We are always talking about Dream Foundation, how much we love them – the amazing things they do – and why it is so important for us to bring the wedding community together to raise funds and help them grant final wishes.  But I have to say it doesn’t really hit home on what a difference we make in peoples lives – until participating on the dream delivery team.

Twelve years ago Steve & Lori were married, they honeymooned in a cabin down on Ocean Shores – they flew kites – rented scooters and celebrated the loving life they just vowed to spend together!  In August of last year Steve was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  He was given 8-10 months to live.

In the letter that Steve sent in to the Dream Foundation, he asked only for a 2nd honeymoon – to spend a week with his wife & their two dogs, at the same place they had honeymooned twelve short years ago.  He wanted to bring back some wonderful memories and give her a break from everything that has been going on. In his words, “She deserves this more than anyone – she is tougher than any of us ever knew…” 

Two weeks ago, three of our team members Laurel, Eliza & Rebecca and long time supporter Chris (Laurel’s Mom)  had the opportunity to deliver a dream.  There aren’t words to describe what it is like to experience a dream delivery – there were laughs, tears and a lot of excitement!

They delivered a package that included : A blanket hand made specially for them, a note from a 5th grader in Santa Barbara about dreams, 5 days at the cabin in Ocean Shores, Dream Foundation T-shirts, (that he was most excited about and immediately put on!) & hats, a little spending money for the week, chocolate from Theo & a smiley face kite for the week at the beach.

Michelle Mullany couldn’t wait to hear the details! She & the Dream Foundation team were so excited to hear how it went!!  This is Lori chatting with Michelle on the phone.  ;0)

Steve is an amazingly smart man – we had heard he built his own computer… but had NO idea until we saw this – AMAZING!!

Sending them off to the beach house – we can’t wait to hear how it went!!  ;0)

Here is a video, so you can hear the story in Lori & Steve’s words.

Pictured below Dream Delivery Team :: Laurel McConnell, (founder & VP of Marketing) Rebecca Ellison (team member since the beginning!) Eliza Truitt (founder & organizer of fun!)

We feel so honored, blessed, humbled to have been invited into Steve & Lori’s lives – to be able to bring just a little bit of happiness to them in such a time of need, is amazing.  Thank you so much Dream Foundation for doing all that you do.

Photos by Eliza Truitt Photography  – Video by Rebecca Ellison Photography    – Blog Post by Barbie Hull

If you’ve been to a wedding in say…. the past year or two, chances are you have seen one of the biggest and funnest new trends : a kick butt photo-booth!

Photo-booths are getting so popular, because you and your guests can sit back and be as CRAZY as you could ever imagine, with all the control in your hands! Trust me… the pictures are always very very entertaining!

This year, we are so unbelievably stoked to have two amazing vendors collaborate for a super special photo-booth that your guests are sure to be talking about for WEEKS after your wedding or event!

The ever talented Barbie of Barbie Hull Photography and the prop master Heather Driscoll of Heathoriginal are putting their heads together to get one KICK BUTT PHOTO-BOOTH in the auction.

Read on to see just what they are all about!

From the mouth of Barbie herself!

Tell us a little bit about yourself!! What do you do & what does your business specialize in?

Lets see…. I’m a professional photographer who specializes in weddings & portraits. (all happy events!) My approach is to have fun!! (really… is there a better way? I don’t think so!) If you are having fun, its easy to forget how awkward it can be to be photographed – and then you end up with light-hearted natural photographs you will love!

How did you get started in business? 

I started my company in June of 2001 and have been shooting people (with cameras!!) ever since!

Tell us…. What are you donating to Get Hitched Give Hope this year?

This year’s event is a little different than my past donations.  I feel so lucky to be sharing a bistro table with the beautiful & talented Heather Driscoll of Heathoriginal (hand crafted party details) we are teaming up to donate a really fun photobooth!!  Including a background, camera and flash set up – with instructions so your party will be the BEST ONE YET!! (A party isn’t a party w/o a photobooth setup!!)

Is this your first year with with us or have you participated with GHGH in the past??

This isn’t my first year with Get Hitched Give Hope – in fact, I am one of the six original founders… you heard it!  I was sitting around that infamous bottle of wine while we dreamt up all things glittery & giving in 2007.  Here we are FIVE FABULOUS YEARS LATER and the thing I love the most is that the PEOPLE!!!!  That’s right, I LOVE YOU!!!!   Thank you for reading our blog and supporting our cause and best of all THANK YOU FOR HELPING US GRANT WISHES!!!!!

