Back on December 28th, 2011, Michelle + I packed up our car and hit the road with the goal of: photographing 50 weddings, in 50 states, within 50 weeks, donating $1,000 from each wedding to She Dances, for a total donation of $50,000 to support their safe home in Honduras for victims of sex trafficking.  The title of the project: the Fifty Nifty.

To our knowledge, nothing like this has been done before in the wedding world, which has made the process all the more exciting but also anxiety-inducing.  Some simple questions that we’d often ask ourselves:  How in the world are we ever going to book 50 weddings in all 50 states?  Why are we turning down so many weddings in Minnesota and Wisconsin with the hopes of booking them in states we’ve never even visited?  How is our Honda Fit going to hold all of our possessions for the year?  Why does our car always smell like trail mix?

Over 10 months and 30,000(+) miles on the road later, we’re beyond thrilled to announce that as of today, we officially have $45,325 raised, all of which will go directly towards: housing, feeding, educating, and counseling young girls who have been victims of sex trafficking in Honduras.

This means a couple of things: 1. We’re only $4,675 away from reaching our main goal of raising $50,000(!).  2. There are countless people to thank who have made this project a reality: All of the couples who booked us this year and who took ownership of the idea of having their wedding stand for something more; all of the people who have shown support either through donations or encouragement; all of the people who housed, fed, or otherwise, took care of us.

So, let’s freaking blow the lid off of the $50,000 mark.  We still have 10 weeks until the end of the year and only $4,675 to go.  If you feel so inclined, all you need to do is click the donate button below, and every dollar given will go directly to She Dances and towards meeting our $50,000 goal.

Once again, thank you for making this year possible and know that someone at Paper Antler loves you.

J+M