TOO MANY THANK YOUS? We're not sure that this passes ethical muster. But we can certainly see the attraction:

Newlyweds too busy to write their own thank-you notes can now turn to a new business that will free couples of that chore. Chris Hagan and Laura Kozak have opened That's Gratitude for newlyweds who don't have time to thank people who gave them wedding presents or couples who just want to, as Hagan put it, "start to enjoy marriage right away." The business... handwritten thank-you notes. [...] Couples can either provide That's Gratitude with their own thank-you stationery or have That's Gratitude design notes personalized with the couple's photographs or initials. After the wedding, a couple fills out a form about their day, answering questions about how many guests attended, where the wedding was held, whether there was a theme and whether anything unusual happen. This lets Hagan, Kozak or other thank-you note writers create a note from the perspective of the bride or groom.

MIXED CASE VOTIVE HOLDERS Every now and then we get a request to combine multiple colors in a single case of votive holders.

That's not a practical for us, but it doesn't mean we weren't listening: Case of mixed color votive holders are now available at Cudge.net!

Check it out.

HAVE WEDDINGS LOST THEIR MEANING? Michael Hupp at The Parthenon--Marshall University's student newspaper--thinks so:

You know the whole reason for getting married in the first place is to make public before family and friends the lifelong bond that two people are planning to share. Not to put on a dog and pony show for the masses. That is truly what weddings have become. Fountains out of cakes that shoot champagne, ice sculptures of cupid and tuxedos that are only worn for a fifteen-minute ceremony. An-other Hallmark holiday just like Valentines Day and Christmas.

What do you think?

CHOOSING A DATE SheKnows.com has up a smart, commonsense article about how to think about choosing a wedding date:

No matter how flexible you are, there's bound to be things you won't compromise on. Maybe it's a particular church, temple and officiant for your ceremony. Maybe it's a special venue for your reception. And there are certain indispensable guests, like your parents. Luckily for you, putting just these three things together is bound to reduce your choices. Once you call on the church/temple, ceremony venue or reception hall, you'll probably find many dates already filled, especially if you call less than nine months in advance. Good. That makes things easier!

LARGE ORGANZA BAGS One of the most frequent questions we receive at Cudge.net is whether our votive candle holders fit inside the organza bags sold on our site.

Until this week, the answer was--unfortunately--"no."

But that's changed.

4" X 6" white organza bags are now in stock. $17.88 per pack of 100. Get 'em while they're hot!

ANOTHER WEDDING MOVIE Why do weddings play such a prominent role in so many recent Hollywood movies? Any thoughts?

While you're mulling that over, you can watch the trailer for THE WEDDING CRASHERS here.

PURPLE VOTIVE HOLDERS We've received dozens and dozens of inquiries over the years. Purple votive holders are finally in stock. Here's a peek:

EARTH-FRIENDLY WEDDING TREND? The Wilmington News-Journal thinks one is developing:

Communiqués offers personalized and handmade invitations. Falkowski notes an increase of environmentally friendly invitations within the past six months, including a recent request for soy-based ink. Paper can be composed of either tree-free fibers or recycled material, and some are inkjet guaranteed. One company's handmade paper contains flower seeds so that guests may plant them. It's easy to honor thyself and thy guests with menu diversity. Glenn Wootten of Appleton Catering in New Castle composes typical wedding buffets in addition to both vegan menus, which have no animal byproducts, and vegetarian ones, which may include dairy.

We haven't detected this trend. Is the News-Journal on to something?