Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Minneapolis voluteers gone wild!

We had a very successful event this weekend because of the brides, volunteers and vendors that came together to make this event happen! The 2010 Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Gown Tour Event was fabulous. The grand total raised for the event was $15,300! We sold 24 gowns and about 30 other accessories. Overall, Making Memories was thrilled. They are going to do great things with the proceeds. Brides were leaving excited with their deals. We shed some tears over brides that were purchasing dresses in memory of loved ones that have passed from breast cancer. Everyone from volunteers, the foundation, the vendors, to the brides were thrilled. Thank you all for helping to make this event a success.

I am planning on bringing this event back next year and would love everyone's help again. We are going to need it because we will have an entire year to plan this time and it will be much busier! I planned this year's event in three months. We are looking at February or March 2011. To keep up with the event date, each of their 50 events has a flier on the bridesagainstbreastcancer.org website and you can check our date there.

Also, pass along to everyone that my office is a drop-off site for donated dresses all year round. My office is in International Market Square. I ask for a $20 donation to assist in some shipping and handling and cover the additional cost above and beyond that. I will also package up the dresses and send them.

Thank you to everyone involved and see you all next year!

Myself and Brenda the Making Memories Tour Director. I can't say enough good things about Brenda. She talked to each bride that has experienced the passing of a loved one to breast cancer. She said, "Tell me about your mom. I didn't get the chance to meet her. What hobbies did she have?" I was a puddle of tears. FYI- the brides that made purchases don't have breast cancer nor do you have to have a breast cancer connection to make a purchase or attend. That is just where the proceeds go.

Myself and Amanda. Amanda is the Events Manager at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center in Milwaukee. She planned the BABC event in Milwaukee this past April and raised $30,000! She had such a great time that she drove to Mpls to help us out. Watch out Amanda, we are going after that number for next year!

It is hard to tell in this picture what is happening but the volunteers are doing a "facedown". It is coined by a photographer in Seattle that you fall down on your face like you are exhausted and take a picture. People then send them to her from around the world and she puts them on her facebook. We had to do one for her in the shape of a pink ribbon.

I also want to thank the vendors/individuals involved:

• Amy and Anna with Fete Perfection, POSH Bridal, General Mills, Target, The Wedding Shoppe, Designs by Lisa located in IMS, and Baker Knapp & Tubbs located in IMS all sent over rock star volunteers!
• The vendors that played a part in being there that day. Jill from the Marriott who was our location host, Bellagala for the music, Erin Johnson Photography, Meg Hillary Luminaries, Studebakers Photobooth and Renee's Royal Valet for bringing the pink limo, The Traveling Photobooth, and Merina Bruda of Photo Bloom.
• Thank you to the companies that jumped on board to help promote the event without even hesitating: MN Bride, Twin City Bridal Association, Mpls St. Paul Magazine, KARE 11, metromag.com, KSTP, and Twin Cities METRO.
• Also, thank you to the vendors that sponsored the goodie bags: Twin City Bridal Association, Saavi, D'Amico, Dancers Studio, Adagio DJay Entertainment, Richfiled Flowers & Events, Ramada Plaza Minneapolis, The Copper Street Brass Quintet, and MN Bride.