Taste of the Stars Gala

The other week Phong and I volunteered at the 11th Annual Taste of the Stars Gala for the Mid-Atlantic Starlight Children’s Foundation, which is dedicated to lifting the spirits of seriously ill children and their families in the region. The event, which was held at the Four Seasons Georgetown, was themed “Bedtime Bash”. The ballroom was completely draped in floor-to-ceiling blue dupioni silk, oversized candelabras were placed on various tables, and stunning calla lily floral arrangement were everywhere. Guests had an elegant dinner and specialty cocktails, and dinner concluded with a dessert of milk and cookies. The event raised over $500,000 from ticket sales, sponsorships, and the silent and live auctions, which featured items like a 1900 vintage bottle of Chateau Margaux, trips to the Kentucky Derby,  a Jamaican vacation, and some ski vacations.  After dinner one of the side ballrooms was transformed into a loungy club atmosphere with large bed like ottomans and pillows and a white dance floor.  It was a great event the all the guest enjoyed while supporting an amazing local cause. 

First 3 photos by Tony Powell

Earlier this year we were grateful to help Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants surprise a deserving couple with a dream wedding from San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway.  You can see photos & info here and press about the wedding and our video surprise here. Vanessa & Mike, the winning couple, were both Air Force Academy graduates, Michael returned from deployment, and Vanessa was in the midst of fighting stage IV Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Virginia. 

During the giveaway, Liz, decided to take the next step and founded Wish Upon a Wedding.  Wish Upon a Wedding is the world's first nonprofit wish granting organization that provides weddings & vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances. In less than a year the organization has 16 active chapters, and will have granted 12 wishes by the end of 2010.

During the month of November, the organization and it's chapters are hosting several fund raising galas & auctions throughout the country.  To support this great cause you can enjoy a night out at a local Blissful Wishes Ball or participate in the organization's online auction, Bid Your Wish for Wedded Bliss. Our local DC chapter is hosting their ball in Baltimore on November 17th.

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The online auction enables couples to plan their entire wedding knowing that every penny will go directly towards helping a couple in need.  In the online auction, you can find everything from invitations to flowers, catering to DJs, photography to wedding planners and more from the industry's best vendors.

San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway! Vanessa and Mike are the Winners!

Happy Valentines Day everyone! 

On Friday I had the honor of surprising an amazing couple (Vanessa and Mike) with great news! They were selected as the winning couple for the 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway and they truly deserve it. I was there with Kate Triano and Silk and Silver Productions to capture everything on film. Holly Chapple also donated a sunny uplifting bouquet for Vanessa!  

The San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway is valued at $100,000, and a combined effort of over 40 amazing vendors from California. Some of the vendors include Lilia Photography, Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Hello!Lucky , Hotel Vitale, wedding planning service by the very giving Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, the producer of the contest, and so many more.

Here is a little about the winning couple: Vanessa and Michael are both graduates from the Air Force Academy, Michael just returned from deployment, and Vanessa is fighting stage 4 cancer in Northern Virginia.  Luckily Vanessa was out of the hospital on Friday and staying at Mike's parents home, and Mike flew in for Valentines Day. 

Vanessa and Mike are such a sweet and fun loving couple and it was pure joy to surprise them with the amazing news! Here are some great images Kate Triano captured.   How cute are Vanessa and Mike!   We wish them all the best. 

Happy Valentines Day! 

Taste of the Stars Gala

Today I have some great pictures from the 9th Annual Taste of the Stars Gala that was held Saturday November 22nd at the lavish Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. We had the pleasure of volunteering our services for the day and can not think of a better cause. The Starlight Children’s Foundation rose over $460,000 during this Gala and all the proceeds will help brighten the lives of local children who are seriously ill.

The gala's theme was "Wines around the World" and guests were able to taste some of the worlds finest wines from France, Italy, Australia, and Napa Valley. Tucker Carlson, a MSNBC senior correspondent, was even the master of ceremonies.

The silent auction included jewelry from Tiny Jewel Box and Tiffany & Co., Redskin game packages, wine tours of Napa Valley, and many lots of fine wines. During th live auction paddles were flying for travel packages to Turks and Caicos, a one week trip to a medieval French Village, and even a Labrador Retriever puppy. After the live auction and wonderful dinner, the guests were invited to the after party in an adjacent room. During dinner we transformed the space from the wine room during the silent auction to a modern dance club with white dance floor, glowing bars, and stands for dancers.



It was a great event and we look forward to volunteering for many more in the future.