Weddingbee Blog

Rebecca recently contacted me because she wanted to bounce some ideas off our readers for a really great cause.  She’s travelling to Cambodia for a month this fall and is trying to help a local organization called Daughters Cambodia in Phnom Penh, a day center for girls working in brothels, that provides access to showers, basic hygiene, and some form of vocational training.  So she’s been trying to think of something to teach the girls which could lead to a small income, and eventually get them out of these lives and onto better things.

Recently Mrs. Plum posted about her bridesmaids’ silk sashes, and Rebecca thought that this was something simple that the girls could learn to make.  She’d donate sewing machines to the facility and they have access to great silk in the local markets.  Rebecca would then sell these online at her site, with all the profits going back to the girls.  She was also thinking about silk shawls or small silk envelope style handbags.

This is a great cause so it’d be really helpful if you could let her know whether you’d purchase something like this, and how much you’d be willing to pay.  Any other feedback or suggestions you have is greatly appreciated.

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Non-profit, charity-driven websites rock. Especially when they feature toast. Lots and lots of toast.

Your Name On Toast is this really cool site where you can “buy” an actual piece of toast on which the publishers will then write/draw on with a Sharpie anything you like. They’ll put your name, the name of your company, a stick figure–whatever you want–and the toast will act as a link to your website.

The higher your bid, the more prominently your toast will be placed on the site. All proceeds will be going to charities which the users of the site get to decide on. Examples of toast:

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Ever since I was little, I’ve had a love of primates. Chimps, apes, gorillas, monkeys, orangutans, you name it. This love has led me to a possible favor donation idea.

Chimp Haven is an organization located in Keithsville, Louisiana, whose mission is to provide lifetime care for chimpanzees who are no longer of use as entertainers, research or pets. These animals break my heart, and knowing there are people out there who are trying to make the rest of the chimp’s lives better is amazing.

Chimp Haven provides permanent housing and care of chimps, and are completely non-profit. You may have heard of Chimp Haven on television when one of the chimps gave birth recently- impregnated by an unknown chimp who was supposed to be sterilized!

Teresa and Baby Tracy

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On Sunday, February 11, 2007, I said goodbye to my wedding dress. Part of me is actually very sad. I loved that dress. I loved the way I felt in it. But my practical part won the battle in the end for these reasons:

• I know that my wedding dress will never be worn again. Well, the chances are it won’t be worn again, and it was taking up valuable NYC closet space.
• It wasn’t a very expensive wedding dress to begin with, so I didn’t feel the need to save it.
• I admit it - I wanted the tax write-off. Although I don’t know how you decide on the fair market value of a wedding dress. It’s just guess work, isnt it?
• I didn’t have to clean the dress before donating it so I saved a few hundred bucks.
• Oh yeah - it’s also for a really good cause.

I kind of wish I had spent more time on Sunday looking over the dress. I did get to see it briefly at the Bridal Garden (where I donated my dress). The lady kept telling me how pretty the dress was, and hoped to sell it that same day.

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A friend of Mr. Orange recently gave us a gift with a card — a UNICEF card! UNICEF’s online shop has a wide variety of holiday cards, but they also carry a very nice selection of blank cards that can be used in your everyday greetings (like wedding thank you cards!). I was really touched to know that this couple supported such a good cause.

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The Partners Card formula is simple!

Here’s how it works:

• Purchase a Partners Card for $60.
• Partners Card sponsors/underwrites all administrative and production costs of the promotion.
• Participating Partners Card merchants offer a generous 20% discount to cardholders for the nine day period. (Oct 28-Nov 5th)
• Participating Retailers

Thus 100% of the $60 card purchase goes directly to support The Family Place services. There are TONS of really great retailers on this list - I would’ve posted earlier, but I’ve been too busy shopping for charity!

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Ladies,

If you haven’t found your dress yet, here is a great opportunity to support a great cause and get a good deal at the same time. Brides Against Breast Cancer is this weekend in the DC area (just across the bridge in Arlington). Check out the website here.

