January 26, 1987
Premarital ruling reversed;
agreement stands in divorce
By Lee Rood
Staff Reporter
Until recently, if a couple drew up a
premarital agreement to protect their
assets in the event of a divorce, that
document could be considered void by
the state of Nebraska.
The documents were void because
Nebraska Supreme Court justices felt
that including divorce with death in
the agreement might encourage divor
ces. On Jan. 16 the high court virtually
reversed its stand on the issue in Buse
kist vs. Busekist and decided that pre
marital agreements including pro
visions for divorce can stand up in a
state court.
Lincoln attorney David Webb said
the court's decision is a good one.
Organization, etiquette
among guest list tips
Drawing up a guest list for a wedding
and reception can be a delicate matter,
since it involves many personal prefer
ences. Here are some suggestions from
Bridal Originals of New York on how to
handle the task:
OUse four separate lists the
bride's, the groom's, the bride's par
ent's and the groom's parent's to
compose the master list.
Olt is a good ideato keep your guest
list arranged on three-by-five cards in
alphabetical order. This makes it easy
to subtract and add cards, depending
on who accepts or declines. Gifts can
be noted on the cards, making it easier
to write thank you notes after the wed
ding. Olf the bride and groom are from the
same town, the names are generally
evenly divided. If you come from differ
ent areas of the country, it is likely that
the bride's guest list will be larger,
IN
Before the ruling, Webb said, there
was little sense in drafting a premarital
agreement because the contracts didn't
necessarily stand up in court. But now,
considering current divorce statistics,
the latest decision to honor the agree
ment makes a lot of sense, he said.
"Love is great, but you have to con
sider reality too," Webb said.
In Nebraska, premarital agreements
are used mostly to protect the assets
and estates of people who want their
valuables to go to someone other than
their spouses.
Several Lincoln attorneys agreed that
the contracts are usually drawn up
when people are beginning their second
marriages to "protect" themselves and
provide for children from earlier mar
riages. But attorney Richard Bollerup said
since the wedding is frequently held at
her church. The bride's and groom's
mothers should confer and agree on the
number of invitations allocated to each
party. An effort should be made to
avoid duplication.
OTry to order the invitations at least
four months in advance of the wedding.
Check your yellow page directory for
the names of engravers and printers
who specialize. Avoid costly errors by
making sure that you give the printer
the correct time, place and spelling of
all names to be printed on the invita
tion. Address the invitations in a formal
way with neat handwriting and no
abbreviations of street, city or state
names. All titles should be written out,
including those of doctors, clergymen
and military personnel. The only accept
able abbreviations are Mr., Mrs. and
Ms.
) , . i ' .
( , 'X
(
!- f
Classic, distin
guished, elegant
"Black Tie" by Bill J
Blass.
Wedding Supplement
he still doesn't believe some of the
agreements will stand up in courts.
Bollerup said Nebraska lawyers and
judges don't like the agreements be
cause they encourage divorce, because
attorneys can do little bargaining with
them, and because couples rarely know
all the assets involved.
So while the court may have reversed
its decision, Bollerup said, the con
tracts can still be overruled.
In other states, premarital agree
ments have been drawn up to protect
one spouse from another in other ways.
Some couples have written up guide
lines to their marriages and if one party
does not follow the guidelines, the
other has the right to a divorce.
Bollerup said that those agreements
are not needed in this state because
Nebraska has "no-fault" divorces. Ne
braskans need no grounds for a divorce,
Bollerup said, but residents of other
states may need to prove their spouses
unfit before they can divorce them.
J.
234 NO. 12TH ST.
LINCOLN, NE 68508
PHONE 476-2262
NO. 3 GATEWAY
LINCOLN, NE 68505
PHONE 464-6661
i
' J: .:
( H UV
UU U ttiDoiil U U V' (if
COLLECT I On I ,
(getting
'you arc, we'd like to Lx: of service.
i If
wedding supplies including napkins, programs, lhank-you's . . . And we offer
you some things that most other places cant! Like . . .
Longer Hours Were open seven
until midnight Mon. through Fri. and
Lower Prices Every bit helps
discount)
f Custom Printing In addition to selection from several fine catalogs, wc
t can print almost any design you like on our own presses.
j Calligraphy beautiful hand lettering
i Wedding Program Printing Wc
and can help design and typeset your program to iook me way you warn n. j
226 &. 16th Street
475-5000 1
Accent 'Printing Copucentcr
339-5255
the look of distinction
emeluxl' for
:
15) ' i 5. -i.
. s ..... r r"v.
X N U C.
4 t
Defined, sophis
ticated, elegant. The
Alter Six Collection.
Formalwear beyond
comparison.
Page 9
Married
-Soon '?
We acll wedding invitation and other
days and nights a week. We stay open
"til 9:00 pm on fiaL and 6un.
(mention this ad and receive a 5
lends an elegant, personal touch.
stock several full color cover designs, j
U JO
Lincoln, nr. r
mi"L" Street
RALSTONOMAHA, NE 6S127
Mill tX7 WITT I
SLLA i. : (J A
EE I
s