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We recently received a (free!) U.S. flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of my brother-in-law's wedding day. They were both amazed at the thought, and loved the present. I've never seen it mentioned on the Usenet wedding groups before as a gift idea (only notes from the President, Queen, & Pope) -- and now that I've seen what you get first-hand, I thought I'd share the info...
The day we learned when the official wedding date had been set, I wrote my Congressman requesting the flag. (You will need to tell your member of Congress the couples names and wedding/anniversary date. You can request that the flag be sent to your home or their home. You need to do this as far in advance as possible to ensure you will get the flag for that day.) The flag arrived boxed less than a month after the wedding in a plain white envelope from the U.S. Capitol. The "cool" part about the present was the letter from the Architect of the Capitol that was also enclosed, describing for them what the flag was for and when it had been flown.
There's a copy of this letter at:
http://www.whollymatrimony.com/Images/bridelflag.jpg
I have to admit that I got a little teary-eyed when I opened up the box and realized that I was holding a flag in my hands that had flown over the U.S. Capitol. (Yes, I am a sap that way...) The flag did not arrive tri-folded, but my husband and I learned how to do it on the web, and folded it correctly before we wrapped it up to give to the newlyweds. The U.S. flag itself was over 5-feet tall!
Not only can you request a flag for weddings -- but also for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. And like I said -- best of all it's FREE -- you just have to write your member of Congress early enough with the flag request.
UPDATE FROM ROBYN: Since originally sharing this idea, I have learned that some members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House are now charging for the privilege of having a flag flown and then mailed to you. Make sure to contact your Senator and/or member of the House first, to see if your representatives charge for a U.S. flag.
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