The wedding business is big business. About 330K marriages took place in June alone. Marriages are projected to increase 5% annually by 2013 and although the average amount spent on a wedding may dip slightly this year, it's still a whopping $28K.

A UCLA study estimates that half of California's gay couples will marry over the next three years and add almost $700K to the state's economy.

Something borrowed...something green? That seems to be the rage as eco-weddings become more popular. First, kiss the bride...then compost!

Would you really want your Uncle Mel to pick your first dance? Apparently, some couples are using social media techniques, like online polling, to involve their relatives in wedding decisions. Read about that and other 2008 wedding trends here.

But somehow that's not as un-romantic as the woman who sold a bridesmaid slot on eBay...and wound up with Snapple/Dr. Pepper as a sponsor. At least her guests will be well-caffeinated.

theONswitch welcomes two new team members this month. Ellen Rosner Feig (our online media talent) also happens to be an attorney and has authored a book about divorce and an anthology of rock concert stories. Jené Luciani is our fashion, health, and beauty expert.

And watch for the launch of theONswitch NEON this fall! (Contact us, if you simply can't wait!)

We've heard of "washing that man out of our hair," but Joan Crawford is rumored to have changed all the toilet seats in her house whenever she changed husbands. For more bizarre wedding facts, click here.

This month, theONblog tackles Facebook split-ups in "Why Can't We Be Friends?"
And Hippy to Wiki takes you down the "bridal path."

Associated Press reporters fell in love with theONswitch clients -- Southwoods and Indian Lake camps and Nancy & Co. boutique. We had two AP hits this month, which means everyone is wild about PR guru, MJ Funess.

Commuters will soon be wedded to a new way to get to work -- more than 40 new New York Water Taxi riders signed up this month for our special commuter offer, targeted at downtown businesses.

Weddings (and break-ups and babies and empty nest and just about any other life change) often mean a new place to live. That's where our latest client, Paddington Stone comes in. This real estate broker offers a fresh approach to home-hunting.

Parting was bittersweet, as we wrapped up our successful assignment for 66main, delivering close to 30K website visits and a whole new approach to real estate marketing. Only a handful of luxury rentals remain. Our "Get Out and Get Green!" event was a huge success, thanks to our terrific sponsors.

Well, there won't be any hokey pokey or chicken dance, but there WILL be lots of learning and discussion.
Join us on July 15th for BDI's Green Communications 2008. theONswitch is one of the sponsors, so use the code SWITCH when you register, for a discount price of $145 (that's $50 off!).

We'll also be on the "receiving line" at the Westchester County Association's July 9th summer networking evening -- also a "green-themed" event.

And, we're off to tell our own Philadelphia story at TS2, where Nancy A. Shenker is leading three sessions -- "Exhibiting Light," "Moving from Schlepper to CMO," and "Great Ink and Google-ability."

Do we all REALLY need fondue pots? The I Do Foundation has created a novel way to incorporate charity into wedding (or anniversary) gifting.

And there ARE alternatives to marriage -- lots of them! Check out this website.

In keeping with our summer tradition, we'll be publishing just one issue over the next two months -- produced by our Marketing Associates and interns.