In an effort to help make one lucky couple’s wedding dream come true, cousins and business partners Bill and Evelyn Balis of Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford, New Jersey, have decided to give away a free wedding to one local couple in need, with the entire cost of the venue, food, beer and wine, music, photography, flowers and attire for the bride and groom to be completely paid for by the restaurant and vendors that Adelphia has teamed up with for various donations.
The wedding itself will be held at Adelphia Restaurant on a date in 2017 that is to be determined with the winning couple by Adelphia Restaurant & Event’s management. The reception will accommodate up to 125 guests.
The contest, which runs through October 31, is open to any legal residents of Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Mercer and Middlesex counties in New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Chester counties in Pennsylvania. Entries must be submitted to the Adelphia Restaurant website with a 100 words or less mini-essay describing why the nominated couple deserves to win the wedding. Only one submission will be allowed per individual; however, couples may be nominated as many times as possible by multiple people. Finalists will be chosen by the Adelphia Restaurant & Events staff, and voting for the winning couple will be held on Facebook between November 17 and December 19. The winners will be announced publicly on Wednesday, December 21.
“This is really exciting to all of us, but what we’re really looking forward to is the reaction from the winning couple when their names are announced,” said Evelyn Balis. “That’s what this is all about—providing a couple in need of a wedding the opportunity to celebrate the biggest day of their lives without worrying about the financial strain that often comes with it. So many happy couples want to get married, but the cost of orchestrating a gorgeous affair in a top-notch venue can get expensive, so this is one way we’re happy to give back to the community. It’s the same community that has helped make us successful for the past 30 years, and we see no better way for us to celebrate our anniversary than by providing a wedding for a happy couple who truly deserves one. We’re just thrilled to be part of this kind of celebration.”
The wedding will be held in one of Adelphia’s large banquet rooms, and the restaurant itself will also be providing all of the food, dessert and a custom wedding cake designed to the lucky couple’s specs. Conshohocken, PA’s David’s Bridal is donating the wedding gown, veil and shoes for the bride; Men’s Warehouse in Deptford will be providing the tuxedo and all of the accouterments needed for the groom.
Philadelphia’s Susannah Morton, who owns Makeup By Susannah, will be donating her time and services for the bride’s makeup; Gloucester City, New Jersey’s Sunshine Flowers will be providing all of the floral arrangements. Berlin, New Jersey’s Hallmark Photography & Video will be providing all of the photography and creating a video for the happy couple.
“We are so very thankful for all of the vendors donating their time, services and products for the bride and groom and for this entire wedding,” said Bill Balis. “We are happy to give everything we can, but without them, this kind of event could not happen. Every vendor who is participating was completely excited by the concept, and we are so appreciative for that. We cannot wait to see all of this come to fruition.”
For more information about the contest, please visit the Adelphia Restaurant website and follow along on Facebook.
Find Adelphia Restaurant at 1750 Clements Bridge Rd. in Deptford, NJ; phone: (856) 845-8200.
- Top photo: Snapwire Snaps
- Bottom photo: Splitshire
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