Archive for the ‘The TBP Team’ Category
On behalf of The Brides’ Project, we’d like to welcome YOU… our friends, our brides, and community to join us for Relay for Life 2010!
We began our involvement in 2008, and this Canadian Cancer Society event is remarkable. From the Survivor’s Lap, to the lighting of the Luminaries… and walking in the dark around a circle of candles lit for loved ones… you can’t help absorbing the profound sense of community amongst those in attendance to help the fight against cancer.
For 2010, we have doubled our efforts with 2 teams, and we invite you to join us or provide a pledge to help us achieve our fundraising goal of $10,000 here. Just search for “Brides” and you’ll find our 2 teams… you can join us, sponsor us, or buy a luminary to remember a loved one.
The Brides’ Project
The Brides’ Project Too
Our team video from 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJPnukcBp1M
Photos from 2009: TBP Relay For Life 2009
In 2008, Dean Oros Photography was there as a volunteer and his work has since been selected as a part of Photosensitive: Cancer Connections. This is a cross-Canada initiative that includes works by prominent photographers who have captured images that depict being touched by cancer in an effort to raise funds and awareness. Here is one of his pieces, from the series called “Angelic”. You can also contact Dean directly to order prints or invite him to provide you with his exquisite talent in wedding photography. His work is not only widely recognized, but I have to say he’s one of the most incredible people to work with.
We’d like to thank Dean for his stunning art, and at the same time, really hope to see YOU involved in this event as well! Being involved in events like this gives us hope as well… and in the 6 years we have been around, we have reason for it. Organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society are having their own impact, and the Survivors Lap has more and more members every year as a result. Come out and see!
For more info about how you can take part, please visit the Canadian Cancer Society website or email us.
Tonight, six of our staff enjoyed Quality Comedy at Hugh’s room… a comedy night fundraiser for Camp Quality, and presented them with a cheque for $10,000. That’s a lot of zeros… yahoo!
Our focus on this night was to offer a donation but also to thank our volunteers for all their time, and tireless efforts. Tonight I was joined by Vanessa, Gail, Mirela, Dorothy and Melody including spouses, friends, and associates to celebrate all the hard work everyone has made to make this contribution a reality. Our gown operations are completely volunteer operated… and all these women dedicate hours upon hours of time in multiple ways. They help operate the shop, organize events, run the website, respond to inquiries, help find sources for printing and other needs… and inspire others to take part as well! Their contributions are priceless, and appreciated.
Of course… our thanks also go to many others who make it possible; the generosity of salons, designers and individual brides who have parted with their gowns… and all the beautiful new brides cherishing the gowns they have found here!
Thank you ALL.
Look forward to upcoming updates about our 2nd Quarter activities with the Canadian Cancer Society and Relay for Life event on June 11, 2010. We hope to keep those zeros coming in terms of our contribution through this event. We’ll have 2 teams, all decked out… and our usual enthusiastic group of supporters to make it FUN. We’ll also be inviting YOU to take part as well!
Well, sometimes. If you come with treats, cuddles, and aren’t allergic to us. We’re usually out of sight by the time you come here for appointments or to drop off dresses, but if you do see us basking in the spring sun (where ARE you, spring sun?? come back!), we looooooove attention!
Ladies (and let’s not forget the gents!), today is the last day of the National Bridal Show and we’re there right until the end… come by our booth before 8pm! We’re located directly across from the male models — if you’ve spotted them then you can’t miss us 
And for the American brides who are looking for a way to make a difference in the lives of those living with cancer, we have a partner in Michigan:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Brides’ Project is expanding!!! We have some very exciting news to share about our new affiliate in the United States!
Monique will be heading up our US office, located in Ann Arbor, MI. We certainly hope that The Brides’ Project, Ann Arbor will enjoy the same wonderful participation from YOU, the brides, that we have here in Canada. After all, this is the brides’ project… made possible by and for you. Welcome on board Monique!
You can read about The Brides’ Project Ann Arbor (affectionately known at TBPA2) here, and feel free to drop Monique a line about donating your dress or finding that perfect gown for your wedding. Click here to reach her and find out how to get involved!
As volunteers at The Brides’ Project we are always in awe of the fantastic people we get to meet and interact with… we couldn’t do what we do without you! Since the segment Wedding Bills aired on CBC The National we have been flooded with donations… on a recent stop at the shop we joked that it looked like the front hall had thrown up dresses!
We’ve received some fabulous donations from all across the country and they keep coming in!… which means some great new frocks for our brides-to-be!
We are happy to try to find a new home for dresses less than 5 years old. Unfortunately, we just don’t have the space for dresses older than this or for bridesmaid/mother of the bride dresses.
