Donate your wedding dress for breast cancer

Calling all brides!

On October 4th, you can appear live on Good Morning America AND help support Breast Cancer Awareness. BRIDES magazine is teaming up with Good Morning America to kick-off a national breast cancer fund-raising campaign that features donated wedding gowns. If you'd like to give your dress to the cause, email donatemydress@bridesmag.com by September 29th for more details.

If you're still shopping around for a dress and would like to help the breast cancer campaign, also invited to the dress sale of the century!

Who: BRIDES Magazine Something Pink Gown Sale
When: October 4, 5, 6 in NYC

Choose from thousands of designer dresses at irresistible prices! Proceeds go to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.

2 Fun Ways To Shop

1. PREVIEW SALE
Where: Lotus Shop 122 W. 26th St. NY, NY 10001
When: Oct 4, 2007 6:30-9 PM
What: Be the first to try on these gowns donated by designers and salons, assisted by the editors of BRIDES magazine. You'll get admission for one shopper and a guest, cocktails and a swag bag with goodies from Ralph Lauren, Hanky Panky, Godiva, and Target worth $500. Also a chance to win a $4,500 honeymoon to Maui!
Cost: $200
For tickets, go to www.brides.com/somethingpink

2. GENERAL SALE
Where: Lotus Space 122 W. 26th St. NY, NY 10001
When: October 5 & 6, 2007, 9 AM to 7 PM
What: Your ticket admits you and a guest to two hours of shopping. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.
Cost: $20
For tickets, go to www.brides.com/somethingpink

If you're still looking for some other worthy places to donate your wedding gown, here are a few other places listed on our website, www.TheWeddingPicture.biz

Donate WeddingGowns.com
This is part of African Street Kids.com. They raise money to fund their feeding programs and other projects to help destitute homeless kids living in the streets in Africa.

IDoFoundation.org
Donate your wedding dress through the I Do Foundation to raise funds for the I Do Charity of your choice. Their site has great ideas on creating a charitable wedding.

BridalGarden.org
When you purchase a sample or "once worn" gown, all the proceeds go to benefit NY's Sheltering Arms Children's Services where over 3,000 children and their families are helped through their various programs.

Tips for wedding photography on a budget

Here are some ideas on how you can save some money on wedding photography:

1. Hire a photographer for just part of the wedding.
Some photographers have packages, other photographers will work on an hourly rate. Perhaps you just need someone for group shots and portraits and maybe only an hour or two of the reception instead of an 8-10 package rate. It never hurts to ask.

2. Make the album yourself.
Some photographers make you buy their album in their package. Other photographers
will let you purchase your own album.(After all what if you don’t like the particular album they use? There are a million online companies now that sell albums. MAKE SURE YOU BUY ONE WITH ARCHIVAL PAGES so the pictures don’t get ruined over time.

3. Make the prints yourself.
Some photographers who shoot digitally will just let you purchase a CD with hi-resolution files so you can take them to be printed yourself. Photographers who shoot with film sometimes will let you purchase the negatives so you can print the
images yourself. The downfall here is that you have to make sure you are going to a
high end printer where the pros go and not your local drugstore. Do a test print or two to make sure.

4. Don’t buy those cameras for the table! The pictures never come out that good and you end up spending a lot of money.


5. Do not skimp on the photographer! Better to have someone great for less time than
a non-professional who isn't trained in wedding photography. That includes friends,
relatives and well meaning acquaintances who "moonlight" doing photography!