About two months ago, the New York Times published an article with 15 questions couple should ask before getting married.  Included are questions regarding health history, children, financial goals and having a TV in the bedroom.

Read the full article at Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying.

KwikSeal Self-Sealing Envelopes are now available for most Birchcraft Wedding Invitations from any Birchcraft Wedding Album!   We're sure you will want KwikSeal Self-Sealing Envelopes to make it easy to seal and mail your invitations!  Optional KwikSeal Envelopes save time and effort when mailing Birchcraft wedding invitations.  They make sealing the envelopes so easy--simply peeling off the protective strip and press closed.  Even the groom can handle this.

It's easy to check on the availability of optional KwikSeal Self-Sealing Envelopes.  When ordering your invitations online at http://www.yourinvitationplace.com/bloomeryweddings, the KwikSeal option will be listed if available.  If you found your invitation in one of our books, log on to www.mykwikseal.com and enter the invitation number in the search box to the right.

The extra charge for KwikSeal Envelopes is $2.50 per 25 envelopes when ordered at the same time as the invitation. They are also available Printed with a Return Address. Please refer to your website or an album for the extra charge to print the return address. (This charge is in addition to the KwikSeal charge.)

One of the most exciting flowers to hit the market in recent years are the purple carnations from Florigene.  Available in regular and mini sizes, and several shades of purple and lavender, they are very popular for large event displays, as well as bridal bouquets and every day work.  Two examples from SAF 2006 are below; you can see more examples at http://www.florigene.com/products/safdesign06_1.php.

Florigene is sending The Bloomery hundreds of their purple carnations to use for the Winter Bridal Expo 2007 at the Butler Days Inn.  If you're in the area, be sure to visit us at the bridal show and see what we've created.  If not, stay tuned here, and we'll post some pictures.

What is the proper etiquette when writing wedding invitations when the father of the bride is deceased and the mother of the bride has not remarried? Would it be Mrs. John Doe or Mrs. Jane Doe or Ms. Jane Doe?

We have seen invitations worded with all of the choices that you listed.  However, after consulting with Carlson Craft (a large invitation printer), they advised us that the correct etiquette is to use Mrs. John Doe.  The sample they gave is "Mrs. William Lewis Baker requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of her daughter Barbara Ann"

Weddings are always a little tough when parents have passed on, and our hearts go out to everyone who faces this.  Best wishes.

Approximately 75 stems of Lily of the Valley were used to make this classic bridal bouquet. Approximate price is $225.00 (significantly more when out of season).  The fragrance was incredible, and the unique look was stunning.  Lily of the Valley is usually available for only a couple weeks in May.  You can see this bouquet in our online portfolio at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/portfolio_detail.asp?product_id=BW142

WeddingMapper.com is a new Google Maps mashup which you can use to map out the locations for your wedding.  From their website:

Wedding Mapper was built to make it fun, easy, and affordable for you to map out your wedding, ensuring that your guests have all the information they need in order to have a great time at your wedding.

We wanted to make it as easy as possible to build and share your wedding map, with a simple interface, both a map view and a list view, easy printing, and the ability to include your map in your wedding website.

The free maps display ads from Google, or you can pay $9.95 for an ad-free map.  This is a new service from the folks who brought you Community Walk, a service to map out all the cool spots in your local area.

hat tip: Lifehacker

We're departing slightly from our usual featured bouquet, and instead featuring a centerpiece set we created for an August wedding at Butler Country Club.  The main arrangement in the centerpiece was made from white hydrangea, peach stock, peach roses and hypericum in a solver footed bowl (you can rent these bowls from us).  The arrangement is made in a liner, so a guest can take it home after your reception.  At each end of the table was a small julep cup of peach roses, and dripless white pillar candles in hurricane globes were placed in between.  Small white votives ran the length of the table runner.

Click on the image for a larger version.

The Butler Days Inn will hold its Winter Bridal Extravaganza on Feb 18, 2007 from noon to 3pm, and a fashion show starting at 3pm.  This is a huge event each year, attracting over 70 vendors and hundreds of brides (with door prizes for the first brides to check in).  This may be the only bridal show we attend, so it's a great chance to come see and talk to use outside of a regular appointment.  Check out http://daysinnbutler.com/ for more details.

To be honest, we've never met someone involved in a wedding who isn't a little stressed about etiquette.  There are classes and books available, but they're not for everyone.  We recently came across the Mr. Manners' Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life podcast.  This is a free podcast offering very general etiquette tips in short audio files.  You can listen online, or subscribe and listen via your iPod or whatever.  This podcast is also available via iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=203228276.  You can now brush up on your etiquette on your own schedule!