with at least certain parts of the planning, try to enjoy what they help with, get a wedding present for their future wife, where to draw the line for bachelor party indecencies, how to keep your groomsmen in order and to NOT get wasted the night before or day of your wedding. And they''re pretty forthright about telling your wife how amazing she looks on the wedding day and talk about how to be romantic in appropriate situations. Granted, I think most guys aren''t total doofuses but reminders are always helpful.

I think my fiancé will definitely benefit from some of those tips though!!!!