Tell us your FAVORITE part of weddings!!

My favorite part of weddings…. is all of the love, excitement and LOVE!!!  That first look… the tears… the hugs – I just LOVE being a part of so many peoples favorite days.  (yes… I am really that sentimental… and yes… I cry while watching TV too!)

Do you have any insider secrets to tell our brides to make their planning (and enjoyment of their wedding) easier?

oooh – insider secrets?? You’ll have to meet me for coffee so you can hear them all… but the BEST advice any bride/groom/person can have is – RELAX!!! You’ve planned all you can plan, now on the wedding day – trust your planner/photographer/friends!  If something isn’t quite perfect – don’t let it ruin your day.  Just roll with it and most times – you are the only one who will notice anyway.  Happy Wedding Day!!

Find out more about these amazing companies and make sure to come by their table at the party this year!

Barbie Hull Photography and Heathoriginal

www.barbiehull.com and www.heathoriginal.blogspot.com

barbie@barbiehull.com  and  heather@heathoriginal.com

Barbie on Facebook

Heathoriginal on Facebook

The secret to any successful business comes down to how your money is spent.

SInce Get Hitched Give Hope is a non-profit, where the dollars go is just that much more important. We have over 30 amazing people on our team that put in countless hours of time to make Get Hitched Give Hope successful, but when it comes down to it, it is where our money goes, and how many WISHES we grant that really really matters.

And you have to have one hell of a mind sitting on the seat of Treasurer to make sure your money is spent in the ways that are the best, and that we can give more and more and more to the Dream Foundation and the Young Survival Coalition.
Enter the amazing Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros.

Michelle is not only our Treasurer but she was one of the ladies sitting around a table back in 2007 dreaming up what is now Get Hitched Give Hope!!!

She has since moved across the country to Miamiand started Sage Wedding Pros which, if you ask us, is the BEST small business blog out there.

It’s targeted to the wedding industry, but the knowledge that Michelle and her biz partner Kelly share on Sage Wedding Pros is relate-able to ANY business. When you are done with reading all about Michelle here, you should head over and get lost in all the amazing info there!

See what makes Michelle tick!

 I was married in 2004… and had an AWESOME wedding. I love that all our favorite people were in the same room with us, sharing in us. My favorite part was our band. We had an Argentine band that played a mix of Latin sounds – and no standards – all original music of their own. People danced their BUTTS off.
I do wish we had gotten a better photographer who was a wedding photographer. (He is a very accomplished travel photographer, but the timing of a wedding is very different.

Probably red.  It’s my signature color.

website : www.sageweddingpros.com

Email : michelle@sageweddingpros.com

photo credit : Alante Photography

We are excited to welcome the fabulous Kristina and Natalie of BAKED. to our contributors this year. Their cakes are scrumptious and they have such a love for what they do, it’s obvious when you meet them! They will be donating something great to the auction this year…. is your mouth watering yet?

It should be! Read our interview with Kristina to find out more about the gals of BAKED. and just what they are donating to Get Hitched Give Hope

Tell us a little bit about yourself!! What do you do & what does your business specialize in?

We own BAKED. We are a custom cake bakery, we make all of our cakes from scratch, using fresh, local ingredients. We pride ourselves in making one of kind custom cakes with our flavors and decorating. We want to make sure that your cake not only looks great, but tastes great too! All of our cakes are made to order to we can ensure the freshest quality cake!

How did you get started in business? 

My partner, Natalie and I have been doing this for the past 6 years and both started out making cakes for our friends and families and jobs, that turned into such a passion that we took it to the next step, thus Baked. We both had attended culinary and pastry school and both worked together in a small cafe/bakery together before we opened our cake shop.

Tell us…. What are you donating to Get Hitched Give Hope this year?

We are donating a wedding cake of choice with a value up to $550.

Is this your first year with with us or have you participated with GHGH in the past??

This is our first year to participate, and we are so excited! We have heard just great things and think that it is such a great cause!

Tell us your FAVORITE part of weddings!!

I think the favorite part of weddings is bringing it all together, and we have one the biggest roles with the cake. This is what we are passionate about and we truly believe our work and dedication reflects that!

Find out more about this amazing company and make sure to come by their table at the party this year!

