meet the finalists...

  Today we're announcing the three finalists for the 13:13 Photography Wedding Package Giveaway.  Yippeeee!!

So all you have to do is take a minute and check out their stories and comment on which couple should win this amazing prize. 

and here they are....

{melinda + matthew}

I am a visualartist-graphicdesigner-jewelrymaker-onlinevendor-writer-singer-gardener-wannabechef with an obsession for being outside. He is a classicalguitarist-teacher-luthier- handiman-entrepreneur-wannabejokester with an addiction to hot sauce.

We have both committed our lives to supporting the arts—to living in ways that are full of meaning and beauty and fun—which has meant pursuing untraditional work opportunities and forging our own paths. For all of the long lists of activities and accomplishments, we find ourselves with very rich lives but very limited financial means.

And now we are committing our lives to each other, and we imagine a simple, casual celebration surrounded by the people we most love. The ideas are still germinating, but we envision friends playing music on a rustic stage, a fire in the fireplace, tables decorated with wheat grass and bamboo plates, and a small selection of delicious food. Instead of do-it-YOURself, we’re gravitating toward do-it-OURselves, choosing options that support our creative friends and local small businesses, such as: renting the historic Gild Hall in the artist community of Arden, Delaware; brainstorming a low-cost, handmade wedding dress with a seamstress friend; providing locally brewed beer from Dock Street Brewery; ordering carrot cake from the West Philly “Carrot Cake Man,” who hawks his amazing $1 cupcakes on street corners; setting up a registry with a potter to add to our collection of unique, handmade dishes; and maybe (maybe!), if the budget allows, hiring a rapidly rising Mexi-Americana folk band that we’ve followed since we first saw them at a friend’s house concert. I want to hand-print each invitation with old metal typeface and string up excessive amounts of garland made from upcycled sheet music. He wants to build unusual wooden planters for the tables and find inexpensive ways to beautify every corner.

When we made our initial list of “must-haves” for our wedding, I immediately said “amazing photography!” envisioning artistic compositions that would create a vivid memory of the day’s details. But the reality of planning a $12,000 wedding means that we have to trim every possible expense and it looks more and more like hiring a top-notch photographer won’t make the cut. So here’s to photography give-aways and the glimmer of hope that all things might be possible.

{katie + ross}

My name is Katie H. and I am marrying the love of my life, Ross B., on September 3, 2011.  We are getting married in our home-state of North Carolina (although we both live in Portland, OR now) at a restored barn in Bermuda Run, NC (just outside of Winston-Salem). 

Our vision for the wedding is to keep it as environmentally friendly as possible, with a lot of personality and pizazz!  Instead of flowers, we are hoping to accent the space with lights and drapery.  We are going to do a major chunk of the decorations ourselves, of course with the help of our crafty friends and family.  The major issue for us is that by planning the wedding from across the country, we are limited to how much we can carry with us from home to wedding site.  My budget is not going to allow for us to ship a lot (if any) so we will be doing a LOT of stuff last minute (as in the week of the wedding).  

To us, the most important aspect of our wedding is the pictures.  My fiance is huge into photography (he is still a beginner but its definitely becoming a passion of his) and we both know that creative pictures that capture our unique and quirky personalities is crucial to our Big Day!  Unfortunately, because our budget is limited, we may not be able to afford a great photographer.  I have reviewed your portfolio and I am floored by your creativity and the way I can feel each person's light in the photographs.  I would be honored to have the two of you as our photographers.

 Thank you for considering us, 

Katie and Ross

Here is where we are getting married: http://winmock.com/home/winmock-home.php 

(The attached picture is us on the day we got engaged... it OF COURSE rained and the proposal Ross had planned was outside.  With wind-blown hair and rain-drenched clothes, the moment wasn't "picture perfect" but I couldn't have asked for a better day!)

{christy + michael}

Our idea of the perfect wedding is one where everyone is involved and the fun never ends.

Our bridal party consists of our closest friends including my close friend Lindsey who is making all of our hairpieces and boutonnieres. To take some of the nervousness out of the ceremony, they will be surprising us by coming down the aisle with fun dance moves, high fives and anything else they can come up with. The flower girl will be carrying a "here comes the bride" bunting flag and when the ceremony is over she will flip it to the back side where it will read " and they lived happily ever after". I will be walking down the isle to a bluegrass band with strong banjo tunes. (our favorite) The ceremony will be held at a local tree farm under their events pavilion and We will be exchanging our vows under a huppa that is being made by my father and my future hubby. Our flower accents will be hydrangeas,wheat, herbs, and baby's breath. 

Our reception will be held at our local National Guard Armory. We will have a dj, a photo booth and will be serving heavy hor d'oeuvres. We will be introduced, do our dance and then my dad and I will do our surprise father daugther dance, think chicken :) For our reception decor, we will be having a centerpiece party inviting all creative family members and friends to make a fun yet rustic centerpiece for each table. My future sister-in-law is great at coming up with decoration ideas, so she will be helping tons with decorating. We will be using flowers from my parent's and friend's hydrangea plants, mason jars from everyones personal canning collection and anything else that goes along with our theme. For our card box, we will be using my grandmothers old suitcase which will also hold pictures of our late family members and my brother is drawing a fingerprint wedding tree for signing in. In sum, our entire ceremony and reception will be made from the creative minds and hands of all that are near and dearest to us. We will be able to look back and know that every little detail has a story that will last a lifetime.

voting will end March 9th at 5pm est.

~voting has ended~