Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings, Inc.

I know it is April Fools Day but this is no joke!  Greatest Expectations has teamed up with 27 other Chicago wedding professionals to give away a wedding!  Yup … You read that right, we are giving it away … And all you have to do is enter to win! Here’s the scoop …

Chicagoland couples are invited to share their love stories for a chance to win the eleven eleven WEDDING, Chicago’s premier all-inclusive wedding giveaway valued at $60,000, to be held on Nov. 11, 2010, at West Loop Studio. Everything, from food to formalwear, flowers to the last dance, is included thanks to many of Chicago’s top wedding professionals.

Couples can enter by telling their love story, including the proposal, and by answering a few questions, like why they deserve to win the eleven eleven WEDDING giveaway. 10 semifinalists will be chosen and posted on the eleven eleven WEDDING site, where the public can then vote for their favorite couple. The couples with the top three votes will be interviewed by the planning committee and the winning couple will be announced on June 1, 2010, during a reveal party!

In order to enter you need to go to the eleven eleven WEDDING website and answer the following questions

• Tell their love story and the details of the proposal

• Answer why they deserve to win the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway

• Share the one moment they most look forward to on their wedding day

• Describe their design style

• Submit a picture of themselves

Applications will be accepted starting at 12:01 a.m. April 1, 2010. Deadline is 11:59 p.m. May 1, 2010. The ten semifinalists will be posted and public voting will begin on May 10, 2010.

Head on over and enter now!!!

Our good friends at Doug McGoldrick Wedding Photography is offering a fantastic deal between now and the end of May!

Simply book any wedding package with Doug and receive one free hour of photography and a free engagement portrait session! This is a $625.00 savings!! Oh I can imagine all of the beautiful pictures as I type … Now go all Doug, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

“My philosophy for photographing a wedding is pretty simple – Stay out of the way.  My method is to let the day unfold naturally and then capture the moment as it happens” ~ Doug McGoldrick

We are so excited to be part of this amazing event! If you are interested in applying for the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway we start taking submissions on April 1, 2010.  Check the eleven eleven WEDDING website often to learn about exciting new developments!

If you don’t already have your wedding invitations, and you want something fabulous then be sure to head over to Magnificent Milestones (inside the adorable Smitten Boutique) to receive 15% off of custom invitation orders of $800 or more through Sunday, April 4.

Appointments are necessary and limited so don’t wait, contact them right now!!

Please emailinvitations@magnificentmilestones.com to schedule an appointment.

Offer includes all components of your wedding invitation suite; excluding day of products such as ceremony programs, menus, placecards, etc. **Please mention this special and that you heard about it through Greatest Expectationswhen booking your appointment!

Here is your chance to get the perfect dress and support an amazing cause!!  April 2nd and 3rd Bride’s Against Breast Cancer will be hosting a dress sale at Wyndham Chicago.

Power Hour Preview Shopping Spree

Friday, April 2, 10 am – noon $20 per attendee

General Sale
Friday, April 2, 12 – 8 pm Free Admission
Saturday, April 3, 10 am – 4 pm Free Admission

If you are interested in volunteering for this event your help is appreciated and needed!

Here is a tiny excerpt from their website:

Our mission is to grant wishes, including memory-making events, for metastatic breast cancer patients, while continuing to support, educate and increase resource awareness.

We at Making Memories are dedicated to providing a spark of joy into the lives of women and men who are losing their battle against breast cancer. The tragedy of this illness is not merely the physical and emotional burden, but also the enormous financial strain it places on a family.  When insurance benefits are exhausted and mounting medical expenses deplete bank accounts, there is often little or no money left for special memory-making moments, set apart from the everyday sadness and turmoil of “saying goodbye.”

It is the driving force of our Foundation to make a wish come true for these brave fighters. The wishes and memory-making events we bestow, allows the individual and their family the opportunity to put aside the realities of this illness, if only for a time, while basking in the joy of one another’s presence.  Our sincere desire is for every terminally ill breast cancer patient to pass from this world, comforted in the knowledge of having left one final beautiful memory for his or her family.

A very dear friend of mine is hosting this fundraiser.  Get the little ones in your life and check it out!

Celebrating Neuro-Diversity is a benefit to help support 6 children who were nominated by their family and friends.  All of these children have a Neurological Disorder.  This year the common denominator is that each one of the children are on the Autism Spectrum.  The funds that will be raised will be split evenly and go to the children to help pay medical bills, pay for the help of an aide and/or send the child to a summer camp for children with special needs.

To purchase tickets, make a donation or be a part of the raffle/auction please visit the Neuro-Diversity Website.

If you have not already checked out Inspired By This I think you should get right to it!  I simply adore this blog and make sure to check it several times a day  We added them to our blog roll a few weeks ago, so I sure hope some of our loyal readers have checked it out!

I was “inspired” by their post this morning about custom chocolates!  Leila from Inspired By This is passionate about chocolate and let’s be honest … I have had quite a love affair with chocolate myself.

When it comes to favors I normally suggest making a donation instead.  There are so many amazing charitable organizations out there and it is easy to select one that is special to you and your fiance. But if you really want to give something then I say it simply must be edible (or drinkable).

Leila’s post today was the perfect combination of both the edible and charitable ideas. Introducing Chocri: Mein Schokolade! A site and service dedicated solely to make delicious and custom chocolate bars. Founded in Germany and just recently brought to the US in January, Chocri offers the most options out there to customize your bar; there are more than 100 toppings!

What really puts me over the edge in love with this custom chocolate bar company is that all of the chocolate is organic, fair trade chocolate from Belgium. As if that were not exciting enough, Chocri is also dedicated to giving back! They donate a percentage of their revenues to DIV Kinder which is an organization that supports children at the Ivory Coast.  You can even make an extra donation at check out if you so desire. These facts basically make the custom bars a perfect wedding favor! A delicious treat and charitable giving … A Perfect Pair!

Be sure to check in out Inspired By This … I promise you will not be disappointed!