Gowns & Crowns Media Kit

NEWS RELEASE Feb. 4, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information: Madison Longust, Executive Director

Office: 281-‐586-‐5455 Email: [email protected]

NON-‐PROFIT HOSTS FASHION SHOW TO HELP LOW-‐INCOME BRIDES Annual Gowns & Crowns Fashion Show turns dreams into realities

STILLWATER, Okla. – A Cinderella Project hosts Gowns & Crowns Bridal Fashion Show on Feb. 25, 2012 at Le Jardin Events, located at 17111 Bamwood, Houston, Texas 77090 at 10 a.m. Sponsored by Le Jardin Events, Visible Changes and Clinque, Gowns & Crowns is an opportunity for low-‐income, hopeless brides to find their wedding day attire and arrange appointments with hair stylists and makeup artists. Admission to the event is $5 at the door and all proceeds benefit A Cinderella Project. Light refreshments will be served and bridal consultants will be on hand to answer any questions and give styling advice. Executive Director Madison Longust encourages newlywed brides and local salons to participate in the event by donating dresses, shoes, tiaras, makeup services and hair styling. “Gowns & Crowns would not be possible without the help of our generous donors,” Longust said. “It’s so rewarding to be able to help someone feel beautiful on such a special day.” Since 2003, Gowns & Crowns has helped hundreds of brides look and feel like a princess on their wedding day and given hope to brides like Kelly Clinton. “I walked into the fashion show as a depressed and hopeless bride-‐to-‐be and walked out knowing that I would look and feel like Cinderella,” Clinton said. “Everyone who works at A Cinderella Project is truly a blessing to my life.” A Cinderella Project, uses gowns, shoes and accessories graciously donated by brides and beauty services such as hair and makeup donated by local beauty professionals to make low-‐income brides feel like princesses on their wedding day. Located in Houston, Texas, the non-‐profit organization holds an annual fashion show, Gowns & Crowns, to help bride’s pick out their wedding day attire and arrange appointments with beauty professionals. For more information about Gowns & Crowns or to learn how to donate gowns or beauty services, visit www.acinderellaproject.org or contact Madison Longust, executive director, at 281-‐586-‐5455 or [email protected]

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A Cinderella Project Phone: 281-586-5455 17103 Bamwood [email protected] Houston, TX 77090 www.acinderellaproject.org

2012 GOWNS & CROWNS FACT SHEET

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Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Le Jardin Events 17111 Bamwood Houston, Texas 77090 Gowns & Crowns is an opportunity for low-‐income, hopeless brides to find their wedding day attire and arrange appointments with hair stylists and makeup artists. Wedding gowns, shoes, tiaras, jewelry, hair styling, makeup services General Admission-‐ $5 Tickets are only available at the door on Feb. 25, 2012. Le Jardin Events, Visible Changes, Clinque Visit www.acinderellastory.org or contact Executive Director Madison Longust at 281-‐586-‐5455 or [email protected].


NON-‐PROFIT TURNS A HOPELESS BRIDE INTO A FAIRYTALE PRINCESS

Page after page of gorgeous wedding gowns, tiaras, red-‐carpet hairstyles and Cinderella shoes were too much for Kelly Clinton, 20, to handle. For her yearlong engagement, she cried every day about not looking like the bride she envisioned since she was a little girl. But her prayers were answered with the help of A Cinderella Project’s Gowns & Crowns Bridal Fashion Show. Growing up as a homeless child, Clinton often spent her days looking at bridal magazines and dreaming of being a princess on her wedding day. Her only dream was to grow up and be a wedding planner but her family’s lack of funds made it impossible for her to attend college. At 18, her boyfriend, Alex Huttle, proposed and they planned to get married within the next year. Clinton and Huttle immediately got a job at a local McDonalds to save money for her dream wedding but after just a month, Clinton and Huttle lost their jobs due to the tough economy and have been unemployed ever since. “After I lost my job, my dream of a perfect wedding was shattered,” Clinton said. “It was like someone telling me that I didn’t deserve to look beautiful on my wedding day and that was devastating because that’s all I’ve dreamed about my whole life.” With three months before the wedding and no arrangements, Clinton began to think that eloping was the only option and was prepared to get married in jeans and a t-‐shirt. After seeing a flier for a bridal show sponsored by A Cinderella Project, a local non-‐profit organization that helps low-‐income brides feel like a princess on their wedding day, a glimmer of hope appeared for Clinton. On Feb. 24, 2011, Clinton attended the Gowns & Crowns Bridal Fashion Show and instantly knew that her dreams were about to come true. After meeting with a consultant, Clinton knew that her prayers had been answered.

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“I walked into the fashion show as a depressed and hopeless bride-‐to-‐be and walked out knowing that I would look and feel like Cinderella,” Clinton said. “Everyone who works at A Cinderella Project is truly a blessing to my life.” Three months later on April 16, Clinton became Mrs. Huttle on what she calls the “happiest day of her life.” Still mesmerized by her wedding photos, Clinton was draped in pearls, which complimented her beaded white wedding gown with a long train that followed her down the aisle. Her perfectly curled hair and breath-‐taking make up, done by a local stylist, made Clinton look as if she belonged on a magazine cover. It’s testimonies like Clinton’s that make Executive Director Madison Longust proud to be part of A Cinderella Project. “[Clinton’s] story is makes all of the hard work worth it,” Longust said. “Every woman deserves to feel like a princess on her wedding day and that’s why I started A Cinderella Project.” A Cinderella Project, uses gowns, shoes and accessories graciously donated by brides and beauty services such as hair and makeup donated by local salons to make low-‐income brides feel like princesses on their wedding day. Located in Houston, Texas, the non-‐profit organization holds an annual fashion show, Gowns & Crowns, to help bride’s pick out their wedding day attire and arrange appointments with beauty professionals. Clinton’s story is just one of the many dreams that A Cinderella Project is responsible for. For additional information about the organization or to learn how to donate dresses, accessories and beauty services for the 2012 Gowns & Crowns event, visit www.acinderellaproject.org.

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GOWNS & CROWNS DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MADISON LONGUST Madison Longust is thrilled to be the Executive Director of the 2012 Gowns & Crowns Bridal Fashion Show. She has directed the event every year and is excited to see the growth that has sprouted since the first event in 2003. This year, Longust is responsible for sponsorships, donations and oversees the entire event. “I’m amazed at how many brides have donated their dresses

over the years and I’m honored to be a part of such a rewarding event like Gowns & Crowns,” Madison says. A graduate of Oklahoma State University’s School of Media & Strategic Communications, Longust started A Cinderella Project in 2002 in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

EVENT DIRECTOR MIKE LONGUST Mike Longust, owner of Le Jardin Events, is proud to serve as this year’s event director. From organizing the fashion show to coordinating catering, marketing efforts and volunteers, Mike is humbled by his work with Gowns & Crowns. “I like to make people feel special and that’s why I got in the wedding business,” Mike says. “Someone’s wedding day is the most special day of their life and I’m honored to be a part of it.” Originally from St. Louis, Mike worked as a landscape architect for 20 years before opening Le Jardin Events, a beautiful facility surrounded by lush gardens used for weddings, receptions and other events, in Houston, Texas.


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Gowns & Crowns Media Kit