In case you didn’t know to look for it, the latest and greatest issue of Seattle Met Bride & Groom hit stands on January 1.

Because we get so darn many queries about our Real Weddings section, and because the new Real Weddings from the new issue are online now, I wanted to take a few minutes on this Wedding Wednesday to let you know how to submit images for consideration for our spring/summer issue, due out on July 1.

-Anyone can submit images from the event; cake bakers, floral designers, grandmothers, nosy neighbors, especially mature flower girls. So long as you have permission from the starring players, we’re not picky about who takes charge of nominating the big day.

-Submit between 10 and 20 (not five and certainly not 45) low res images, making sure that you’ve selected the types of shots that we tend to print. Cruise through our online galleries and note the prevalence of detail shots over formal portraits and put on your most discerning, astute photo-editing hat.

-Keep the mission of Real Weddings in mind: It’s there to inspire readers to create their own totally amazing days. While many think of it as a brag book or photo gallery – and certainly, it’s a place to scout out great photographers and yes, the bragging rights are pretty sweet – the section is all about sharing ideas and enticing couples to be true to their vision and take the day wherever they want it to go.

-We also want to share vendor referrals (a list accompanies each wedding) — or, on the other hand, show off weddings by especially enterprising couples who were good at enlisting talented friends and family.

-We look for the best and the brightest; the most romantically elegant and smashingly fun. Novel but not necessarily kooky. Personal but not so specific that others wouldn’t relate. Commitment ceremonies are every bit as welcome as weddings. A union is a union.

-We are game to print weddings that took place in the Seattle-area, even if the couple is from out of town, and we are happy to print the destination weddings of those who call this area home. We like city weddings, country weddings, and everything in between.

-We print weddings that took place in the year prior to the issue date. So, for the issue due out in July ‘10, we’ll consider weddings from July ’09 forward. You can submit at any time. What are you doing later this afternoon?

-Don’t forget contact information for the bride and groom (you’d be surprised how often that happens) and the photographer (we’ll request a full set of high res images if we decide we want to take the submission to Round Two), and please keep in mind that we cannot confirm receipt or reply to individual submissions. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

I hope that helps.

For more inspiration, please visit our friends at Junebug Weddings where they’ve got a new and stunning Best from the Best wedding photo gallery up, featuring images from around the world.

And for more on Seattle shooters and the business of capturing your most beautiful moments, check out this recent Wedding Wednesday post.