If you're not ready to trash the dress, consider donating your gown to charity.  Donated dresses are sold at discounts, and all proceeds go to charity.  This is win-win-win all over--you've found a positive way to clean some space in your closet, someone else gets a dream dress they can afford, and a charity gets some financial support.

If you're interested, here are two causes to check out:

Brides Against Breast Cancer

Sheltering Arms' Bridal Garden

Photography project trash the dress is looking for photos of brides, in their gowns, in some not-so-weddingy locations.  Locations have included farms, beaches and car washes, with some dramatic and interesting results.  Some of the coolest ones feature a submerged bride and bridesmaid.  Definately worth a look.

This is a very interesting art project, and some very talented photographers have contributed.  Local photographer Kim Reed is part of the project, and there is a long list of photographers located all over--be sure to check out the website at http://trashthedress.com/ if you're interested in trashing your dress.

Reading through some of the comments, this preoject has generated some controversy.  Some people consider this a waste of hard earned money, especially when the dresses could be donated to a charity.

According to the Bridal Association of America, in 2006:

• the typical bride spent $1,505 on a dress
• brides spent an additional $274 for a veil and another $333 on various accessories
• brides also spent $1,970 on flowers

The BAA estimates the average 2007 wedding will cost $27,710.

It was only a matter of time, we suppose.  Target, home of discount chic, has begun selling wedding gowns and tuxedos through their website (at this time, not available in their stores).  One of the problems we see is that you can't actually try a gown on, so you have no sense of the fit, or the color, or how the gown actually looks when you buy it.  The collection is designed by Isaac Mizrahi, and the gowns look to be basic but not unfashionable (the basic design is no doubt what helps keep the prices low).  No word on whether you can register for your gown in Club Wedd.

Industry reviews are mixed.  Some see this as a great move, allowing a budget conscious bride to look great on her wedding day.  Others think this may be a flop, since even the most budget conscious bride cares how she looks on her wedding day.  The Chicago Tribune has a good article at http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070603target-story,0,5017603.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed.

One of the advantages to a local salon is that you can try on a number of gowns to see what fits you best.  Often, you can buy a gown right there, and your gown can be altered by an experienced seamstress if necessary.

You can view their gowns at http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html?node=16033001; there are also links to their tuxedos and accessories.  If you've had experience or thoughts one way or the other, let us know.

We received a lovely hand-stamped card last week from a recent mother-of-the-bride, with a wonderful note inside:

Dear Polly,

I just want to thank you for all you did to help make [bride]'s wedding so special.  The flowers were just beautiful.

The "girls" loved their bouquets.  They were the perfect size and the shade of pink was stunning with their black dresses.

The pedestal arrangements, the corsages, the boutonnieres, the mother's clutches...all were just gorgeous!

Thank you so much for all your help and for sharing your expertise.  The day was about as close to perfect as it could be and the flowers were an important part o fthet!

God bless,

B.F.

Congratulations to B.F. and your daughter (and new son-in-law), and we wish them the best in their new lives.

Our featured bouquet this week is a timeless hand-tied arrangement of light pink peonies, Esperance roses, Sweet Escimo roses, and light pink spray roses.  The stems were wrapped with ivory ribbon and a pearl finish.  Approximate price would be $135-$155.

The outdoor wedding reception and party season is here, and that means afternoons looking for something cool.  We recently found the coolest of all somethings--an ice cream sundae bar!  Featuring homemade ice cream and hand made waffle cone bowls (colored to match your wedding or event), Kaliedo Kone Creamery serves up delicious and cool treats to your guests.  We recently had a chance to sample some of their ice cream, and it was very good.  If the ice cream and waffle cone bowls aren't enough, your guests can add one or all of a dozen toppings to their sundae.  Yum!

Shown below is Kaliedo Kone's toppings bar, featuring chopped peanuts, sprinkles, hot fudge, butterscotch, cherries and more!  Click the photo for a larger view.  Their services also include an ice cream cart and uniformed staff member to scoop the ice cream.

You can contact Kaliedo Kone Creamery at 724-368-3119, or kaliedokone@earthlink.net.

Birchcraft Studios has recently added a larg selection of wedding accessories to our website at http://www.yourinvitationplace.com/bloomeryweddings.  These accessories include place cards, napkins, matchbooks and notepads.  All of these are available in a number of styles and ink choices to complement your wedding colors and invitations. 

Birchcraft recommends ordering your invitations first, and then adding accessories to your order.  If you have already ordered your invitations, no big deal--you can still easily order these accessories online.  And, whether you're ordering matchbooks or napkins or any other accessories, you'll receive a 20% discount when you order through our website at http://www.yourinvitationplace.com/bloomeryweddings.

The California Cut Flower Commission has added a new Seasonal Availability Database to their website.  You can check the availability of flowers by searching the flower's name, or you can select a month and see what's commercially available.  Clicking on the flower's name brings up a photo of that flower, the flower's meaning, and a chart of which months that flower is in season.

This database is for California grown flowers only.  The South American, African, Dutch or Anzac markets may have different availabilities, and flowers which are out of season in California may be in season from other areas.  It's good to work with a florist who is familiar with worldwide availability if you're looking for a very special flower.

A recent article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked about tacky behavior in public.  The lead-in talked about stolen wedding cookies:

Heather Vaill had 1,500 of her mother's most delectable homemade cookies set out at her wedding reception several years ago.

"Thumbprints, pizzelles, ladylocks -- all the good stuff," she recalls.

Even with more than 200 guests, the bride still was surprised the sweet treats went so quickly.

"I was disappointed when [a few hours into the reception] I went to get a cookie -- one stinking cookie -- and the trays held nothing but crumbs," says Ms. Vaill, 36, of Plum.

She later learned a cousin had brought Tupperware containers to the reception and absconded with a sizable amount of her wedding cookies.

"A few months later, this same tacky cousin served the cookies she stole at her mother's wedding reception!"

Oh my!  Read the full story at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07121/782297-51.stm.  The expert interviewed founded a website full of more:

Jeanne Hamilton, who catalogs thousands of tacky tales spanning the depth and breadth of human rudeness on her Web site, www.etiquettehell.com, says America's self-centered, me, me, me culture is to blame for the erosion of class.

EtiquetteHell.com is both hilarious and depressing, with years of stories about weddings and everyday events.  Both ways, there's plenty to read.