Get Hitched Give Hope‘s Third Annual Hopebrew was a SMASHING success!!  Thanks to all of you we raised over $5,000!!!

Thanks to the hard work of the fabulous fundraising team – headed up by Heather Driscoll, Erin Stroup, Megan Keller & so many other amazing people!!

First of all – Dear Melrose Market Studios, we love you more than ever – you are so wonderful & generous. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!  Love, The GHGH Team

We had a generous amount of homebrew from Filthy Brewing Alliance & Impaling Allers some fantastic cider from our favorite Alpenfire Cider company – for our DD’s we had Dry Soda, Espresso Elegance and a LOTLOTLOTLOT of food for everyone thanks to Lisa Dupar Catering, Gormondos Catering, Tuxedo’s & Tennis Shoes, Calf & Kid and no one will ever forget the amazing desserts from D:floured! Yuuuummmmm!!

Our decor was off the chain! (litterally – those scallywags! haha!)  Our pirate theme was brought to us by the collaborative team of Vintage Ambiance, Bash & Bloom & the superrad photobooth from Laurel McConnell Photography. (photos posted on FB) 

The raffle items were OVER THE MOON & hilariously announced by Brad Howe of the Kangaroo & Kiwi – (man he is funny!!) and the dancefloor was PACKED thanks to Austin Beaver & Braden Landon.

Luckily we had Lucas Mobley Photography & Barbie Hull Photography there to document the whole evening… or no one would believe how amazing it really was!!  Below is a little sneak peek of my favorites – but if you want to see the whole gallery, visit our facebook page :: {HERE}

We are so thrilled to see Jenny Harding & our wonderful friends over at One Love are putting on their second annual showcase!!  Its going to be amazing – there are 80 fabulous Seattle wedding vendors, AND if you would like to make a fancy night out of it – you can get a special rate at the exquisite Olive 8 by mentioning One Love!

Here are the details :

Second Annual One Love Wedding Showcase // www.oneloveseattle.com

Hyatt Olive 8; 12 – 5pm  {Free to ALL} Valet parking specials // Raffles and Giveaways too!

Hope to see you there!

Yarr!! Get Hitched Give Hope presents our 3rd Annual Hopebrew, a celebration of local home-brewers benefiting Young Survival Coalition and Dream Foundation!

This year we’ve collaborated with more than 10 home brewers to host another amazing event to raise money for our featured charities. Come enjoy some amazing beer, nibbles, and desserts from our amazing sponsors, a pirate-themed photo booth from Laurel McConnell Photography, as well as music by DJ Austin Beaver. Don your favorite pirate garb and don’t forget to study up on How To Talk Like a Pirate, because you’re gonna need it!

WHEN: Thursday March 28th 7-10pm

WHERE :Melrose Market Studios, 1532 Minor Avenue Seattle

HOW: Get your tickets now to support a great cause and your local community!

Thank You to our wonderful Sponsors!
Melrose Market Studios
Talented Home Brewers
Kerri Efendi Designs
Laurel McConnell Photography
Barbie Hull Photography
Bash and Bloom
It’s All In The Details
Austin Beaver
Heathoriginal
A Kurant Event
Gourmondo Catering 
Bizible
d:floured
Christopher Flowers
Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes 
The Calf and Kid
Vintage Ambiance
Lisa Dupar and Company 
Holly-Kate and Company
Pedersens Rentals

Close your eyes for a second. Imagine the salty smell of popcorn and sweet aroma of cotton candy, the sparkle of glitter and whimsy of balloons, the trumpeting of elephants and rumbling roar of lions.

You hear the call of the ringmaster, booming out over the roaring crowd in his melodic cantor, “Laaaaaadies and gentlemen, brides and grooms, welcome to the grrrrrreatest show on earth! A spectacular spectacle! The most giving of galas! The show of all shows! Step right up, and see the one, the only, the most fantastic gathering of clever coordinators, beguiling beat-makers, fantastic florists, delectable deserts, skillful shutterbugs, and dashing dressmakers all under one roof!” Welcome to the 5th annual Get Hitched Give Hope.

