Hi Andrew,
Great to read you had a successful time. I'm really happy to read that your wife is also enthusiastic about astro - most of us have 'astro widows'...
Filters can be very useful. Just going blind into using astro filters is only for disappointment. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way. The following link will take you to a very informative site which explains the applications for the various filters, colour and nebulae:
http://www.lumicon.com/store/pg/15-L...a-Filters.aspx
One more thing about using filters. Many of the details they reveal are VERY subtle. It takes time and experience to really get the most of them, as well as scoring good stable atmospheric conditions so the details can be resolved. Many features will not be immediately apparent. Some will appear lighter others darker. Don't only use them. By that I mean, view the planet in question neat, and taking your time with it. Then use this filter and that one. Be patient as it this way that often the will only be apparent.
Nebula filters the same.
There are a few other tricks that can be done with filters. One of my favourite involves a technique called "blinking" - it is actually the same technique used to first find Pluto. With visual, make a little paddle out of thin plywood or MDF, cutting a hole in one end that will allow a filter to be wound into it. You then flick the filter in and out between your eye and the eyepiece. It is a way to quickly alternate between a neat image and a filtered one. This technique is very effective in spotting tiny planetary nebulae with an OIII filter.
I've attached a couple of pictures of the blinking paddle I keep in my eyepiece case.