TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Valentine's Ball Shares The Love Of Couples

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICHELLE BEARDEN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

Updated: 02/09/2008 02:35 pm

CLEARWATER - Flowers are nice. Chocolates are good. And diamonds rock.

But Sheila Kilpatrick has a better idea for a Valentine's Day gift.

"A wedding," says the New Port Richey woman.

Not a first-time wedding between two lovebirds. She's putting together an anniversary ball Thursday at The Kapok Tree in Clearwater for already married couples. They can renew their vows and celebrate a romantic evening together.

The 6:30 p.m. event costs $225 per couple and includes a gourmet dinner, an individual wedding cake, disc jockey and dancing, love songs played on request, champagne toast, a gift and an on-site photographer. A cash bar will be available.

The Rev. Daniel Bernard of Somebody Cares Tampa Bay will officiate - and bring home 10 percent of the proceeds for his ministry, which connects Bay area churches, businesses and volunteers with projects that help the needy.

"About 50 percent of all marriages end up in divorce," says Kilpatrick, a bride of 38 years. "That's not the way it's supposed to be. When you marry, it's meant to be for life.

"So this is our way of giving couples a chance to recommit and celebrate the joy of marriage."

This is Kilpatrick's second attempt to put marriage in the spotlight. She organized a similar anniversary ball last September, also at the Kapok Tree. It drew a disappointing number, just 30 couples.

She's hoping the tie-in with Valentine's Day and the addition of a minister on the premises will boost attendance at next week's party.

"We just had a judge last time," says Kilpatrick, a mother of three grown daughters and grandmother of six. "But this time, we want to put more emphasis on the sacredness of marriage."

She first got the idea after her youngest daughter lamented how her own wedding was both the "saddest and happiest day of my life." Happy for the obvious reasons; sad because she couldn't enjoy the day. All those months of planning, and the day was over before she knew it.

"My daughter told me she wanted to relive her wedding every year," Kilpatrick says. "That included wearing her dress. I got thinking maybe she wasn't the only one who felt that way."

Kilpatrick, a member of Hope United Methodist Church in New Port Richey, believes that God called her to accept this undertaking. With no budget - she has sunk $10,000 of her own money into the two events - Kilpatrick hasn't had the money to invest in getting the word out. Radio and print advertising isn't cheap.

So she has done most of the promotion, handing out publicity postcards and delivering pint-sized wedding cakes to media outlets to get their attention.

"I know God wants me to do this," she says. "We live such hectic lives, and we sometimes forget to pay attention to what really matters. So this is a special night for remembering and celebrating the love that brought us together."

Deadline for reservations is Monday. Call (727) 409-7100 or (727) 459-2635, or go to remem berwhenanniversaryball.com to purchase tickets online.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT