Amy and I had the pleasure of announcing this years’ winners for the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway and the moment brought back so many unforgettable memories of our entire experience. To stand before all of the vendors and finalists with the winning envelope in our hands made both of our hearts race as if we were finalists all over again.
The excitement of the moment overwhelmed us prior to even arriving to the reveal party. On the car ride to the restaurant, Amy and I were reminiscing about the entire experience. Being in shock that we’ve been married for roughly 6 months, we realized that the winning couple would be experiencing a life changing period of their lives that simply left us speechless. (For those of you that know me, this is very rare!!) What was so amazing was that we were given the opportunity to meet all of the wonderful vendors again. This was really important to us because we have been wanting to thank all of them again and again and again. To see the excitement in their eyes as they anticipated the announcement of this years’ winners truly embodies the essence of who they really are as individuals; so loving and gracious.
As we were watching the interviews prior to the announcement, Amy and I were very nervous (in excitement). We were whispering under our voices the entire time trying to game plan a “cool” way of announcing the winners. Well, as usual, we bombed. No fancy words or ridiculous antics, we froze and simply read the names on the piece of paper. I guess it all makes sense; very few things in life go as planned. Being on the other side at the reveal party was just as exciting as being a finalist waiting for the winners to be announced. It’s like everybody there was family….such an amazing feeling.
To Connie and Jessica….congratulations and get ready for the ride of your lives…it’s going to be fantastic.
In case you have not already seen it, here is the awesome video from the Live Reveal Party at Nellcote, thank you Poetic Productions. Thanks again to Amy and Howard for announcing our 2012 winners!
First off let me just start by thanking everyone behind the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway. Thank you to everyone who voted for us and thank you to the amazing sponsors!
The past month has been intense! We spent the whole voting week glued to our computers, phones, and pounding the pavement. We pestered our friends and family, we contacted every media source we could get our hands on, and utilized social networking websites to promote the contest in every way possible. We were so shocked by the overwhelming response from everyone that voted for us, shared our link, or wrote about our story. Our story and the contest was shared all around the world! We received such wonderful responses from long lost grade school friends to the It Gets Better Project. Regardless of whether we won or lost, we felt like this contest showed us that we are loved, that we are accepted, and that there is so much support for our relationship and for same-sex marriage. We never dreamed of this much support.
When we found out that we were finalists we were even more surprised! All our hard work (17 hour days of tweeting, sending out press releases, going to local businesses and organizations) really paid off. The next step was the interview processes. We were so excited to meet the Greatest Expectations team! Poetic Productions made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera! After the interview we waited a few weeks for the live reveal event at Nellcote. Let me just say that we were sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear who won!
Tuesday night finally came and we were so excited to be able to bring three of our closest friends and Jessica’s mother to Nellcote for the live reveal. The staff at Nellcote was wonderful, the food and drinks were amazing, and the space was stunning! It was a pleasure to finally meet the other finalists and generous sponsors, but as the event went on we grew more and more excited for the big reveal! Luckily having a blast in the Shutterbooth photo booth kept us at ease.
And then.. all of a sudden there we were, watching the interviews with the other couples and ourselves. Everyone had such an amazing story, some of which brought us to tears. It was such an honor to be in this contest with the three other couples. Then finally.. the big moment when last year’s winners Amy and Howard came to announce the 2012 winners and it was (Drum Roll Please!) Connie and Jessica! We were beyond shocked, but as we held each other close and cried, the applause from the crowd and the love from our friends and family affirmed our win.
The sponsors and other couples rushed to congratulate us with hugs and kind words. Our friends and family, who have been so supportive throughout our relationship and this contest cried. It was overwhelming and emotional and we couldn’t have felt more love and acceptance in that moment. We are truly blessed.
We cannot wait to start the planning process with all the wonderful sponsors of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway! We look forward to keeping everyone up to date throughout the process! And guess what? We’re getting married… IN NOVEMBER!
We are so pleased to announce that the 2012 winners of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway are Connie and Jessica! This adorable couple impressed the sponsors with their beautiful love story and zest for life!
Connie and Jessica will be documenting their entire wedding planning journey so be sure to keep checking back for fun details!
We would like to give an extra special thank you to Nellcote for hosting the most amazing Live Reveal Party last night, Cris from BKO for the entertainment and to Amanda Hein for capturing these stunning images (she promises more will come very soon)! It was fantastic to see so many of our sponsors come out for the big reveal … This giveaway would not be possible with out them!
Thank you to ALL of our amazing finalists for taking this exciting journey with us and congratulations to Connie and Jessica! Buckle up, this will be a fun ride
