A local auction is giving soon-to-be brides and grooms the opportunity to save money on their big days and help a domestic violence shelter at the same time.
At 6 p.m on Thursday., the Brides Give Back charity event in Gilbert will showcase numerous wedding items for auction, event founder and host Sarah Ralston said, and all the proceeds will go to Faith House Arizona, a domestic violence shelter in northwest Maricopa County.
Ralston, an ASU journalism alumna, graduated in 2007. After graduation, she was featured on MTV’s The Real World: Hollywood.
Following her Real World appearance, Ralston returned to her passion of planning fundraising events for nonprofit organizations.
“I planned the event so brides [and grooms] could feel good about spending money on their wedding,” she said.
Donations include everything from custom wedding cakes and stationery to photography and catering services, she said.
Most items will be bid on in a silent auction, though there will also be a live auction for the more expensive items or services that were donated, Ralston said.
Beautiful Day Films, an Arizona-based videography company, was among the many donors, owner Nicole Stamps said.
The company is donating a full day of videography service worth $3,200 to the highest bidder, said Stamps.
And though the company has never participated in an event quite like Brides Give Back, she said, Beautiful Day Films is glad to help.
“[Beautiful Day Films] is always looking for a way to give back,” Stamps said, “and [Faith House] seems like a good place for women and their families to go in times of need.”
Another donor, Marisa Schibilla, agreed that domestic violence was a worthy cause, so her company, This Is Life Photography, donated one of the largest packages they offer.
This Is Life Photography donated a full photography service package that includes all-day photography coverage, a DVD of the photos and more, Schibilla said. The package is worth $2,800.
“[This Is Life] made sure to donate the most that it possibly could,” Schibilla said, so the couple that purchased the package would not need to spend additional money on photography.
Another participating vendor is Jones Street Press, owned and operated by Chrissy Koczenasz, a public relations graduate student.
The Arizona stationery company donated $500 worth of work for any “save the date” item, Koczenasz said.
She said the couple that purchases the service will be able to use a pre-made design, or Koczenasz will work with them to develop something original.
“Jones Street Press has been open for just over a year, so it’s good way to get the name out there” and help a cause at the same time, Koczenasz said.
With all the elements that go into planning a wedding, the results can be expensive, Ralston said, and she knows firsthand.
When planning her own wedding last October, she realized just how much one day can cost, and the average Arizona wedding runs a $34,000 tab, she said.
“It sort of made me sad that we’re spending so much money on this when others really need [the money], especially in these harsh economic times,” Ralston said.
Reach the reporter at abigail.gilmore@asu.edu.
