TAKING SHAPE Frosted square votive holders are now in stock at Cudge.net! A gorgeous, gift-quality item. We're all very excited about it.

Priced at an unbeatable $21.77 per case of 36, plus shipping.

WEDDING OF THE WEEK Talk about thinking outside the box. The Quad Cities Times has the scoop on a rather unusual wedding:

The flower girl strolled down the aisle, not spreading rose petals but fake spiders and tiny rubbery snakes. And the 100 men, women and children at the wedding were in costume, like ghouls and monsters and Dorothy with the Scarecrow. In step with the spooky season, this was a Halloween wedding at Bettendorf’s McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home. Dan Long and Francine Clark, employees of the funeral home, had planned an October wedding. Since it was the season of ghosts and goblins, they asked funeral home owner Dave Chambers if they could have a Halloween wedding there. Dave thought it over. His place, with its pipe organ and chapel, could work for a wedding. "I told them it would be all right, if done in good taste. A few decorations would be acceptable. But I didn’t want any vampires coming out of caskets," Dave said.

There's more.

SOMETHING BLUE Cobalt blue glass votive holders are now in stock at Cudge.net! A truly beautiful item at an unbeatable price: $39.44 per 72, plus shipping.

NING AND CHICKY Those are the names of a pair of former high school classmates running a wedding planning firm in the Phillipines. The Phillipine Daily Inquirer has their story.

CASHING IN The "Miss Conduct" column in Boston Globe's weekly magazine discusses an issue that the folks here at Cudge.net have been debating for months:

We have been invited to a wedding, and on the bottom of the invitation is printed: "No boxed gifts please." What does that mean? —ANONYMOUS

Miss Conduct's answer?

The wedding couple wants only cash or checks. This is tres tacky, and if you want to ignore the request, go right ahead. A wedding invitation should never include gift instructions. If the couple just doesn't want or need another cappuccino machine and is, say, saving to make a down payment on a first home, the proper way to spread the news that cash is preferred is by word of mouth. If guests contact the couple's parents or bridal attendants and ask what the couple needs, the parents and attendants can relay the message. The guest has discretion to go along with this request or select a so-called boxed gift.

It's a tricky area, but on balance we agree with Miss Conduct's take here. We'd advise against including gift instructions on an invitation.

Anyone disagree?

ACROSS THE POND Weddings aren't just getting more expensive in America. This column from a newspaper in Middlesborough, UK charts the growing cost of wedding receptions in England.

Unfortunately for the British, they don't have their own Cudge.net. (However, Cudge.net will ship to some overseas locations on orders of $100 or more.)

UPDATE: And here's an article about the increasing popularity of Western-style weddings in China.

RING TIPS From the Cleveland Plain Dealer comes this article about finding the right wedding ring.

Some highlights:

Begin looking for rings at least two months before your wedding date, and allow even more time if you're interested in a custom piece... Start online at TheKnot.com/jewelry and find the stores that carry your favorite designs... To save money, buy your rings as a set instead of individually (which can cost up to twice as much, according to the Diamond Information Center).

UPDATE: The Plain Dealer also has a month-by-month wedding checklist. Are you on target?

GIFT SHIFT An article out of Wales suggests that marrying couples are increasingly likely to request cash or do-it-yourself items instead of more traditional gifts.

The study was performed by a DIY retailer, so it doesn't come from a neutral source. But this does seem to be a trend that's gathering steam.

GOODWILL TO ALL Here's an unusual story out of Council Bluffs, Iowa about a wedding taking place this weekend in a Goodwill store:

Much of the matrimonial merchandise was purchased at the store, Bartunek said. Her wedding gown was purchased from Goodwill, along with the champagne glasses, decorations, cake topper, invitations and guest book, among other things. Decorations will include an arch and some autumn leaves.

Just goes to show that creativity goes a long way. (Read the whole article here.)

CAUTIONARY NOTE Fire Chief magazine is reporting that the number of candle-related home fires has increased each year since 1995.

What underlies this devastation? First, candles have become more popular: According to the National Candle Association, seven out of 10 households use candles. Second, many people don't realize how quickly something can go wrong, and don't know the rules for safe candle use. One-third of these fires occurred after candles were left unattended, abandoned or inadequately controlled. One-quarter occurred when combustible material came too close to the flame. And 6% were started by people—usually children—playing with the candle.

The article also includes a list of sensible safety tips:

Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.

Keep candles away from things that can catch fire, such as clothing, books, paper, curtains, Christmas trees or decorations.

Place candles on stable furniture in sturdy holders that won't tip over and that are big enough to collect dripping wax.

Don't place lit candles in windows, where they may ignite blinds or curtains.

Place candles only in areas where they won't be knocked over by children or pets.

Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get within two inches of the holder or decorative material. Extinguish votive and filled candles before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.

Avoid candles with combustible materials embedded in them, or with holders or decorations that could ignite.

Don't allow children or teens to have candles in their bedrooms.

Read the whole article here.