I already have my dress - but am hoping to go just to check it out and support the cause. Hope to see you there!

Washington DC / Arlington, VA
Friday, October 27, 10 am - 8 pm
Saturday, October 28, 10 am - 6 pm

Doubletree Hotel Crystal City
300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202

Directions: From Ronald Reagan National Airport take Crystal City Exit. Exit Crystal Drive. Take Crystal Drive North approximately one mile. Crystal Drive turns into 12th Street. When you are on 12th Street go under overpass and turn right onto Army Navy Drive. The hotel is on the left.

From Suzanne Appel - LA Chairperson Brides Against Breast Cancer:

Charity Wedding Gown Sale 2500 dresses (all at least 50% off)

Brides Against Breast Cancer returns to Los Angeles!

Friday, November 10, 10 am - 8 pm
Saturday, November 11, 10 am - 6 pm

FREE ADMISSION
Hyatt West Hollywood, 8401 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Save HUNDREDS - You May Save THOUSANDS
New dresses added Friday and Saturday- come and look both days

Over one million dollars worth of new designer gowns recently donated in New York City, Baltimore & Washington DC.

Brides will find the gown of their dreams and help make wishes come true for terminal breast cancer patients. 100% of proceeds from this event enable the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation to grant dying wishes.

Every wedding dress is at least 50% off, most priced between $89 - $799* Original Values up to $4,000

Sizes 4 - 24, arranged by size to make it easy!

Come see the glorious city views from the Hyatt’s rooftop ballroom and outdoor deck!

http://www.makingmemories.org

*A few designer gowns priced slightly higher.

Would your company like to sponsor the event, have a table or donate a silent auction prize? Contact babc@greenappels.com

Brides Against Breast Cancer is coming to LA and it looks like they still need volunteers. I kind of wish I didn’t have a dress yet so I could go to this thing. I guess I could always donate mine when i’m done. Links below for those interested, copied & pasted from their website.

Los Angeles Area
Friday, November 10, 10 am - 8 pm
Saturday, November 11, 10 am - 6 pm

Hyatt West Hollywood,
8401 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED AT THIS EVENT
Contact Fran fran@makingmemories.org
Map
Bride Pre-Registration
Volunteer Registration
Printable Flyer
(feel free to print & distribute)

Sarah - who helped coordinate the New York Brides Against Breast Cancer event and whose beautiful wedding we featured on weddingbee - sent us this link to Grooms Against Breast Cancer.

After Hours Formalwear - which has over 460 locations nationwide - has teamed up with Brides… er Grooms Against Breast Cancer to offer $20 off every tux rental and a free grooms tux rental. A great discount while helping an amazing cause!

Click here for your voucher valid through December 31, 2007.

I know this has made the rounds on weddingbee before, but if you visit The Breast Cancer Site and click on the pink box in the middle of your page, the site’s corporate sponsors will donate money toward a mammogram. You can click once a day; I’m setting the site as one of my Firefox home pages and encourage everyone else to do so, too.

Check out their products page for great ideas — you could find a great shower gift or potentially even a bridesmaid’s gift!

These totes are great to hold your wedding-day essentials!

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I have been having a really tough time coming up with an idea for favors for my October reception. Personally, I don’t “get” the whole favor idea. This isn’t something that was a big deal where I grew up. I always figured that feeding my guests a nice meal and throwing a big party showed my appreciation for their involvement in my happy day - that makes me sound like a curmudgeon doesn’t it?

With that said, I did decide that it is an accepted practice these days and that some people might be expecting something. I finally found something that makes me happy to give to my guests! Charity favors!

I found a website that helps organize the whole thing. You sign up and tell them either how much per guest or give them one lump sum and they will provide cards that show what charity you have donated to in honor of their attendance as well as make the donation to the charity for you. They have a list of charities to chose from or you can submit your own. The website is the I Do Foundation.

You can also register on the website if you wish to have guests donate to a charity rather than buy you a gift.

