CHARITY SHOOTOUT RECAP

CHARITY SHOOTOUT RECAP:

What an event! The room was literally buzzing with excitement on Monday night—where top wedding professionals and engaged couples mixed and mingled for another incredible benefit put on by Charity Shootouts. Held at the stunning Bel Air Bay Club (a gorgeous venue with an ocean view—THE perfect place for engagement photos), couples were able to test drive some of the top photographers in Southern California, as well as test drive hair and makeup artists and other wedding day specialists—and all for a great cause.  All proceeds at the end of the night went to Bridges to Ability, whose mission is to improve the lives of teens and adults with disabilities.

We covered the Charity Shootouts event that was put together by Jen O’Sullivan and Marriage.com in order to raise money for the Bridges to Ability foundation. Engaged couples were allowed to test drive several photographers with no pressure to book. In addition, several wedding specialists, ourselves included, donated their time in order to make this event that much more amazing. Over $5300 was raised!

A special shout out to the Pro 8mm team who brought super 8 cameras for us as well as participants to play with! You’ll be seeing more 8mm from us in the future!!!!
Here’s how the day went.

Music Licensed by: With Etiquette

Marriage.com was there, too! We were proud to partner with Charity Shootouts, an organization founded by Beverly Hills wedding photographer Jen O’Sullivan, to put on this social extravaganza. The night kicked off early at around 5PM, where eager couples filed into the airy upper clubhouse, filled with waiting professional photographers, makeup and hair artists, floral artists, event décor specialists, and more. Brides immediately began full-on pampering sessions as artists worked carefully on makeup, curled hair, and applied eyelashes. Pro photographers were matched up with couples for their engagement/wedding close-ups, and vendors everywhere were busy chatting it up with interested brides and grooms at their beautifully decorated booths. Walking in for the first time, we noticed the delectable displays of desserts and sugary creations from The Butter End Cakery. Gourmet cake? We couldn’t resist.  Kimberly, the owner of The Butter End Cakery and one of our Marriage.com experts, invited us to try the chocolate almond cherry cake with cherry buttercream, and we’ve been craving it since!

There were some great vendors at the event, including Archive Vintage Rentals who did a great showroom example, Wisteria Lane with absolutely gorgeous organic floral designs, and Candee by Sandee, with a colorful candy buffet which proved popular to all guests (couples and professionals alike) for the entire night! Guests also sipped on sparkling wine provided by Fresita, and delicious hors d’oeurves complimentary of the Bel Air Bay Club. Everyone loved The Pink Shutter photobooth, an awesomely innovative idea, which was set up for guests to have fun all night!

As the media sponsor for the occasion, we snapped quite a few photos (none of them as stunning as the photos being taken around us, of course) and said hello to friends—old and new!  We were happy to run into Marriage.com experts Shannon and Vikki, from All You Need Is Love Events, and Yasmine Joanides from A Regal Affair. Pro 8mm was more than happy to teach us about the wonders of motion picture film, and the music, provided by 11H Entertainment, did not stop for the entire night.

The event included a silent auction, where coveted items were bid upon throughout the night: from hotel night stays, trash the dress sessions, engagement sessions, gowns, and a gold cake server and knife set, almost everyone went home with something special. Live auction items included a wedding gown from Renee Strauss (who also happens to be one of our experts as well), a living trust, wedding photography packages, a month of wedding coordination, and more. Best of all was the kindness, generosity, and dedication of these wedding professionals willing to donate their time and efforts to a great cause. Thanks to all who came out, met up with Marriage.com and donated to such a great cause. We had a lot of fun, and we hope you did too!

Interested in donating to Bridges to Ability? The donation section will be open until 11:00 PST tonight.