Couple Chosen to Wed in the Louisville Wal-Mart Aisles on 7/7/07

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Louisville bride-to-be Ella Glass is "lucky in love" after learning that she and her fiance, Caleb Cox, are one of only seven couples across the country that will be married at a Wal-Mart store on one of the most sought-after wedding dates in recent years. Wal-Mart stores and G-Squared, a Wal-Mart exclusive brand from Gartner Studios, announced the names of the seven couples receiving such wedding packages earlier this week as a result of their "Lucky in Love Wedding Search."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070611/WALMARTLOGO1)

When Wal-Mart Stores discovered many of its betrothed customers were having difficulty finding venues for their July 7 -- or 7/7/07 -- weddings due to the popularity of a "lucky 7" date, they joined G-Squared to provide a solution. In addition, the cost of the average American wedding can be overwhelming at $22,000(1). The answer was the "Lucky in Love Wedding Search" to provide seven couples their local Wal-Mart lawn and garden area as the colorful backdrop for the ceremonies and receptions. After reviewing more than 400 entries from across the country, Caleb and Ella were selected to say "I do" at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 3706 Diann Marie Road in Louisville, Ky., which is Ella's hometown.

Caleb and Ella met, as fate would have it, by complete accident in an online chat room. In Ella's words, "We first were the best of friends, then as love often does, we were caught off guard." When Ella moved from Louisville to Charlotte, N.C., to be with Caleb, their relationship grew even stronger. After almost four years of dating, the couple is thrilled to finally be getting married.

A wedding on July 7 will not only be a celebration of love for Ella and Caleb but also a chance to turn a date long-associated with sadness into a day of happiness and healing for years to come. On that same date in 2001, Ella's father passed away and her wedding on 7-7-07 will allow her to reclaim the day as one of renewal. Undoubtedly she will walk down the aisle with one of her father's favorite sayings ringing in her ears ... "Dance with me, come on, dance with me as if it were your wedding."

"As young professionals, we have little money for entertainment or luxury items," Ella wrote in her Lucky in Love Wedding Search registration essay. "Our solution -- we do a date at Wal-Mart. Yep, right in the store. We walk the aisles, looking for high quality items within our price range. We window shop, pick out cards for family, check off items on our grocery list ... we simply spend time together and save money while we do it."

"We understand that a couple's wedding day is a major celebration and we're thrilled to be a part of such an important day in their lives," said Andy Barron, Wal-Mart senior vice president of merchandise. "All of us at Wal-Mart are excited to be hosting these events and wish each couple every good fortune in their futures together."

Caleb and Ella will receive a wedding package with an estimated value of more than $5,000. The package not only includes the decorated wedding venue in Wal-Mart's colorful lawn and garden area, but also an adjacent tent for the reception area, wedding cake and reception food. The package also includes the bride and groom 14kt Gold and diamond Keepsake wedding bands, wedding invitations, fresh floral bouquets, digital camera and digital photo frame, portable GPS device and a $1,000 Wal-Mart gift card.

"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 (http://www.afwpi.com/). "Wal-Mart has provided a great opportunity -- and solution -- for Ella and other brides; without this opportunity, they might have had to settle for another, less memorable date."

The six other couples receiving weddings include: Michael Lefevers and Rachel Evans of Lebanon, OR; Jimmie Lee Cottrell and Katessa Burtch of Kokomo, IN; Matthew Cauthon and Candace Presley of Gore, OK; Billy Guidry and Kymberlie DeRouen of New Iberia, LA; Duwayne Surprise and Liz Donaldson of Janesville, WI; and Jarrod Fernando VanDyke and Genny Armstrong of Bristol, VA.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

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 http://www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart 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 http://www.walmartfacts.com/, http://www.walmartstores.com/, or http://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, http://www.gartnerstudios.com/shop.

(1) National Association of Wedding Ministers