• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, January 18, 2010

Three bridal magazines folded between October and November of last year: Conde Nast's Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, and InStyle Weddings.

Coincidentally, Get Married Media, a TV and online source of wedding information for brides, jumped into the print realm with the launch of Get Marriedmagazine in October. Crazy? Brave? Victim of bad timing?

The magazine also touts itself as the first bridal pub to use Microsoft Tag, Microsoft's own barcode technology, alongside editorial content and advertisements.

Thirty-two small, colorful Microsoft Tags were added to the inaugural issue. Get Marriedoffered advertisers free tags on full- and half-page ads in the premiere issue. A one-year subscription to the mag (four issues) costs $14.96.

To take advantage of content housed within Microsoft Tags, users must first download a free application at gettag.mobi to their mobile phones.

Once downloaded, users snap a picture of the barcode -- and additional content, like videos and photos, spring into action. Brides-to-be can further research a product, save Tags to view at another time and buy products from their phones.

The Microsoft Tag Reader is compatible with numerous mobile platforms, including Apple iPhone; Blackberry 81xx, 83xx and Bold; J2ME based handsets; Symbian S60 3rd Edition; and Windows Mobile 5 and 6.

"We are definitely filling a void in the marketplace by bringing a tactile and fresh experience to a new generation of brides who seek wedding inspirations on TV, online and in print," said Wendy M. Corenblum, a spokeswoman for Get Married & GetMarried.com.

"Get Married magazine is more about an interactive relationship with brides, combining traditional print with the interactive world. With the Microsoft Tags, brides will be able to get instant entertainment and connection to videos, Web site, photos and information directly on their mobile phone. Each tag will expand on the content found in the magazine via video, image gallery, or a direct link to our Web site or an advertiser's Web site," continued Corenblum.

Many magazines and brands are now using some form of barcode technology; Coca-Cola even placed bar codes on cans that unlocked mobile content.

Get Married already has an online and TV audience. We'll see how the audience takes to print.