We are happy to share this and spread the word. This post was authored by the Humans of Calvert County site.

“When people are struggling, if you have the means, it’s important to give back.

It’s not about you. It’s not about sales. Its not about a business. It’s about our community. It’s about life. It’s not about us.

All people matter. At the church its ‘All people matter to God.’ But business could adopt that. When you use your business to connect with someone in a way that allows them to know spiritually that they do matter, it creates this transformational relationship, not a transactional relationship.

Everyone in this group are hard workers, everyone genuinely cares, we all consider each other friends, its a mutual respect for each other, for where we live and for those that we donate our services to.

Plus its just fun. To be a part of this is just fun.

So what is this?

It all started two years ago with a young couple from Huntingtown, who saved money for their dream destination wedding on this beautiful mountaintop at a vineyard somewhere in VA, but who then gave it up for a mission trip to help children in the Middle East.

Instead of a dream destination wedding, it was now a backyard wedding. ‘This just can’t be!’

So the bride to be and her friends were blocked on the Facebook post, and the story was laid out and asked if any one of our photographer friends would be willing to give a gift of engagement or wedding photos.

We had four people right away who stepped up and wanted to help. And they offered to do all the photos.

And then an Entertainment company immediately saw the post and sent a message, ‘if you’re going to do this, and they’re going to help, then we’re going to help. We want to make sure they have a DJ and lights at their wedding, whatever they need, we want to do this for them.’

And then our friends who are florist sends me a message and said, ‘if they’re all doing it, we just want you to know that as a part of this community we want to help too.’

These people all offered. All these things are expensive. And these people offered on their own. Next thing you know we had a whole group of people willing to give their talents to make a wedding for this couple. That gives you chills.

We had a jeweler who designs her own jewelry and is a very giving person. She designed their wedding bands for them. One of a kind pieces.

And then a makeup artist came to us and said she wanted to do it and she wanted to make the bride feel special that day.

Then End Hunger stepped in and had their students come and cater the whole wedding.

Now we needed a location. These people were about to get married at this beautiful vineyard, so I called a local winery and asked if we could please use their venue. And the next day they got back to us and said they were in!

A limousine was then donated. Literally everything was covered. They had the hotel donate a honeymoon suite. The entire wedding. In today’s world.

She was so overwhelmed. She is the most humble human being. I don’t think she believed it until the day she met us all. She was shy and didn’t want to ask for anything. She was such a sweetheart, so down to earth.

We were all at the wedding and stayed for the reception. And after, we all talked and agreed that we felt that we were the ones that were blessed to have been a part of something like that. It was amazing. It really was. It can’t be explained. We were giving but we were receiving back. And you really did feel that way. And then right then we asked ourselves, is this something we’re going to do every year? And we decided we are; we’re going to do this!

Last year was another couple, who the bride to be was very sick from Limes Disease. And although she was sick, she was still taking people who needed help to the hospital and doing whatever she needed to do. Her friend (our groom) was a friend from highschool who stuck by her during her lime disease and said ‘Look, I love you and I want to marry you.’ She said yes.

The reason we decided to step in is because the Limes Disease treatments, she needed so many, hers was so intense, that insurance refused to cover them. She could not work. It had affected her brain partially. And she would continue to give a lot of limes awareness all through this time. We just thought, here’s this person who has had a really rough spell, and she was getting married and they had no money for a wedding, so we said, let’s do it. So we came together.

She had already picked a venue. A member of our group picked up the hotel cost for the honeymoon suite for them. A local bakery donated the cake. And one of the biggest catering companies here in the county came in and did everything. Linens, food, everything.

The bride said, ‘I can’t believe everyone is giving their best.’ She thought it would be second rate because it was free. But it isn’t. We give our best. The bride was floored.

This year is our 3rd year. And we are announcing today that we are reaching out to find a local couple that we can throw a wedding for!!

We genuinely want to find someone that we can help. There are a few conditions:

• The wedding has to be done on a Thursday and it has to be in the month of August.
• A member of the couple has to be from Calvert County.
• The Submission – write your story. Let us know your story, how you met, your struggle or need. Why is there a need? How are you or both of you contributing to the community or for others?
• Nominations are more than welcome! Please feel free to nominate a couple!
• All submissions must be received within one month of this post. The deadline for submissions will be April 12th. A decision will be made by no later than April 30th.

Please send submissions to one of the following links on Facebook:

• https://m.facebook.com/DannyDouglasPhotography/
• https://m.facebook.com/floralexpressionsowings/
• https://m.facebook.com/Val-Brian-Mayer-Remax-One-100583145…/
• https://www.facebook.com/CrowEntertainment/?fref=ts
• https://www.facebook.com/MaertensJewelry/?fref=ts
• https://www.facebook.com/Blondies-Baking-Company-11918373…/…
• https://www.facebook.com/naturallooksbyvictoria/?fref=ts
• https://www.facebook.com/7Legacy/?fref=ts

We want all the businesses in our group to be as involved as possible in deciding who the couple chosen will be. So each business will be sharing this post and letting people know through their facebook sites that they are looking for submissions. I do it with my sphere, they do it with their sphere, etc.

Each one of us will collect the submissions sent to our page. And then we’ll pick our best one and bring it to the group to vote. We’ll come together and then we’ll decide.

Its hard for us to all get together. We plan most of the wedding through Facebook messaging. We meet one time all together, with the couple once they’re chosen. And then everybody does their job.

Although the group only meets one time all together, the group is there from beginning to end. They communicate and come up with designs, making the couple’s dream wedding come to life at no cost. They are given top notch service.

I think everyone that is involved, and does what they do, whether it’s flowers or DJ, or just awareness, it’s all personal for everybody.

And maybe the people we’re serving are going through something, and maybe they’re direction is one way and then after they experience what we’re doing, maybe now they’re seeing things a little differently. Maybe now they’re seeing things the way they should be. So it’s more than a wedding.

This year we wanted to use the same catering company, but they’ve already committed to two big charity events. So we are looking for a caterer who would love to be a part of this. We are also in need of a venue for the wedding. Please contact any of us through facebook if you can help with either of these needs.

‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’

We’ve all been blessed to come and prosper in Calvert County, so when we get something like this that comes along, we just feel like it’s what should be done. We actually get joy from seeing joy. And then it motivates us to create more joy.”