My aunt was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in October of last year - so the organization was an easy choice for me. Since my dad’s family (it’s his sister) will make up 95% of the guest list, I know that it will be a welcomed favor

Has anyone else done charity favors? Does anyone have any feedback from guests on them?

Michelle

Am writing to ask if you in your wedding experience/expertise have come across something like this idea my fiance and I have cooked up. Quick sketch: it’s a foundation we’re setting up on the event of our wedding and asking people give to in lieu of gifts to us.

Our belief: we’ve led extraordinarily privileged lives and are very grateful for the many opportunities and institutions our families and friends have helped us access. (We’d like to pay special tribute to our parents for all they’ve made possible for us.) And our hope is that this small foundation is a means through which we as couple can, with your help, support the things we care about on an ongoing basis and in an impactful way. Likely recipients of grants every year might include public health efforts, education initiatives, local cultural organizations, and greenspace initiatives.

I’ve seen couples ask people to give to charities of their choosing in lieu of gifts, but not something that will live on and would be very curious to hear if you’ve seen anything like it in all your readings and Web-wanderings about wedding practices and ideas. Any pointers to similar efforts, if you’ve seen them, would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

H

I’m going to wait to write my full recap of the Brides Against Breast Cancer event until I get pictures from the official photographer. There were many great moments when brides found dresses that were absolutely “the one,” and Miss Ant and I were so happy to be a part of this wonderful experience.

The event featured a great selection of gowns from Amsale, Vera Wang, Lazaro, Angel Sanchez, Melissa Sweet, Anne Barge, Jenny Lee and much more. Miss Ant even tried on an Angel Sanchez gown she had loved once upon a time, and I tried on an Amsale gown that I almost bought when I was dress shopping!

There’s a huge selection of dresses left, and you still have time to check it out. The event continues through Saturday with only a $20 admission fee. It’s for an amazing cause and who knows? You just might find the dress of your dreams.

The Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity Gown Sale begins tomorrow! Miss Ant and I will be volunteering tomorrow, so we just might be the ones who help you try on wedding dresses. Already purchased your wedding gown? You can find mother of the bride and bridemaids dresses too!

All proceeds from the event benefit Making Memories, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to terminally ill breast cancer patients. They’ve received over 2000 gowns from designers like Amsale, Anne Barge, Carolina Herrera and more! The three day sale kicks off with a VIP preview tomorrow featuring cocktails, gift bags, raffles, and wedding industry insiders.

You could win one of the following raffles:

• $1000 Confetti Cake
• custom menu card design by SonicStefdesigns
• 5 night luxury Honeymoon at Raffles Resort Canoun Island.
• veil and headpiece by Paula Varsalona
• free tooth whitening by Anne Marie Ferrara
• 3 hour conveyance in Manhatten by Filmcars in Checker cab
• 1 hour engagement photoshoot in Battery Park by Karenscape Photography
• 3 Flowergirl dresses by Ladybug collections
• 2 roundtrip tickets on Jetblue
• and more!

And meet the following wedding industry insiders:

• Amsale
• Kenneth Pool
• Paula Varsalona
• Mark Ingram of the Bridal Atelier
• Birnbaum and Bullock
• Editors from brides.com
• Editors from The Bridal Guide
• The Wedding podcast network

The tickets to the VIP preview sale are also tax deductible. Even if you can’t make it to the VIP event, there are over 2000 gowns, so you’ll still have an amazing selection to choose from. Check out this piece abc 7 eyewitness news recently did on the event.

VIP Preview Sale
Where: Prince George Ballroom, 15 East 27th Street
When: August 17, 4 - 6:30pm
Cost: $150 for bride and one guest

Brides Against Breast Cancer Regular Event
When: August 18 (10 am - 8 pm), August 19 (9 am - 6pm)
Cost: $20 donation for bride and 2 guests

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit makingmemories. If you’re interested in volunteering or donating a dress, please contact sarahgarfunkel@yahoo.com.

This is for a really great cause, so please help spread the word via email and any wedding messagboards you might frequent. And if you see me or Miss Ant tomorrow, please say hello!