No cheap date

Sugar Land offered half a million dollars to change its name — and city scoffs at the chump change

And you thought humanity dodged the end times in 2012 . . .

A California-based online dating service put the moves on Sugar Land this Valentine's week, offering the well-heeled suburb half a million dollars to change its name to SugarDaddie.com.

The dating website — "where the class, attractive and affluent meet" — wants to assure any doubters that the deal was legitimate. In a Tuesday statement, SugarDaddie CEO Steven Pasternack notes that the company is "very serious" about creating "the first dating site-sponsored city in America."

"No offense to SugarDaddie, but we received a lot more money for the naming rights of our baseball stadium alone."

“We thought it would be a great way to get the word out about our 10 year anniversary and to be a permanent part of the Great State of Texas,” he says.

The dating service explored options throughout the nation — from Sugar City, Co. to Sugar Creek, Mo. — before setting its sights on Sugar Land, hoping to tap the city's high median income ($113,261) and median home price ($369,600).

I'm no dating expert, but Pasternack might be coming on a little strong. He wants a guaranteed 10-year relationship that involves replacing all government-run entities with the company's moniker within six months. That means that Sugar Land Fire Department will become SugarDaddie.com Fire Department. Sugar Land Regional Airport will be known as SugarDaddie Regional.

While he only expects Constellation Field to be SugarDaddie.com Field for five years, the CEO demands to be given the key to the city in a public ceremony led by Sugar Land mayor James A. Thompson.

"No offense to SugarDaddie, but we received a lot more money for the naming rights of our baseball stadium alone," Doug Adolph from the City of Sugar Land's communications department tells CultureMap.

"Still, we have to give credit where credit is due," he laughs. "Those Californians are smarter than we give them credit for. This has been a great marketing ploy."

For now, Adolph says that SugarDaddie City Hall — I mean, Sugar Land City Hall — has tabled the offer.

SugarDaddie.com wants its name all over Sugar Land . . . literally.

Sugardaddie.com

SugarDaddie.com wants its name all over Sugar Land . . . literally.

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Throw the confetti

Houston puts a ring on it as 8th best U.S. city to get married in 2025

Photo by Eugenia Pankiv on Unsplash

Wedding bells are ringing in Houston.

Put your hands up, Houston. H-Town has climbed through the ranks to become one of the top 10 best places to get married in America this year, according to a just-released study from WalletHub.

WalletHub ranked 182 U.S. cities based on the average wedding costs; the number of venues, vendors, and services; and the number of activities and attractions in every city.

Houston ranks No. 8 for 2025, and especially stands out for activities and attractions (No. 10) and facilities and services (No. 15).

With more than 130 different wedding venues to choose from throughout the Houston area, there's no shortage of beautiful and unique locations to tie the knot. Plus, the bride and bridesmaids can get the party started early with with a shopping spree at Houston's 41st annual Bridal Extravaganza Show, or a luxurious spa getaway.

"Certain cities also make wedding planning easier with an abundance of options for wedding essentials, from florists to videographers to venues," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "The more options a city has, the more likely you are to receive competitive pricing and to find places that can work with your optimal schedule."

It's equally important to be budget-conscious, as weddings can cost about $35,000 on average, WalletHub said.

"When weddings can cost tens of thousands of dollars and prices have only become even more outrageously inflated in recent years, it pays to hold your wedding in a city that’s affordable, both for those paying for the wedding and for guests who will need to make accommodations," said Lupo.

For the avid DIY-ers out there, there's plenty of tasks that can be accomplished without shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars – such as creating special floral arrangements using unconventional vessels as vases.

Houston is the second best place to get married in Texas, with Austin climbing into first place statewide and No. 6 nationally. Two additional Texas cities made it into the top 25 best places to get married: San Antonio (No. 20) and Dallas (No. 23).

The top 10 best places to get married in the U.S.in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Orlando, Florida
No. 2 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – Tampa, Florida
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Houston, Texas
No. 9 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 10 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

reports wallethub weddings houston

No cheap date

Sugar Land offered half a million dollars to change its name — and city scoffs at the chump change

SugarDaddie.com wants its name all over Sugar Land . . . literally.

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Throw the confetti

Houston puts a ring on it as 8th best U.S. city to get married in 2025