{Sweet Winter Dreams}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
I will be taking a "winter sabbatical" from my weekly postings on this Letters To A Bride blog! I'm down to the last stage of my new book's rewrite and need to focus my attention there so it will be ready for release in 2012!
In the meantime, enjoy the archives here -- lots to choose from: stories of wedding history and folklore, ideas for aromatherapy and flowers, relaxation tips, bridal mythology that may surprise you, influences of royal brides, and more! And come see me at my upcoming book's companion blog, The End of the Fairy-Tale Bride.

I'll keep you posted with the new book and any news that I think you just might want to hear about! For now, enjoy your sweet winter dreams....and go explore some luscious quiet time.

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photographs: Daniel Sheenan]

ps: And if you need the perfect gift of the heart for you or another bride-to-be, remember that my current book (and an Amazon best seller!), The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself, is a sweet reminder of the intimacy and feminine delight of a woman's bridal rite-of-passage. Whatever you do, be sure to celebrate You everyday...!

{Remembrances}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
Last week marked a pivotal anniversary in the world of weddings. The 29th of July would have been the 30th anniversary of Diana Spencer and Prince Charles' legendary wedding. Even if you were unaware, couldn't care less, or not born at the time -- that wedding, and its shimmering bride, changed your world right this moment and altered how women looked at being a bride ever since.

If you want a little background history, check in to one of my other blogs that is the companion to my upcoming book, The End of the Fairy-Tale Bride: How Diana Exposed the Princess Myth for All Women. In honor of the anniversary that galvanized a very dull wedding industry thirty years ago, I began posting excerpts from my book's prologue that describe the glittering event and its impact on the world. (The descriptions of the wedding day itself are coming up in the next few posts.) Enjoy!

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

{Planet Wedding}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
I thought you'd like to know about a new book, "Planet Wedding:  A Nuptialpedia" by that fabulous "planet" book couple, Sandra and Harry Choron. It's chock-full of ideas and interesting stories about all things wedding -- including one of my stories!

I'm delighted they chose one of my folkloric botanical related stories, "To Gather Orange Blossoms: The Legend of Brides & the Orange Blossom," because I love the connection of brides and flowers. Something magical and mysterious and ultimately feminine about how women and flowers have a deep spiritual connection.

And the book is not just for brides...you and your friends and family will enjoy long after the wedding. Click here to review or order the book.

Enjoy!

....with love from Cornelia

{CELEBRATING LOVE Special Offer!}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
All during the month of February, we will be CELEBRATING LOVE with a Special Offer!

Order a copy of "The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself" from Weddings of Grace and receive 3 Free Gifts!

When you click here to order my Amazon Bestseller book -- an autographed copy since it's coming directly from me -- you will receive both of my soothing Open Your Heart Meditation CDs -- one especially for Brides and one for all Women -- plus a hard-to-find vintage sixpence coin in a lovely gift bag for FREE! (Total value of the three gifts over $54.)

Reviews are calling the book "the essential gift for brides of all ages and a pleasure for every woman who loves matters of the heart."

CELEBRATE LOVE with us during February! Click here to order. Someone in your world would love a copy of "The Bride's Ritual Guide" ... and you'll receive lots of extra love to go around with this Special Offer! (Order now while I have copies on hand.)

Many thanks!
....with love from Cornelia

{Book Signing Tour}

Dear Bride-to-be (plus your Friends & Family):
I've begun my book signing tour for "The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself" -- starting with special places in Alabama near where I grew up! So for those of you in the Fairhope, Mobile, Auburn areas, here is the current schedule:

Saturday, January 16th, 2-4 pm, at the famous Page and Palette Bookstore in Fairhope, AL
Sunday, January 17th, (times tba), join us for an English Tea at The Ivy Cottage in Mobile, AL
Thursday, January 21st, (times tba), at the elegant WmHarrison fabric store in Auburn, AL

Hope to see you there if you live nearby...and please share the news if you have friends or family in these areas! Many thanks. (AND gifts will be given with each book purchase!)

....with love from Cornelia

New Stories In "Weddings of Grace" Online Magazine!

Don't miss the new articles, notes, messages, and bits of wedding news now online in Weddings of Grace magazine!

From the ancient customs in "A Woman's Wedding Song: Honoring the Loss of Girlhood" to tips for staying centered while in the "Bridal Spotlight" to forgiveness lessons on the "After the Wedding" page to soothing advice from "The Wedding Goddess" to the magic available when "Borrowing From the Past" to bits of "Wedding News" that you just might not know about....

....you will want to make Weddings of Grace a relaxing, enlivening, heart-opening stop on your bridal journey!

Enjoy.

...love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Julie Mikos]

New Issue of "Weddings of Grace" Magazine Now Online!

The September-October issue of Weddings of Grace Magazine is now online! Featuring a beautiful Sonoma wedding honoring family heritage and the magic of nature with glorious photographs. Stories of the mysteries of the "something blue" bridal legend including answers to "Why Ritual?" A husband-wife relationship coaching duo share what they learned from their wedding and you'll find more tips for green weddings. Plus, as always, there's something there for all women who love matters of the heart! Enjoy.

[Photographs by: Kimberly Sayre and Shannon Stellmacher for Shannon Stellmacher Photography]