Wear It Again: Be There or Be Square and RSVP!

Hey all!

Well lookie-loo here! A very unorthodox late afternoon post from the Swoon girls :)  Just a few more bits of info to answer some recurring questions about our big Wear It Again event on January 28, 2012. 

* When should I sign up?  RSVP NOW!  The deadline to sign up for this super fun girls night out is December 18, 2011.  To register, simply click on the link above, which has very detailed instructions.  We hope to add a tab to the blog soon for even easier registration.

* Am I going to be the only one not wearing a wedding dress?  NO!  Don't worry if you don't have a wedding dress or feel funny about wearing yours.  While Jamie is donning her lovely gown, I decided to wear one of my favorite formal dresses that I haven't worn in ages.  I assure you: you will not be the only one not wearing a wedding gown! 

* Am I going to be the only one wearing a wedding dress? NO! Jamie will have hers on and we know of several women who are totally planning to wear their gowns.  We anticipate a pretty good mix of gowns that night.   And hello - cocktails.

* Will there be food?  NO!  We really wanted to offer something to eat, but it was beyond the budget.  Ticket prices would have been at least double the modest $45 they are now (and remember, that $45 is two hours open bar!).  This is why the event starts at 8 pm: eat a hearty meal and come ready to dance.  If you're really hungry, you can order food delivered to your posse right there in the ballroom.  :)

* What if it snows?  There is no Plan B if it snows.  Yes, the event is January in Philadelphia.  Honestly, the only reason we could get the price we did at the hotel and the talented professionals who are working with us was because it is their off season.  All of our amazing pros have either dramatically reduced or entirely waived their normal costs to support this cause.  

I hope this helps answer some questions.  Don't delay ... register today!

See you swoon,

11 weeks to go!

We are getting close!  Wear It Again is only 11 weeks away so for those of you that want to join in the fun there is still time to sign up.   For anyone that need the details on the evening you can read all about it here.

If you are sitting there wondering what in the heck you are going to wear if you don't have a wedding dress and would like to wear one or the one that you did wear doesn't quite fit the way it did before, David's Bridal is having their $99.00 event going on now through November 21st.  Shanna will be visiting David's Bridal in the very near future to take advantage of this sale, at the end of the evening we will be collecting dress donations for brides in need of a gown for their big day and are currently working on gown preservation for anyone that wants to wrap their dress back up in a  pretty box....that is until our next event!

This evening is not only for those who want to wear a wedding dress again, we would love to see you in your bridesmaid dress, mother of the bride or groom dress, or any formal dress that you have been longing to wear one more time.  So dust em' off and get ready to dance the night away!

Hope to see you there!

See you swoon,

5 reasons you should wear it again...

The days are flying by and before you know it, January 28th 2012, our long awaited Wear It Again event will be here.  So to get all you as pumped up about the big day as we are let me show you five reasons why you don't want to miss this!

1.  First amd foremost, all proceeds will go to benefit a very special charity, The Nursing Mother's Advisory Council.  So not only are you partying the night away, you are donating to a great cause at the same time!



2.  This is one of my favorites: You get to wear you most prized evening wear all over again, whether it is your wedding dress, mother of the bride dress, or bridesmaid dress.  We know you are dying to wear it again and trust us, it will feel good.

It  may be tight but I am going for this (we will see what winter and lots of holiday dinners bring to the waisteline):

and Shanna, well, she has told me that her heart and mind will be thinking of this beauty but after the babies that is where this dress may have to stay.  Yay for babies, boo for stretched out rib cages.  From what I hear though it is all worth it!!

3.  This is almost as important as number two:  A night out with your best girlfriends of course!  There is no substitution for a girl's night out so grab all the ladies and bring them for a night you won't soon forget.  It's all about the memories so make sure to bring your cameras and put this one in the history books.  Don't forget we have set up accomodations at the Holiday Inn so for thse of you planning to watch the sun come up you can be rest assured that when you do finally decide to lay your head down, we have a place for you to do it :)

4.  An amazing DJ in the entertainment insdustry who will have you dancing your butts off all night.  We all know the music makes the party and Fred Hart will exceed all expectations.  Thank you Fred, we cannot wait to see you!

5.  Last but certainly not least, you can capture fun photos of you and your girls in the Shutterbooth which our friend and one of our favorite vendors, Roxanne from Philadelphia Shutterbooth, will be bringing.  We want to see you all doing this:

No, I don't know these people but they were on the website which you should check out if you ever need them to attend your event!

So there you have it, five reasons we need to see your happy, smiling faces in a few short months.  Tickets are on sale now so we will look forward to hearing from you (you can check out instructions for purchasing tickets here)!

See you swoon,

Wear It Again 2012: It's time to get this party started!

Come one, come all!  The time has come for Wear it Again ticket sales to open!  For those of you who missed our post a couple months ago you can check it out here but Wear It Again is our labor of love that welcomes women everywhere to wear their wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and mother of the bride and groom dresses again!  If we missed any dresses you want to wear again please feel free to add it in to the mix, we want everyone to be a part of this!

What: Wear It Again 2012
Where: Holiday Inn
             432 West Pennsylvania Ave.
             Ft. Washington, PA 19034
             (215) 643-3000 (for reservations)
When: January 28th 2012
Time: 8PM-11PM
Tickets: $45.00 per person

And now for the details ...

* What It Is *

Wear It Again will be a girls night out to remember with amazing music by Frederick Hart Entertainment (who we blogged about here), great memories captured in the photo booth provided by Roxanne at Shutterbooth Philadelphia (who we blogged about here) and our wonderful friend and photographer Lisa Levine Kempner (who we worked with here and here and here!).  All proceeds from this event will be going to our charity that we hold near and dear to our hearts and one that Shanna is a part of, The Nursing Mothers Advisory Council (with a little more information here).

