“Lucky in Love Wedding Search” Awards Couples Ceremonies at Local Wal-Mart Stores on the Most Popular Wedding Date of the Year
BENTONVILLE,
Ark.
– June 18, 2007 – When Kymberlie DeRouen helped her longtime friend and ex-boyfriend, Billy Guidry, clean up the wreckage to his home from Hurricane Rita they found a love letter under a flag on the front door that she had written to him when they were dating. The pair interpreted finding the letter as a sign that they belonged together, forever. Wal-Mart Stores and G-Squared,
a Wal-Mart exclusive brand from Gartner Studios, announced today that Kymberlie and Billy, along with six other couples from across the country, will receive wedding ceremonies and receptions inside their local Wal-Mart Supercenter on the most popular – and possibly the luckiest – wedding day of the year.
“Considering that Wal-Mart is like a second home to us, we’re excited to have our wedding there,” said Kymberlie. “Billy and I have been through so much during the past couple of years, so we truly consider ourselves lucky in love.”
Seven lucky couples have been named to receive these ceremonies and receptions as a result of the
Lucky in Love Wedding Search and will exchange wedding vows on July 7. Couples were invited to register by logging onto
www.walmart.com/giftregistry and clicking on the
Lucky in Love link. The link connected them to the G Squared/Gartner Studios entry information, which asked for a brief love story essay. Registration began March 20 and concluded at Midnight on May 6, resulting in more than 400 couple registrations.
In addition to Louisiana-based Kymberlie DeRouen and Billy Guidry, the following couples were selected to receive a wedding package, including a reception and gifts, at their local Wal-Mart Supercenter:
Oliver Roper and Debra Russell,
Oklahoma City
,
OK – Oliver and Debra seem destined to wed on 7.7.07. They met seven years ago – in July no less - and hit it off immediately. Financial hardship forced them to postpone their wedding indefinitely, and being chosen as one of the “lucky in love” couples has finally given them their long-awaited chance for a meaningful ceremony in front of their loved ones.
Jimmie Lee Cottrell and Katessa Burtch,
Kokomo
,
IN – Jimmie Lee, who has two daughters of his own, and Katessa Burtch, who has three sons of her own, are excited to join their families together as one. After changing their wedding date twice, coordinating busy family schedules and Katessa injuring her knee, planning the wedding hadn’t been an easy task—until now. Because Wal-Mart is such a part of the family’s daily life and Katessa is a former associate, the couple believes the store is the perfect place to join their lives.
Duwayne Surprise and Liz Donaldson, Janesville, WI — Duwayne and Liz found each other through friends on the Internet. After spending countless hours together online, they realized they were an ideal match. Liz surprised Duwayne by proposing to him on her blog. Little did she know, Duwayne was planning on proposing to her that same week.
Michael Lefevers and Rachel Evans, Lebanon, OR — Michael and Rachel have always been close. In fact, they have lived three houses down from each other for most of their lives. However, it wasn’t until Michael’s sister introduced him to Rachel in 2005, that they even knew they were neighbors. Since then, their relationship has blossomed and they can hardly wait for 7/7/07.
Caleb Cox and Ella Glass, Charlotte, NC — Caleb and Ella met, as fate would have it, by complete accident in an online chatroom. After they began chatting away with one another, they realized they were a true match
. After almost five years of dating, the couple is thrilled to get married.
Matthew Cauthon and Candace Presley, Gore, OK — Matthew and Candace met through mutual friends in 2004 and hit it off right away. They spend countless hours with each other, playing with their dogs and spending time with their families.
“We are predicting that twice the number of brides as other Saturdays in July will marry this July 7, and many facilities were booked well over a year in advance,” said Richard Markel, Director of the Association for Wedding Professionals International. “Wal-Mart has provided a great opportunity—and solution—for these brides; without this opportunity, they might have had to settle for another, less memorable date.”
Couples will receive a wedding package with an estimated value of more than $5,000. This package not only includes the decorated wedding venue in Wal-Mart’s colorful lawn and garden area surrounded by the season’s bright foliage, but also an adjacent tent for the reception area, wedding cake and party food. The package also includes 14kt gold and diamond wedding bands, wedding invitations, wedding and groom’s cakes, fresh floral bouquets, digital cameras and digital photo frame, a portable GPS device, reception food and a $1,000 Wal-Mart gift card.
The average American wedding costs a whopping $22,000
1 and requires multiple trips to various vendors and many betrothed couples are searching for solutions to save money and time without sacrificing quality for their special day. One example is in a quality wedding cake – mo
re than 1500 customers a week purchase wedding cakes at Wal-Mart Supercenters around the country. That totals up to more than 78,000 wedding cakes a year that Wal-Mart provide couples walking down the aisles.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
(NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at
www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million
to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit
www.walmartfacts.com,
www.walmartstores.com, or
www.walmartfoundation.org.
About G Squared/Gartner Studios
Founded in 1998, G Squared/Gartner Studios is a creative design studio and stationery company based out of the river town of Stillwater, Minnesota. The headquarters are located in the historic 100 year old Stillwater Post Office building. G Squared branded products are sold exclusively through Wal-Mart stores nationwide.
Gartner Studios currently provides stationery products, print-your-own products and related categories for all major mass merchants, party suppliers and office super stores. Our products can also be found online at most major online retailers, as well as through our own store, www.gartnerstudios.com/shop.
1National Association of Wedding Ministers
# # #