SOLDIERS DOWN THE AISLE Here's a remarkable story out of Cape Cod, Massachusetts about a pair of soldiers who met in January, got married on Monday, and are shipping off to Iraq today:

Moreno and Zavalcofsky started dating and by April, following news that they would be shipped from Germany to Iraq at the end of the month, the young couple decided to get engaged. "I remember when I first saw her I thought she had the most beautiful eyes," said Zavalcofsky, 21, of Brewster, kissing his new bride delicately on the cheek. "She just made me feel good without trying." One week later the couple left for Iraq. "It just made sense," said Moreno, who says her days in Iraq are lightened by Zavalcofsky's company. "If we had to be there I wanted Joe to be my husband."

Read the rest here.

BARBIE TURNS 45 And she's wearing tulle.

A LESS COSTLY UNION That's the headline of an article from The Daily News about the increasing popularity of what it describes as "cheap, chic weddings":

"The trend these days is not to do these big fancy commercial weddings," says Erika Lenkert, entertainment expert and author of "The Last Minute Party Girl," an on-the-cheap planning guide. "People are increasingly leaning toward less orchestrated and more organic weddings that they can integrate their own style into. I find the less money you have, the more clever you are."

RED VOTIVE HOLDERS They're here! Just in time for the holiday season.

And the price can't be beat: $39.44 plus shipping for a case of 72.

CHARITABLE WEDDING Here's an interesting site that helps brides and grooms combine charitable giving with wedding planning.

Of particular note: Several stores (including Target) will match a percentage of your guests' gift purchases with a donation to the charity of your choice if you register through the site.

PROPOSAL OF THE WEEK From the La Vista Sun in Papillion, NE:

"I never listen to music when I run," Wolfe said. "but he told me it was sports psychology stuff that would help me get through the race." Wolfe said as she ran she listened to the voice of her boyfriend on the cassette, encouraging her and talking her through difficult parts of the race, followed by a song or two, and then Collins' voice again.

Read the rest here.

THEKNOT.COM SPINOFF From the people behind TheKnot.com, now comes TheNest.com.

HOLDER UPGRADE Cudge.net has switched over to a new clear votive holder. The difference? Not much.

In fact, it's difficult at first glance to tell the new and old clear holders apart. But careful inspection reveals that the new holder is slightly larger (approximately 1 millimeter taller), thicker, and heavier than the old holder. And it's made from a slightly higher grade of glass.

The price remains the same.

WEDDING OF THE WEEK A wedding in a shipping warehouse? One couple, facing a time crunch, seems to have found a way to make it work:

In her dreams Elly Livingston would have had a traditional wedding in a church, walking down the aisle with well-dressed guests putting on their best wedding smile. Instead, Livingston and Luis Rosas were wed yesterday in front of the 6th truck bay at a 240,000-square-foot warehouse, in front of about 100 co-workers dressed for casual Friday, wearing their best wedding smile. And it was beautiful, said Livingston. "This is as good as a dream wedding," she said, following a wedding planned on five-day's notice. Monday the 46-year-old Rosas learned he was being activated, as a member of the Army National Guard's 145th Maintenance Company, based in The Bronx. The couple, who had yet to set a date for a church wedding, made hurried-up plans to have Mayor Joseph Vas marry them at City Hall in Perth Amboy, where the couple lives. Alco executive Bruce Diamond had a better idea. "I told them rather than City Hall, why not get married in front of friends?" Livingston, who works at Alco as a senior collections analyst, and Rosas, who heads its maintenance department, agreed.

Read more here.

LOVE & COMMERCE Here's a personal finance column about the small but growing trend toward sponsored weddings, where goods and services are traded for advertising at the event:

Pulling off a sponsored wedding isn't exactly easy. In fact, Weiss figured it was a lot more work than planning a regular wedding. Of the 2,000 vendors Vincelli had approached at press time, she corralled 16 into saying yes, for a less than 1-percent success rate. She still lacks tuxes, her gown, the cake, a photographer and horse-and-carriage transportation.

(For the record, Cudge.net does not entertain sponsorship deals at this time.)