The Southern Maryland Wedding Guide has launched its 7th cover picture contest in preparation for the publication of its 2008 Winter/Spring print edition.

"It’s hard to believe that we’ve already published six magazines," said Kimberly Bean, founder and CEO of SoMdWeddings.com. "We’re looking for pictures of real brides and grooms -- local couples who were married in Southern Maryland."

Couples married by October 31, 2007, may submit up to two color vertical photographs to SoMdWeddings.com. Photographs must be received by October 31, 2007. For contest rules and to enter your photograph, visit www.SoMdWeddings.com.

All entries will be posted for voting on www.SoMdWeddings.com from November 5 to midnight on November 9. Votes will be tallied and the winning photograph will appear on the cover of the 2008 Winter/Spring edition of The Southern Maryland Wedding Guide, scheduled to be published in December and released in January 2008.

Ms. Bean said that the number of entries averages anywhere from 30 to 40 photographs submitted by 15 to 20 couples for consideration. “Couples can submit two photos for entry and we select the one we like best and post it online so the general public can vote during our contest period.”

Bean noted that the competition gets fierce once the voting starts. "It’s common for couples to lobby for votes from their family, friends and co-workers," she said. "During our last contest, we had over 1,000 votes from the general public. It was very exciting to watch as the votes came in."