I work for a major credit report agency, and I have access to sensitive information on people, like SSNs and phone numbers, not to mention their entire credit histories.

I recently asked my girlfriend Elsbeth to marry me. She's a smart, sweet, loving woman whom I trust implicitly. We first met at a food vendor's kiosk in the court of the industrial park where I work.

My mother-in-law to be insists that I use my access to look up the credit history of two of her clients (Elsbeth's mom is an interior decorator).

I refused, telling her that I could lose my job if anyone found out (I'm not likely to get caught, though) but she keeps saying that "it's nothing" and that it would help her to determine what to charge the clients so she can afford to pay for our wedding.

Elsbeth has always had a childhood dream of a fairytale wedding, complete with a huge, beaded dress, large reception, and hour-long ceremony with Communion. And she wants to go to Paris for our honeymoon.

I'm still paying off my college loans, and I've deferred them three times since I met Elsbeth -- to help pay for car repairs, an emergency medical bill, and Elsbeth's 2-karat engagement set (she chose it because it was just like one she had dreamed of as a child). I can't afford to pay for anything else but a Justice of the Peace service, new slacks from the Gap, and a trip to the Smithsonian, even if I defer my loans again.

We can't wait to get married, because now Elsbeth is pregnant and due in seven and a half months. And her mom (who doesn't know of Elsbeth's condition) has non-refundable deposits on her gown and reception/wedding areas, etc.

We're getting married in two months, and I have no one to ask for money (my father died two years ago). I'm afraid to apply for a loan because I don't want to begin our marriage even more deeply in debt.

If I look at the clients' credit history, I will be violating everything I believe in. But if I DON'T, Elsbeth may not be able to have her dream wedding, and this is terribly important to her. She falls asleep almost every night with a bridal magazine on her lap.

Do I break the law for my fiancee's dream wedding?

-- In-the-Red Blues

Jody, Lefty, and Mr. Survivor answer this question.