BAKED.

www.custombakedcakes.com

baked.seattle@gmail.com

Seattle Wedding Cakes on Facebook

Eliza is one of the super intelligent and giving gals who founded Get Hitched Give Hope. She has been deeply involved from the beginning of this amazing adventure, and this year she has a truly unique roll!

She is our Minister of Fun, which, in reality is more for us team members than anything!

You see, there are thirty or so of us who trek along juggling our own businesses, our families, and our responsibilities to Get Hitched Give Hope. There are A LOT of things that go together to make this event successful each year, and it can start to feel like a circus at times! So, this year, we have Eliza help organize fun nights that the team members can get together and hangout. For no other reason than to relax and enjoy each other without having to frame it around work!

We’ve had game nights, and bowling nights and bbqs and the like and it is one of the perks that makes all of us LOVE to volunteer our time to this organization.

So, thanks Eliza, for helping keep the fun in the mix with all the planning!

photo credit : La Luz Photography

website : ElizaTruitt.com

Ladies, you may think you have a lot to gain by losing – but the latest trends may make you think again.

A bride on a feeding tube - via New York Times

We’ve all heard about some form of “the bride diet”. We joke about it. We stress about it. We ask our friends how they’re doing it. We justify it, because we want to look the best on our big day!

We need to get a grip.

The recent New York Times article “Bridal Hunger Games” highlighted a number of fad diets and weight loss programs that seem to be all the rage with brides desperate to shed pounds before their weddings – whether months ahead of the big day or just a few weeks. Cleanses, hormone injections, vitamin pills and…feeding tubes?! Yep, these extreme diets are all part of the modern bride’s path to the altar.

Let’s face it, shopping for a wedding gown isn’t easy! According to a 2007 study, 70% of engaged women wanted to lose weight, around 20 pounds (and we would bet this statistic probably hasn’t changed much in the past 5 years). And with good reason – wedding gown sizing can be a psychological shock to shopping brides. Many women are surprised to see that “a typical size 8 [wedding dress] will be a 10 or a 12”, says the marketing director of Kleinfeld Bridal.

But savvy girls know that fast-track dieting isn’t the best for our bods. Fad diets such as the Master Cleanse (introduced in 1976, by the way!) can have a harmful effect on our systems because they claim to cleanse toxins from the body, but are essentially a laxative and not a long-term solution. As Dr. David Gorski, associate professor of surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, notes, “Do you notice they never tell you what the toxins actually are?”

So rather than a crash course dieting on the way to “I do”, start thinking about healthy ways to get your gorgeous self feeling fabulous for your big day! We’ve compiled a list of some of our faves.

Bar Method

Love dance? Live to get lean? The Bar Method is perfect for our downtown OR Eastside brides, with locations in South Lake Union and Redmond. The workout uses the principles of isometrics combined with dance conditioning, physical therapy and interval training to reduce body fat, improve posture and create strong abdominals (hello, fab abs!).

Fly Fitness

Um, who wouldn’t love “Biking to Britney”?! Kirkland’s Fly Fitness makes getting fit fun with themed classes, boot camps and spinning – and these ladies like to end their workouts with a glass of wine at the Woodmark Hotel’s Beach Cafe. Can you say, “motivation”?!

Pure Barre

Capitol Hill’s Pure Barre gets your booty (and the rest of you) in shape using ballet principles and motivating music! Clients see results in just 10 classes and can lose inches, and it’s perfect for brides who are looking for a low-impact, high-result workout.

Urban Yoga Spa

Our favorite hot yoga spot in Seattle is Urban Yoga Spa, offering power vinyasa and hatha classes for beginners and experienced yogis alike. We love the sleek studio and variety of classes – plus unlimited yoga packs and plenty of class offerings make working out on your schedule totally convenient.

Urban Yoga Spa

Full Circle Farms

While you’re working out, keep your fridge full of healthy, organic options from Full Circle Farms, delivering a fresh box of produce to your doorstep weekly! If you don’t know what a leek is or how to cook kale, the Full Circle Farms blog has recipes for the kitchen-challenged (and making dinner with your love can be a perfect way to create a new date night!).

Lose It! App

Since your phone is in your hand 24/7 with all this wedding planning anyway, may as well keep yourself motivated by logging your exercise and intake! Lose It! is a digital dieting tool to help you keep track of your calories on the go. With apps for iPhone and Android, plus a great website, you’ll be able to enter your goal weight and watch your progress as your wedding approaches. Plus, you can add friends so you and your bridesmaids can keep each other accountable and send encouraging messages!