FOR OUR 5TH ANNIVERSARY- WE SET OUR GOAL HIGH. WITH YOUR HELP, WE RAISED A CELEBRATION-INDUCING $100,000. FROM THE TIPS OF OUR TOES TO THE TOPS OF OUR HATS, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

On November 8th 2012, over 500 brides and grooms, their friends and family, and Seattle’s most philanthropic wedding professionals came together once again to support the work of Dream Foundation and Young Survival Coalition Seattle. Brooke and Jubal from Movin 92.5 lead the evening with humor, stories, and introductions. With caramel corn in hand, you bid on silent auction items that would make any bride’s heart flutter, pledged to grant final dreams, and listened to stories from the heart; stories about how you have helped people in their final days have one last dream come true. As tears welled in our eyes, you gave more, bid higher, and won the MOST amazing jewelry, accessories, food, getaways, and services for your weddings in the history of Get Hitched Give Hope.

And then…. the moment we have been waiting for all year long. The pop of the confetti canons and delighted yelps of happiness from the crowd followed four simple words:  ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. Confetti fluttered from the ceiling as we danced harder than we’ve ever danced before. It was a night we will never forget, and we are so proud that we got to share it with you.

Standing ovations and applause worthy of the best circus act in the history of the world goes to our tireless volunteers, selfless sponsors, and generous vendors. Without our GHGH family, we could not have had so much fun, gotten such amazing deals, and raised so much to make final dreams possible.

>>> The Goods that were up for bid<<<       >>> The Vendors and Sponsors of our 2012 gala<<<

AND SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS:

• Miss the event and still want to grant some wishes? You can still make a donation online!
• Interested in participating in our 2013 event? Sign up here to get more info on how to be a Sponsor, Team Member, or  Volunteer!!
• Wanna see pictures from this year’s gala? Head on over to our Facebook page!!!

The 2012 Get Hitched Give Hope organization, including board members, VP’s, and team members!

Step right up!!!! Tonight is the night:: We will be at the Four Seasons tonight granting wishes for the Dream Foundation and the Young Survival Coilition.

Party begins at 6pm and we want to see you there!

Don’t miss out!!!

99 Union Street, Seattle, WA , 98101

6-10pm

Let’s get great goods while giving back!

We are now only 4 days away from Get Hitched Give Hope. Have you bought your tickets yet?

By now you know that we are expecting quite the amazing party on Thursday. Full of shenanigans and vintage circus fare. You must be there because it will be what everyone is talking about.

And by now you also know that this is a charity auction, and we do everything we can to keep our costs down. So we can give every dollar possible to the Dream Foundation, and in doing so, we look for sponsors for not only our auctions, but for the night of.

Sponsors to help us with decor, with music, with ambiance and goodies… and not to mention all the tasty treats and wine and beer that will be available!

So, let’s take a minute and say thanks to all these amazing companies who will bring us the fun that is Get Hitched Give Hope!

DJ (and after auction dance party) by Austin Beaver

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Glassybabys on all tables

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d:floured providing gluten free vegan mini pies

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New Renaissance Cakes providing a display cake for the desert table

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Tallant House providing tasty deserts

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Lipsology is providing Lip Print Reading (what?!?!!?!? how cool is that!)

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Flipped Out Productions providing their ever unique custom flip books!

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Cake Envy providing a display cake for the desert table

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dianne’s Desserts providing Cake Pops!

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Jason Parker Quartet providing two hours of live music during the event

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Novelty Hill Januik providing wine

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Clara French providing cake plates

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Animate My Event providing a stilt walker

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La Belle Reve providing models and the dresses they are modeling

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Serephine providing the head pieces the models will wear

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Luxco providing vodka

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McKenzie Powell Floral & Event Design providing flowers

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Seattle Popcorn providing caramel corn

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Hilliards Beer providing beer

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Ace of Illusions providing magical entertainment

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321 Foto providing an ultra deluxe photo booth

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Mighty Yo providing mini donuts

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Applieddi providing Get Hitched Give Hope signage

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the Four Seasons for providing the amazing food and the beautiful ball room

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Brooke & Jubal for MCing the night

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Prop Gallery for their props

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AA Party Rentals for the linens

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Cabfare for videography

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La Vie Photography for night of event coverage

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Erin Skipley for Hair and Make-up

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Creative Ice for the ice sculputre

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We are so blessed! Thank you to all these amazing vendors who will be making this event one of a kind!

