It’s that time of year again and I don’t mean the winter season.

The bridal season is upon us and many brides-to-be and family members are preparing for that special, very personal event. This month in Views & Voices we try to make the preparing and planning just a little easier in our special “Art of Love” edition.

In “Let Them Eat Cake” we highlight the amazing confectionary magic that many of the bakeries in our region provide. Check out their unique flavors, batters and fillings and their imaginative displays.

There is also information about buying the ring, choosing and saving your bridal flowers, setting up housekeeping, preparing to travel out of the country and the latest trends in bridal gowns, plus special breakfast-in-bed recipes from the Australian Walkabout Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lancaster, which is owned by a West Middlesex native and her husband.

We also share a few inspiring love stories including the transatlantic couple who met through Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange program, and a little romantic history about Buhl Mansion Guesthouse and Spa, originally the home built by Frank H. Buhl for his bride Julia.

Learn about a special program – Brides Across America – that provides free gowns for brides-to-be who are either serving in the armed forces or are engaged to someone with orders to be deployed.

We also explore the history of a popular local reception site – The Corinthian – and learn a little of downtown Sharon’s history and the old businesses that used to be there.

Home delivery subscribers to The Herald and Allied News will find the edition inside today’s papers. As of December, readers can also subscribe to the magazine digitally or purchase Views & Voices from area dealers that carry our magazine every month. Besides our newspaper offices in Sharon and Grove City, magazine dealers include Classy Cat Consignment Boutique, Hermitage; Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce, Mercer; Flowers on Vine, New Wilmington; Country Crossing Gifts & Collectibles, Leesburg; The Kitchen Shoppe, Volant; Organics and More, Sandy Lake; Susan’s Beauty Parlor, Greenville; Myrna’s Gifts & Flowers, Jamestown; Mary Turner Skincare & Day Spa and Down Under Consignment, both New Castle; French Street Cafe and and Mama & Me, both Howland, Ohio; Grove Manor, Grove City; Shears Styling Salon, Hubbard, Ohio; and Sacred Garden, Sharpsville.

We at Views & Voices encourage our readers to thank our advertisers by supporting their businesses. In these challenging economic times, our advertisers continue to believe in the importance of being a part of this positive regional publication and it’s the joint collaboration of our loyal readers and advertisers that keep the issues coming.

Sherris Moreira-Byers is editor of Views & Voices.