* What To Wear *

Just to throw out a few ideas for those of you wanting to wear a wedding dress again but may, cough, cough, not quite fit into those lovely threads the way you used to or are hesitant to rip it out of the box you planned to keep it in for the rest of your life :)  Some of our friends will be visiting the David's Bridal $99 event to purchase a dress for the evening and will then donate it at the end of the night.  Of course you do not have to donate, but if you want to, we plan to accept gown donations at the end of the night and will take them to a local charity for resale to brides in need (we also plan to provide receipts for this for tax purposes).  We are also planning to have gown preservation available for those of you who want to break this bad boy(well girl really) out for one evening and then place her back into a safe home for all of eternity (unless you want to attend another WIA that we will have in years to come).  More details to come on these, but rest assured you will have lots of options for that lovely gown.

* How to Sign Up *

Ticket sales are now open!  Our evening starts at 8PM and will end at 11PM with open bar for the first two hours so make sure to to eat a hearty meal before you arrive and be ready to dance the night away with great music and memories to take home with you.  Oh and for those of you wanting to stay over, the Holiday Inn will have rooms ready for any ladies that want to take their girls night into the weeeee hours of the morning.  Signing up is easy!

1. Send us an email at WIA@swoonstylehome.com with your name, birthdate (sorry, event is open only to those 21 years of age and older ...) and telephone number. Please put "REGISTER" in the subject of this email.  
2. Then Paypal us $45 for your ticket.  Paypal address is the same as the registration address: WIA@swoonstylehome.com.  
3. We will provide a receipt by email with your ticket number within 24 hours (please note: receipts are not automatic responses).  
4. Save this email and the ticket number and bring the print out (or your ticket number) with you the night of the event! 

See? Super easy!  Now, if you do not have Paypal and would like to pay via check, just mention that in your registration email and we'll handle that with you.  Any questions? Just email us at the official Wear it Again email account: WIA@swoonstylehome.com.

:)

* Where To Stay *

Why, the Holiday Inn - Fort Washington, of course!  We've blocked off a bundle of rooms for the event, and the rate is very reasonable.  Plus the hotel is so super easy to get to! It's right off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Fort Washington exit) and is walking distance to the Lansdale-Doylestown SEPTA line with direct service to Center City.  We envision this as a girls night out/weekend away, so make plans with your besties, grab a hotel room and plan to spend the night!  The hotel is recently renovated and the rooms are bright and nice (my wedding guests and I stayed there for my 2009 wedding and everyone was impressed!).  Shanna and I will provide local info for you upon check-in.

And that does it!  We cannot wait to see you all there! Register soon!

See you swoon,

Wear It Again: Our Chosen Cause - The NMAC

Wear it Again update!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about our big Wear It Again gala, which we are having in January 2012.  We cannot wait! This event is open to everyone: friends, family, our blogger friends and anyone in the general public ... send us an email if you and your girls might want to join in the fun!  We will, of course, have more information in the coming months.

In addition to being a fun party, our gala will benefit a cause near and dear to my heart: the Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill Chapter of the Nursing Mothers Advisory Council.   The Nursing Mothers Advisory Council ("NMAC") is a non-profit, volunteer organization serving areas of Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania.  NMAC is comprised of a group of trained volunteer women who have breastfed their children and who wish to help others have a positive nursing experience.  NMAC volunteers offer support and counseling, free of charge, without judgment.  

photo found here

I have been a counselor with the NMAC since 2007 and am proud to be affiliated with such an amazingly worthwhile organization.  Jamie and I are pleased to offer any and all proceeds from the Wear it Again gala to the NMAC-Chestnut Hill chapter for use as the leaders of the organization see fit.  

So dust off your dresses and get ready to dance the night away!  It should make you feel doubly good that you're benefiting a pretty terrific cause.

See you swoon,

Announcing ... Wear It Again!

And by "it" we mean your wedding gowns.  Oh yes ... gird your loins, friends, this is going to be BIG.

Jamie and I are sooooo excited to announce a milestone event we are planning: the Wear It Again gala! Look, even our cameo logos are all gussied up!

We have often said how much fun it would be to get to wear our wedding gowns again.  You spend all that time and money finding the *perfect* gown and only get to wear it for a day? That does not seem fair.  So why not have an event where women are encouraged to don their wedding day finest just one more time?  And it's not limited to former brides: bridesmaids dresses, mother of the bride gowns, black tie gowns that are gathering dust ... anything goes.  {We fully recognize that for most people, the wedding dress will no longer fit. We have work-arounds for that and will be able to help you fit enough into your gown to wear it and have fun.}

So more details will come but here are the basics:

• Date: Saturday January 28, 2012
• Place: Holiday Inn, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
• Time: 8-11 pm
• Open bar from 8-10; cash bar from 10-11
• Reduced room rates at the recently remodeled Holiday Inn - come with your girls for a night away!
• Amazing DJ Fred Hart providing the tunes so we can dance the night away
• Equally amazing Roxanne of Shutterbooth Philadelphia on hand with her photo booth!
• Price: probably around $40
• All proceeds benefit a terrific charity near and dear to our hearts (more on that soon)!

We are also hoping to have some options for the gowns at the end of the night: possibly a charity taking them for donations (and tax purposes for you), possibly a bridal salon offering a discount to preserve the gown after the event.  Stay tuned.  But rest assured, on January 28, 2012, come hell or high water, you will see the below two lovely gowns pulled from their preserved box and closet and hit the dance floor once more!  Join us!

We'd love to hear if anyone is game for joining us at the event.  Email us at WIA@swoonstylehome.com and let us know.  We'll be blogging about it tons and tons more in the coming months and will open up the ticket sales in the Summer.

See you swoon,