And, just in the off chance you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, come and buy your tickets here as they go up $10 at the door! The $10 you save here could be your first raffle ticket… just sayin’ ;P

The big event is next week. So close I can already smell the popcorn in the air and hear the circus performers telling us tostep right up. Its going to be a night of vintage ambiance and old school fun, and I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!

Yep.. that absolutely needed some yelling, because it is going to be THAT awesome.

And just in case you have not purchased your tickets yet, you might be in luck as we are giving away a pair of tickets to our circus fun and all you have to do is retweet this :

@beagiver RT to win tickets to #ghgh on 11/8 Seattle’s premier bridal charity event http://bit.ly/GHGH-tickets

Contest starts at Noon on Wednesday 10/31 and ends on Thursday 11/1 at 4pm. Winner will be announced Friday 11/2!

Winner will randomly be selected to win two tickets to our vintage circus bridal charity event on November 8th at Four Seasons  Seattle.

Who doesn’t love a fun contest? Especially when the contest involves something super fun and easy like a quick little tweet!

And who doesn’t love it when the prize for the contest is AWESOME??? Pretty sure everyone does!

That’s why we are so stoked to have this great give away from Fado Irish Pub downtown on 1st Ave :

Fado Irish Pub will be giving the winner a Gift Basket filled with the best goodies that will bring out the Irish in you complete with a set of Vintage Gilroy Art Guinness Glasses and Leather Fado Branded Coasters, Bottle of Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream Filled Chocolates a little book of Irish Wisdom and a Gift Certificate for a Fado hosted happy hour for up to 25 guests (The first round of happy hour drinks is on Fado Irish Pub!) so you can raise a glass with us to gravity! … May it be the only thing that brings us down!

To enter to win all you need to do is these simple steps :

1. Follow us on Twitter  @BeAGiver

2. RT this :  win @Fadoseattle hosted happy hour by telling @beagiver your fave Irish Wedding tradition. Include #ghgh .Rules here http://bit.ly/ghgh-win

3. Tweet us your fave Irish Wedding tradition with the #ghgh hashtag

The most entertaining/funniest/coolest answer tweeted by 5pm on Friday 10/26 wins this rad gift basket & hosted happy hour!

Winner will be announced by 6pm on Friday

Decision is made by the GHGH PR team members… so make it memorable to win!

Thanks to Fado for being such an amazing GIVER!!!!

And if you haven’t bought your tickets to the big event on November 8th, you should do that now!

Not sure what big event we are talking about? Well it’s going to be the event of the season, and come on over and learn all about it

photo credit : La Vie Photography

Interested in just what makes Jennifer tick? Check out our team interview below!

 

Do you have any insider secrets to tell our brides to make their planning / enjoying of their wedding easier?

Tell us the most unique thing you saw at a wedding / were asked to do for a wedding?

Transportation by boat. I had a couple, get married at one house on Lake Washington and then had the reception a few houses down and make their Grand Entrance by Bayliner.

website: www.taylordeventsbyjen.com

email: jennifertaylor@taylordeventsbyjen.com

twitter: @taylordevents

facebook: TaylordEventsbyJennifer

If you are you still looking for the perfect planner for your wedding, jump on over to www.taylordeventsbyjen.com to get all the details on how she will make your event run smoothly.

August 1st!!  Today is the DAY!!!  There are 100 days until Get Hitched Give Hope 2012!!  (yes… we are totally counting!)

Here are the most amazing details ::

The Date // November 8th, 2012

The Place // The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle

The Party // VINTAGE CIRCUS!!!!! 

