Manolo for the Brides

Remember Omnibus Driver? She wrote to ask a favor of us and it’s such a little thing that I think we should all do what she says (and no one gets hurt).

Please spread the word among your readers about this effort to help out a Chicago police officer who was paralyzed in the line of duty and the lovely lady who has been the rock by his side every step of the way. Come on! Help them get the wedding of their dreams!

Here’s the skinny: Densey and Mary want to win the Ultimate Wedding Contest. Yes, they’re already married, but they never had their dream wedding and now medical bills have pretty much made it an impossibility.

On May 27, 2009, my fiancé Densey, a Chicago Police Officer, was paralyzed in a head-on collision while responding to a burglary call. He was in a coma for four weeks, but we were married in the hospital when he awoke. Almost a year later, Densey grows stronger daily, but our lives are forever changed. With mounting medical bills, we can’t think about our dream wedding on a beach in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Densey has a machine that helps him stand for 30 minutes. To see him waiting for me, words cannot describe the feeling that would give me.

Here’s a pic of Densey and Mary:

You can vote for Densey and Mary here. Yes, you have to create an account, but it doesn’t cost anything and I think if anyone is deserving of a dream wedding, they are. Or just do it because Omnibus Driver is a cool chick.

…AJ and jstar, as chosen by our friend the Random Number Generator! Hopefully they’ll both get in touch with me soon with their mailing addresses so I can pass those along to the people at Kohl’s. Cheers, and hope everyone had a happy Turkey Day!

Lucky me, I have recently come into possession of not one, but two $25 Kohl’s gift cards! Instead of spending them on myself like a selfish witch, I’ve decided to give them away to two lucky readers who can spend them any way they want. My contests always get a little theme-y and this one’s no different. The theme this go around? It’s trashy, skanky, or otherwise extremely fugly wedding dresses or bridal accessories.

To enter to win one of the two $25 Kohl’s gift cards, leave a comment on this post describing the trashiest wedding dress or bridal accessory you’ve seen. Better yet, include a link to the offending gown or shoe or jewelry. Comments will be closed at noon on Friday, November 27, and the contest winners (chosen by our friend the Random Number Generator) will be announced shortly thereafter.

I can’t enter myself, of course, but to get you into the spirit of things, here are two pairs of bridal sneakers that you will not find at Kohl’s:

Yes, that’s a bridal sneaker with a four inch heel and a bridal sneaker wedge with a three-and-a-half inch heel, both of which feature a plasticized finish for durability. According to the Lovely Bride web site, these bridal sneakers are meant for the reception… so I suppose if the bride was wearing high heels, she could change into sneakers without stepping all over her hem? Personally, I think that if you’re going to change into sneakers, you could at least make them cute sneakers instead of shiny bedazzled monstrosities.

(via the lovely Lise who sent me a link to Tackyweddings.com)

I think that there’s still time to send in your wildest and weirdest wedding photos to TMZ’s Wacked Wedding Reception Photo Contest, but I’m not really sure since their contest page doesn’t make it abundantly clear. They’ll post the entries Saturday? This Saturday? Or Saturday next? Who knows! Still, the “Holy Sh*t?@!!?” snapshot you enter doesn’t have to come from your own wedding, and the prize is $250, so why not give it a go?

Wedding gowns are frequently budget busters, so wouldn’t it be lovely if you could get one for free? One bride-to-be who isn’t weirded out by the notion of wearing someone else’s wedding gown will be able to do just that, as Preownedweddingdresses is giving away $1,500 worth of secondhand designer gown. Until February 28, you can fill out the contest entry form once a day, and the winner will be selected on March 2.

You can win any wedding dress available for sale on Preownedweddingdresses, regardless of size, designer, or style. Basically, you choose the wedding dress you want if you win, and if it costs $1,500 or less, the site will buy it outright from the consignment seller. If it costs more, they’ll pay the seller $1,500 toward the dress, and all you have to do is pony up the difference.

Good luck!

Want free stuff?

• You still have 39 days to enter the David’s Bridal “One Love” contest, which ends on October 20 at 11:30 p.m. PT. The grand prize package is worth $5,270, which includes a $1,500 gift certificate toward your honeymoon; your choice of one wedding gown, up to four bridesmaid dresses, one bridal accessory, up to four bridal party gifts, and up to five tuxedo rental packages; and your choice of his and her wedding bands from Ice.com. To enter, create a photo collage representing your “One Love” using one item from each of the categories from the options listed in the entry editor including a wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses, bridal accessory item, bridal party gifts, groom’s and groomsmen’s tuxedos, wedding bands, and an optional photo.
• You still have 21 days to enter a contest launched by Courtship Stories. Send a synopsis of how you and your spouse-to-be met and fell in love to ellen@courtship-stories.com by November 1 to win a free courtship story and help submitting that story to other love story contests with wedding-related prizes. “Special consideration will be given to couples who have had to overcome physical and emotional obstacles to be with each other, or couples in which it would seem unbelievable that their paths would cross,” said Ellen Braunstein, writer and creative director of Courtship Stories. All entrants will receive a tip sheet on how to write their own courtship story.
• You still have 11 days to enter to win Focus Photography, Inc’s Free Destination Wedding Photography Package. The contest, which ends on September 22, aims to find the couple with the Most Adorable personality, Sweetest Smiles, and the Greatest Love Story ever. Prize winners will receive their destination package, which includes up to nine hours of coverage with two photogs, a two-hour trash the dress or engagement session (locals only), all of your high res images on DVD, and an online gallery. Entrants must be marrying sometime between 11/08 and 12/09 and be able to provide transportation for the photogs. To enter, e-mail your and your sweetie’s name and contact info, your wedding deets (date/venue/locale), a recent photo, your love story, and why you’re so damn fabulous to Janel@focusphotoinc.com.
• You have a whopping four days to enter to win an autographed copy of my very own book, iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net! Just leave a comment on this entry with a link to or description of the wedding item you’d buy or reserve if money was no object — maybe it’s a $10,000 gown or perhaps you’d rent out your local pro stadium for the reception. Whatever it is, tell us by 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 14. I’ll whip out the old random number generator and announce the winner on Monday morning.

Don’t forget to sign up for these contests with a catch-all e-mail address that differs from your usual addy to avoid massive spam. Good luck!

Joyful, carefree, and a little bit wild at the edges

8/8/08 is great! For more reasons than one…

Hacking the TwoBirds dress

Marriage is more than just the wedding

There’s just five days left to enter to win The DIY Bride

What does a £500 wedding look like?

The five second rule in action

Waddle Me Down the Aisle

I find it fascinating at how little things have changed since the 14th century

A wedding that’s truly out of this world

Nanny’s etiquette guide

Time warp wives?

Please give a hearty hand to Ms. 122, the winner of The Beau-coup Wedding Favors mini contest! If you’re reading this, Ms. 122, someone from Beau-coup Wedding Favors should be contacting you shortly so you can snap up some of the plantable seed favors you like so much. Congrats!