Finally, keep this in mind: he asked you to spend the rest of your life with him at the size you are right now. If you want to look amazing for your wedding day, just remember that you already are, and walk with confidence down that aisle.

xoxo,
GHGH

As Get Hitched Give Hope grows, we have been reaching out into our community more and more, constantly fundraising to bring in more money for this great cause that is the Dream Foundation.

This year, we are so invested in year long fundraising that we have made an entire team for it!!!!

The the gal who is heading this awesome new team is none other than our

VP of Fundraising :: the fabulous Heather of heathoriginal .

They put together events like our Second Annual HopeBrew that was last weekend at Redhook and more events that are coming down the pike!

Barbie Hull She is one of the founders of GHGH and her passion for the organization drew me in. I loved the organization the minute I heard about it and knew that I had to be a part of it. I have been to every event, but this will be my 3 year involved!! 

photo credit : Barbie Hull and Eliza Truitt

What a success!!! Congratulations & THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible!!

Together we raised $4,000 (a BIG help in reaching our annual goal of $100,000!!!!!!!) for our two fabulous charities Young Survival Coalition & Dream Foundation.

The party was April 14th, at Redhook Brewery in Woodinville – Austin Beaver kept the music playing and the dance floor packed, the table of sweets and meats were D.LISH, and my-oh-mY… Filthy Brewing Alliance, you really outdid yourself this time! Each taste was my NEW favorite!!  If you weren’t able to make it, we made this fun slideshow for you to enjoy – the event photos are by Seattle Wedding Photographers Barbie Hull Photography and Laura Marchbanks Photography (with the most amazing photobooth!!)

We all worked so hard on Hopebrew to make it a wild success, but a HUGE thanks to Heather Driscoll of Heathoriginal the VP of the Fundraising team, A Kurant Event, Wyatt Ink, Dolce Lou, Bourgeoisie Brunches – you guys are ROCKSTARS!

To all of our amazing sponsors & donors!!  (including everyone listed above too!)

Redhook Brewery
Filthy Beers
Cupcake Luv
Yeah! Cookie
Fletchers
Austin Beaver
Cort
AA Party Rentals
Christopher Flowers
Curtsy Bella
Seattle Met Bride & Groom

If you weren’t able to make it and would LOVE to help us reach our 5th anniversary goal…. of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, you can donate here ::

 THANK YOU FOR BEING A GIVER!

If you know anything about Get Hitched, Give Hope, you know we’re all about the shoes.

Photo Credit: La Vie Photography

From hot pink platforms to suede peeptoe to patent leather pumps, we’ve worn them all over the years – and we’ve seen our guests and brides in fabulous shoes, too!

We love everything about shoes: talking about them, oohing and aahing over them and photographing them! But what we especially love is the oh-so-many possibilities of shoes for ourselves and our brides.

For 2012, bridal shoe trends include unique textures in a palette of rich colors, according to industry experts from Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue. Brides can expect to see an array of “elevated and sophisticated” styles, says Elizabeth Kanfer of Saks Fifth Avenue (a la Manolo Blahnik) – but ankle strap sandals and wedges will be part of the emerging trend, too.

Take a peep – er, peek – at some of our favorite bridal footwear finds for 2012! Oh, and the best part? Most of these fabulous shoes can double as evening wear after your big day!

Manolo Blahnik

The Strittina covers it all: classic white, elegant silhouette and trendy straps and buckles.

Manolo Blahnik 'Strittina'

Nina

A classic bridal shoe – with an offset bow and a pop of pretty color.

Nina 'Electra'

Jimmy Choo

Patent leather? Metallic wedge? Sexy straps? What a way to make a statement walking down the aisle!

Jimmy Choo 'Verena'

Dolce Vita

We love the classic pump…but we especially love it in a soft mint sweet enough for any season.

Kate Spade

The Billie offers simple peeptoe in a fresh blue.

Charles David

Strappy and elegant, the Morgan sandal is fit for a princess bride.

Charles David 'Morgan'

And with all those fashion-forward ideas, remember to take a tip from photographer Rebecca Ellison of Rebecca Ellison Photography and have different shoes for your reception. Whether your wedding is beach themed, sleek and sophisticated or casual and country , your feet will thank you . We love these girly and comfy Havaianas (which make a thoughtful gift for your bridesmaids, too!).

Havaianas 'Slim Crystal Bow'

Shop away, ladies!

xoxo,
GHGH