Sunnyvale wedding dress event to benefit nonprofit
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (KGO) -- If you or someone you know is getting married soon, you might want to let them know about a huge sale of wedding gowns beginning Friday in Sunnyvale. You may not only find your dream dress, but also make someone else's dream come true. It's an event that benefits a nonprofit that grants weddings to people with serious or terminal illnesses.
Ric and Renee Schmitt Wilbourn had been engaged for 15 years. They finally were able to get married a month ago thanks to the generosity of Wish Upon A Wedding.
"We love each other so much and we were meant to be," Renee said. "There was just something always that came in our way to hold us back."
Renee has lived all those years with an autoimmune disease that affects her spine. Three years ago her husband was diagnosed with a form of cancer. Add financial difficulties to all that, and the couple says the time was never right. Despite that, their love never wavered.
"Whatever the outcome is, all three of us support each other," Ric said.
The third person in their life is their 9-year old son Tyler. He lives with asthma.
This is where Wish Upon A Wedding comes in. The organization grants weddings to couples dealing with serious illnesses.
"Wish Upon A Wedding provides all the basic needs," said Elisheva Basser with the nonprofit. "We found really generous donations from all sorts of wedding professionals and wedding vendors."
Fifty percent of the proceeds from a wedding dress sale this weekend in Sunnyvale will benefit Wish Upon A Wedding.
The sale is put on by the for profit group Brides for a Cause out of Portland, Oregon.
In three years, the company says it's donated about $300,000 to Wish Upon A Wedding.
All the wedding dresses are donated.
"We wouldn't be able to exist without generosity from people from brides who donate their dresses to bridal stores that want to support our cause," said Erin Scharf with Brides for a Cause.
Five hundred wedding dresses will be on sale this weekend ranging from size 0 to 30 with prices as low as $150.
A Jasmine Bridal wedding dress with a fun skirt and lace detail retails for $1,200, but is on sale this weekend for $300.
A silk Jenny Yoo wedding dress has a long train and a sweetheart neckline. Retail price $1,200, but you can get it for $400.
"This is a Pronovias dress," said Scharf. "So when I mention high end dresses, we have them. This is some real nice crochet lace with a real nice train here."
The dress retails for $2,000, but is on sale for $500.
A VIP sale begins Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale. Admission is $20 for a bride and a guest. Saturday and Sunday admission is free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for information on the Charity Wedding Dress Sale at The Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale, and click here for details on how to apply for your wedding wish from Wish Upon A Wedding.
We'd like to thank Andrew Hsu of StudioMSV.com for use of his photos and ExtremeVisionFilms for use of the wedding video.
