Southern Weddings

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!  Yesterday’s Twitter contest was a hoot!  I asked people to hit me with their best southern sayings and boy did we laugh all the way to Hotlanta.  Emily and I are here for a gorgeous wedding today and just couldn’t pick three winners (prizes: 3 iTunes gift cards and a special southern something for the grand prize winner), so we’re letting y’all VOTE.  If you have trouble reading these, just click here to see yesterday’s replies.  I didn’t have time to sort through all of them and pick out non-contest replies and we didn’t include direct messages.   Voting ends Tuesday at midnight. Have fun and spread the word!  – Lara

Leave a comment with the twitter name or saying here.  Have fun y’all!

Last month, we asked our loyal vendors and readers to share the causes closest to their hearts.  The responses we received were nothing short of amazing.  It’s so inspiring to be reminded that there are people who still are deeply committed to and passionate about helping those in need. 

Sasha Souza’s commitment to the SEARCH Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to helping professionals in the events industry who are faced with catastrophic loss or illness, really spoke to us.  Sasha, a member of the Board of Directors and the current Events Chair responsible for planning national fundraising events,  and her colleagues are dedicated to helping individuals in need regardless of their association affiliation, rank or business contacts.  What’s unique about the SEARCH Foundation is how generously and profoundly they help event professionals, who are almost always self- or seasonally-employed and without the medical benefits and protection offered by many large companies).

The SW girls are so grateful for the positive and powerful impact SEARCH has on the entire event industry.  As a small token of our appreciation and admiration for what Sasha Souza and the SEARCH Foundation do for the talented professionals in our industry, we’d like to make a donation of our own to SEARCH and give Sasha a free ad in our November issue. 

Now get ready, because this next story from two of our very favorite photographers, David and Linda Murray, is something really special (and totally appropriate for October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month).  When David’s younger sister, Ann, was first diagnosed with breast cancer at 38, this husband-and-wife duo used their talents with photography and film to make a difference in a big way.

To help Ann through her ordeal, big brother David documented her journey with his camera while Linda and Ann teamed up to make a documentary film.  The Breast Cancer Diaries initially was filmed as a non-profit venture that directed profits toward a free screening of what is an exceptionally inspiring, humorous and uplifting documentary film.  What began as a hit documentary film quickly turned into an inspiring and impassioned cause that is near and dear to this husband-and-wife team’s heart. 

On the heels of their film project, David and Linda launched Project Pink, a non-profit devoted to giving help and hope to young women with breast cancer.  To reach out to, support and encourage these wonderful women, leading members of the wedding community and college sororities across the country are assembling hot pink “swag bags” filled with personal copies of The Breast Cancer Diaries, pink diaries and matching pens, pink pashminas and other items generously donated by corporate sponsors. 

We were so inspired by David and Linda’s commitment to breast cancer awareness and recovery we just knew we had to get behind this pink-friendly cause.  To recognize the Murrays’ initiative, the SW girls will be creating a hot pink swag bag of our very own, filled with a bevy of pink items and lots of Southern Weddings love.  David + Linda, we can’t thank you enough for sharing this incredible story with us! 

Happy Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Don’t forget to THINK PINK!