To donate your dress, you can drop it off anytime during business hours (listed on the website) or mail it directly to us. Dresses do not need to be cleaned prior to being donated. Some of our donors include a note to the future bride to be. This generally includes wishing them luck, possibly describing a bit about what the dress meant to their day, sharing a funny story about their dress and/or describing why donating the dress to The Brides Project was important to them. This is not necessary but is a nice touch if you have the time.
We are also always looking for donations of hangers, large garment bags, mirrors and most importantly… your time! If you would like to join our growing team of fun and dedicated volunteers, drop us a line!
Coming up with a title for this made me laugh Click on the pic for a closer look.
This is just a tiny preview of the photo album for Relay For Life, which took place June 12th at Forest Hill Memorial Park. Stay tuned for more!
Just in case you missed the show last night:
CBC’s The National Special Feature: Wedding Bills – June 22, 2009 [update: link isn't working right now as CBC is retooling their archives; will post when there's a link again]
Tune in tonight to The National to see the feature on weddings… CBC spent a day at The Brides Project and we’re sure that there is some great footage in there! We’ll post a link once it’s up as well!
Thanks for all your support – you make doing what we do worthwhile and it’s great to be noticed!
Relay For Life was a blast! More photos to come after we recover!
Update: it was announced on Saturday morning at the closing ceremonies that more than $200,000 was raised, and according to the event homepage this doubles the Relay 2009 campaign goal of $100,000! Thank you to everyone who sponsored!
The Brides’ Project will be open this weekend as per usual, but with shortened hours:
Saturday, 12-5pm (we will be closed 10am-12pm)
Sunday, 12-3pm (we will be closed 3-5pm)
If you’d like to make an appointment, we have limited slots for Saturday and maybe one more spot for Sunday. If you’d like to browse our veils and other accessories, you don’t need an appointment.
And, did you know that The Brides’ Project also has the world’s largest concentration of cute redheads in our midst? We sure do! This hip baby is Matthew, volunteer extraordinaire Vanessa’s boy, and he’s a few months younger than Princess Eve.
Can you guess which Brides’ Project volunteer this is? No peeking at the filenames!
Thanks to all the generous support from recent Brides Project shoppers and the efforts of our fabulous volunteers, a nice big cheque is on it’s way to Camp Quality! This is what we do it for everyone… and it never stops feeling fabulous to stick the stamp on that envelope!!!
…Stay tuned for more news about how The Brides Project is supporting the Relay for Life!!!
Apparently spring showed up with a bang this weekend (20/22C temperatures!), and Charlie and Douglas are begging to be introduced:
Charlie’s the smaller kitty, but I can tell you he is far from small!
And, while it’s spring on the outside, we also have spring on the inside:
This lovely bouquet belongs to our volunteer-in-residence, Jacky — it was her second wedding anniversary this past week and her husband handpicked each flower. Ladies, marry someone who handpicks your flowers and you’re off to a good start
I’ll be posting some gown photos tomorrow, but for now I’ll introduce you to two of the tabbies-in-residence, Charlie and Douglas. You’re likely to never see them as they are always behind closed doors while the shop is open, but if you hear plaintive meowing on the main floor it’s probably Charlie and Douglas demanding some attention. They’re cats, after all!
By the sounds, you’d think they were little creatures but they’re rather, um, GIRTHFUL tabbies, especially Douglas.
A few photos from today, starting with Sir Charlie:
Sir Douglas
Eve is officially a part of the Brides’ Project. If you drop in for dresses, chances are you’ll have an encounter with the red-headed firecracker, our youngest volunteer. We are teaching her all the lingo: she can say “size 10/12″, “dress”, “tag”, “train” and “pretty-pretty”.
You can view more photos from Eve’s photo shoot with Gail as thumbnails, a slideshow, or through the Pictobrowser below (click on the photo to advance to the next one):
[pictobrowser 44124342631@N01 72157615375741259]
Did you know that The Brides’ Project Castle has a Princess in Residence? Her name is Eve, and she’s 18 months old.
Well, I can tell you Helen’s a long way from any crinoline or fascinators, that’s for sure… she’s in India! I took this photo just days before her (first) flight over in November. I’ll bet she’s ditched the hoodie by now (if she took it along at all).
You’ll see under the “News” heading on the sidebar that Helen’s created a few pages in which to write to her heart’s content:
It’s an interesting first-hand account of Helen’s experiences in India and I’m sure she’ll keep writing while she’s there. Check back for updates!
Vanessa, one of The Brides’ Project’s stellar volunteers, was interviewed by Sun Media recently and the article about The Brides’ Project appears in yesterday’s copy of 24 Hours on page 6. You can click on the image to enlarge it, or view the article on the Sun Media website here. It will be archived after today, but you can do a search for the article in the Sun Media search toolbar at the top of the page. Thanks, Vanessa!
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