Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online via EventBrite – http://wuwgalasaintlouis.eventbrite.com/. Individual tickets are $100 with tables at $1,000.

We’re also seeking items for our silent and live auctions – anything from products, services and more importantly unique experiences! If you have something to donate please reach out to our fundraising chair for more details, stlouisfundraising@wishuponawedding.org.

Big thank you in advance to all of the vendors below who are going to help make this evening to special! NOTE: This is a running list and will be updated regularly!

• Artistry Florist – Floral Arrangements
• Coronado Ballroom – Venue & Food
• Exclusive Events, Inc. – Lighting & Decor
• Focus on Design – Floral Arrangements
• Push the Limit – Band
• Sal Cincotta Photography – Photography
• Sarah’s Cafe & Bakery – Late Night Snack (Cupcake Truck)
• Sitting Pretty/Party Arts – Linens & Napkins

And to our chapter board members and committee members, especially event planning and fundraising, we can’t do any of this without you! So another BIG thank you goes out your way!

P.S. Here are a few fun photos from last year just to give you a tiny taste of what you might be in for!

Out of over 2,000 entries, Wish Upon a Wedding (http://www.wishuponawedding.org) was chosen by judges as one of the TOP 25 philanthropies, nominated to win Charity of the Year in the 3rd Annual Stay Classy Awards.

This award could help the organization secure grant money valued at $15,000, enabling them to further enhance  their current programming and services.  It is their goal to begin providing travel and accommodations for distant families, which they currently lack the funding to do.  Your vote can help them reach their goals more quickly!

It only takes a moment to VOTE, so please do so today!

Vote here: http://classyawards.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/voting

What does it take to make Wedding Wishes come true?
YOUR SUPPORT!

Wish Upon a Wedding St. Louis invites you to our first ever…

Wish Granter Drive!

Wednesday, August 23, 2011 at 6:00pm at The Bluffs on Broadway

Meet with Wish Upon a Wedding St. Louis representatives to learn more about the organization and how you can help grant wishes. Past wish granters will also be sharing stories of how Wish Upon a Wedding has impacted their lives!

RSVP by August 16th.
Food and drinks provided.

Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization, providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and life altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation.

Please feel free to share this invite with any wedding professional that you think might be interested in becoming a Wish Granter.

http://wishuponawedding.org/st-louis/

Tina and Lance met in 2008 while Tina was undergoing chemotherapy to treat stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Lance stayed by her side the entire time. Tina had the opportunity to return the favor in early 2011 when Lance was diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a genetic condition and form of end-stage renal failure. In March of 2011, Lance proposed and Wish Upon a Wedding St. Louis stepped in to help make their wedding dreams come true.

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at the trendy Westin St. Louis located in downtown and was attended by nearly 50 of the couple’s closest friends and family. All of the details of the event were coordinated and donated by Wish Upon a Wedding.

“We could not have done any of this without the tremendous support of our wish granters,” said Lacy Branch, President of the St. Louis chapter. “The backing we have received for our organization from the local wedding industry has just been phenomenal. We are so grateful for all of the enthusiasm and encouragement our chapter has experienced since its inception in April of 2010.”

Watch Lance and Tina’s wedding video and love story courtesy of TenSixteen Photography!

Wish granters for the wonderful wedding included:

• D’Shannon Llewellyn (bride’s make-up)
• Downtime Productions (ceremony & reception music)
• The Grand Hyatt St. Louis at the Arch (bride & grooms accommodations)
• Lil Inspirations (custom embroidered hankie – WUW signature gift)
• Party Booths Digital Photo Booth Rental (photobooth rental)
• Sarah’s Cake Shop & Catering Co. (wedding cake)
• Simply & Forever Event Planning (wedding coordinator)
• St. Louis Ceremonies (officiant)
• TenSixteen Photography (videography)
• The Special Event Florist – Tina Barrera (floral design)
• Todd Studios Stationery (stationery)
• Untamed Heart Photography (photography)
• Weinhardt Party Rentals (linens, chairs & lounge furniture)
• The Westin St. Louis (venue)
• Xcursions Salon (bride & bridesmaid hair)

Special thank you to Untamed Heart for the amazing photography!

Spring has sprung! And it’s the season when a young man’s thoughts turn to love. Such is the case for Jason Trent, a young father of two who was diagnosed last August with a stage four glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and malignant form of brain cancer. On March 7, 2011 he married the girl of his dreams, Melissa Trent, the best friend who has already stood by his side in sickness and in health.