 (that’s right, step right up folks!  Ladies bring your bustles, corsets & feathers – Gents don your bow-ties, top hats & tails) 

The Cause // Dream Foundation (making dreams come true!!) Young Survival Coalition (young women facing breast cancer together!)

The GOAL // This is our 5th anniversary and we couldn’t be more excited!!  Our theme is AMAZING (vintage circus!!!) and our goal is lofty (but with your help, totally attainable!!) Our GOAL is to raise ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!!  Think of all of the amazing wishes we can grant!!

The Game // (that’s right, we always have games!!)  The first 100 fabulous people who purchase tickets online will be entered to win a $500 movie party with Cinefresco!!!  So BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!!!!

Hello Giver Friends!!

Thank you SO much for playing our trivia game!!!  Every Mon/Wed/Fri you answered questions on our FB page to unlock squares and today is the day…. to share the theme of this years party!!!! We are THRILLED to be celebrating the 5th anniversary of Get Hitched Give Hope!!! SO many amazing people have worked incredibly long hours, they have generously donated valuable auction items and hard earned dollars to grant many many wishes over the years!  Thank you SO very much!

To celebrate, we are going to to throw the best, coolest, swankiest, most amazing VINTAGE CIRCUS themed party you’ll ever attend!!

So come one, come all!!  Help us hit our goal and grant wishes!!

2012GHGHTheme from Get Hitched Give Hope on Vimeo.

Check out our newly updated site to see our vendors (the services you can bid on!) and our vendors (the people who make the party possible!) and be sure to subscribe to the blog for weekly updates on our most amazing party details in the works!

You know when you are in line at an auction and you get the program in your hands for the first time?

You start perusing what is in store for the night. What might you find among the silent auction tables?  What might catch your eye at the raffle table?  Just what package will get you raising your number during the live auction?

Well, each and every one of the donations we will be auctioning off on November 8th have been procured by the amazing Krista Simmons of Prive Events and the rest of her team. You see, Krista is our VP of Procurement. She heads the team that reaches out to all the amazing vendors you have been reading about and getting excited over.

Get Hitched Give Hope would literally not happen if it wasn’t for the hard work of Krista and her team… and that says something seeing that she is owner of the growing planning and bartending wedding business Prive Events as well!

photo credit : Ashley Foto 

Interested in just what makes Krista tick? Check out our team interview below!

Photo credit : Ben Bender

Tell us the most unique thing you saw at a wedding / were asked to do for a wedding?

I had the privilege of planning a fusion wedding last year (2011) that incorporated multiple cultural elements in so many creative ways.  From the surprise voicemails by relatives around the world, that were unable to attend the event, being played throughout the evening; to the four different Indian and Irish dance groups that preformed between each course, the guests were continuously awed by the elements of surprise that made this event one to remember

website : Prive-events.net

TRIVIA TIME!!!

So we KNOW you’ve been hearing people whisper about it – we’ve had top secret warehouse photo shoots – glitter explosions – really loud maniacal laughter and NOW ITS TIME!!!!  Time to play the trivia game!! That’s right!!  This is the 5th anniversary of Get Hitched Give Hope, we want to PACK the house with 500 guests (so invite your friends) and raise ONEHUNDREDTHOUSANDDOLLARS (it feels so good to give)!!!  The only way we can do this (with your help of course) is to throw a RIDICULOUSLY cool OVER the top party that everyone (and their Mom) wants to attend!! Get Hitched Give Hope 2012 is going to have a THEME!!  To show you the theme of the party (so you can start shopping for party clothes!) we are going to play a game!  A Trivia Game. Starting Friday June 1st – we will ask you a question. (every Monday, Wednesday & Friday… on Facebook) The first person to get the correct answer (without cheating… that’s right – no googling the answer!) will unlock a square. Once all of the squares are unlocked… the image -our 2012 Ad in Seattle Met Bride & Groom Magazine - will come into focus and the party theme will be revealed!! Got it?? Any questions??  Good!!

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

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