On that early spring day, the numerous hospital stays, surgeries and doctors appointments they had been facing during the past six months were all but forgotten. The only thing that mattered was their love for each other, the presence of their family, and the adorable, smiling faces of their two little girls who were there to see Mommy and Daddy get married. The couple had no worries. Their only commitment was to each other and to create memories they will cherish and treasure forever. And the St. Louis chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding made it happen.

The wedding and dinner reception took place at the elegant Chase Park Plaza Hotel located in the Central West End and was attended by more than 50 of the couple’s closest friends and family. All of the details of the event were coordinated and donated by Wish Upon a Wedding.

“We could not have done any of this without the tremendous support of our wish granters,” said Lacy Branch, president of the St. Louis chapter. “The backing we have received for our organization from the local wedding industry has just been phenomenal. We are so grateful for all of the enthusiasm and encouragement our chapter has experienced since its inception just one year ago.”

Watch Jason and Melissa’s wedding video and love story courtesy of Millennium Productions!

Special thank you to Joanna Kleine Photography for the wonderful photos!

Wish granters for the unforgettable ceremony included:

BEST Transportation (transportation)
Blushing Bride (wedding gown)
Build a Basket (attendants’ and hotel gifts)
Carolyn Burke Wedding Liaison (officiant)
Delicately Bold (bride’s makeup)
Eventz Planning (wedding coordinator)
Gothic Jewelry (groom’s wedding band)
Joanna Kleine Photography (wedding & engagement photography)
Lil Inspirations (custom embroidered hankies- WUW signature Gift)
Millennium Productions (DJ, lighting décor and videography)
One Voice STL (ceremony music)
Premier Rentals (linens)
ProColour Cosmetics (bride’s hair)
RW Designs (floral design)
Slice of Lime Design (stationery)
Sunset Strings (ceremony music)
The Aries Company (rentals)
The Chase Park Plaza (venue)
The Sweet Divine (cake and desserts)

That’s Miss Tiffany Bentley-Halkitis hard at work straightening our program of events!Our truly unique and fabulous programs, designed by Paper Frosting!The amazing room decor, designed by St. Louis’ own Rob Schaefer!Yes, that’s the signed Kenny Chesney guitar and then my fave, the MIZZOU helmet!Ah, the Starlight Roof at the Chase! A sight to see!

I can’t speak for everyone, but I definitely had a great time! Between the food, THE WINE, the dancing and the HILARIOUS photobooth (see pics here), it was a night I won’t soon forget!

And thankfully, we are blessed with amazingly generous vendors in St. Louis who all helped to make this event possible! For that, we all cannot thank you enough!

• Chaumette Winery & Vineyards (http://www.chaumette.com/)
• Festive Atmospheres (http://www.festiveatmospheres.com/)
• Major Brands (http://www.majorbrands.com/)
• Paper Frosting (http://paperfrosting.com/)
• The Knot (http://www.theknot.com/)
• Thorn Studio (http://www.thornstudio.net/)
• Aries Company (http://www.ariesco.com/)
• Butler’s Pantry (http://www.butlerspantry.com/)
• Dieta Pepsi (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dieta-Pepsi/439454710656)
• Downtime Productions (http://www.downtimeband.com/)
• Elite Sweets (http://escandybuffets.com/)
• Fish Eye Fun (http://www.fisheyefun.com/)
• Gebbs Wedding Films (http://www.gebbsweddingfilms.com/)
• Hollyberry Catering (http://www.hollyberrycatering.com/)
• Jodi Schlosser Photography (http://jodischlosser.com/)
• LaBonne Bouchee (http://www.labonnebouchee.com/)
• Millennium Productions ( http://www.millennium-productions.com/)
• Mount Pleasant Winery (http://www.mountpleasant.com/)
• Patty Long Catering (http://www.pattylongcatering.com/)
• Russo’s Catering (http://www.russosgourmet.com/)
• Sitting Pretty Party Arts (http://www.party-arts.com/)
• Smelly Things Candle Company (http://www.smellythings.biz/)
• Tami Scott Studios (http://www.tamiscottstudio.com/)
• The Classic Harpist (http://www.theclassicharpist.com/)
• The Sweet Divine (http://www.thesweetdivine.com/)
• Trish Busch (http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1292938970)
• Two Blue Doors (http://www.twobluedoors.com/)

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Join us for a night of dinner, cocktails and dancing at the Starlight Roof at the Chase on Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 6:00pm! If you’re familiar with the Starlight Roof at the Chase, you know what an amazing VIEW and amazing space it truly is, so you won’t want to miss out! More details are being finalized daily along with specifics on all of the wonderful vendors (wish granters) donating their goods and services to make it all possible! Check back frequently as I’ll be updating this blog post with a current list of those vendors!

I’ll be there, gown and all, and I know if you’re interested in a night of great food and great fun, in support of a fabulous cause, you’ll want to be there too! We’ll also have a plethora of auction items for you to do your bidding, not to mention some items from the online auctions! Tickets are on sale RIGHT NOW for $100 a person or $900 for a table of ten (10) and can be purchased online via our WUW EventBrite page!

BUY YOUR TICKET(S) NOW!

On behalf of the St. Louis founding board of directors, we look forward to seeing you there!

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Kristin Weis, our board secretary, and I were on site for the four hour show to promote the organization, and I must admit the turnout and response was fantastic! Not that I would expect anything less from St. Louis! While many brides and their families had never heard of Wish Upon a Wedding, they certainly left more informed and eager to help out!

Many thanks go out to St. Louis Perfect Wedding Guide, Belli Fiori, BBJ Linen and Two Blue Doors for making our first bridal show booth a success! We are so very fortunate to have wonderful St. Louis vendors willing to help out with no questions asked and for that we appreciate you! We look forward to many more successful shows in the future!

For more information on Wish Upon a Wedding and how you can help, visit the web site!

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Right now we’re prepping for our gala, one of many Blissful Wishes Balls taking place around the nation as part of WUW’s official Month of Giving! If you haven’t already marked the date for the St. Louis Gala, it’s Sunday, November 14th!

In the meantime, check out some of the many great ways you can help us out!

• Make a Contribution. Regular old donation made via PayPal, 75% of which goes toward fulfilling wedding wishes, 12.5% for fund-raising & 12.5% for administrative costs!
• Bid In (Or Donate To) Our Online Auctions. Announced on July 1st, we’ll be auctioning hundreds of products and services in 46 states through November 30, 2010!
• Donate Air Miles. If you’ve got them and you’re not using them, consider donating them! You’re donation will help fly a loved one (or two) in town for a wedding wish!
• Volunteer on a Committee. Lacking monetary funds to support Wish Upon a Wedding? We’d love you have your extra time too, whether via committee or volunteer!
• Online Social Networking. Help us spread the Wish Upon a Wedding word via your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social networking account! Also be sure to follow us on Twitter @WishUponWedding and check out the St. Louis Chapter on Facebook!
• Sign Up for the Newsletter. Now this is easy! Just go online and sign up for the newsletter to stay current on all of the latest Wish Upon a Wedding news!
• Become a Wish Granter. Do you have a product, service or space to provide in order to help grant a wedding wish! Well, we still need you! St. Louis covers a 300  mile radius so we need Wish Granters in Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield and Memphis too!
• The Wishing Well. Support Wish Upon a Wedding by donating 1% of your profits from one event OR  1% of your profits from the sale of your products!
• Donate Products. Wish Upon a Wedding accepts new (unused) products to support the organization! Fill out an online application for approval prior to shipping!
• The Wishing Star. Purchase a beautiful Wishing Star pin for $50 so you can WEAR your support for Wish Upon a Wedding!
• In Lieu of Favors or Gifts. Have a bride or groom looking for an alternative to gifts or favors? Suggest that they consider making a donation in lieu of favors! Or their guests can make a donation is lieu of gifts!

Whew! Was that enough options for you?!? Visit the Wish Upon a Wedding web site to find out more about this great organization!

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If you made it out, and we know about 160 of you did, we appreciate it! If you missed out, we hope you can make it to our annual Wish Upon a Wedding black-tie gala on Sunday, November 14, 2010! Now, check out some of the amazing pictures from last night!!

You had to see it to believe it!! Many, many, and many more thanks go out to all of the board members, committee members, volunteers and our fabulous sponsors who made it all happen! It was because of everyone’s hard work that the party was such a success! And the biggest thanks goes out to our amazing Event Planning committee and Lumen Private Event Space!

Now that we’re kicked off any ready to go, we’re still in need of Wish Granters and Volunteers to keep the momentum going! Remember, the St. Louis Chapter covers a 300 mile radius, which means we can grant wishes as far as Kansas City or Memphis! If you’re looking for more ways to help out, visit the Wish Upon a Wedding web site for more details!

And be sure to like the St. Louis Chapter on Facebook to keep up with all the exciting updates! Let’s keep things rolling! Cheers!

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