Devon Still, Father of Cancer-Beating Daughter Leah, Will Have Another Dream Come True Thanks to The Knot Dream Wedding
Fans Across America Will Help Plan the NFL Player's Dream Wedding to Asha Joyce by Voting Online at TheKnot.com/dreamwedding
Fans Across America Will Help Plan the NFL Player's Dream Wedding to Asha Joyce by Voting Online at TheKnot.com/dreamwedding
NEW YORK, March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knot, the #1 online wedding brand and marketplace, announced today that online voting opens for key wedding elements of this year's The Knot Dream Wedding couple, Houston Texans NFL player Devon Still and fiancée Asha Joyce. The wedding experts at The Knot are bringing together prestigious professionals to create a personalized and luxurious Dream Wedding for this deserving couple who have dedicated their Charity Registry to support families, like theirs, affected by pediatric cancer. America can vote for eight weeks across several categories—including the cake, flowers, honeymoon and even the bridal gown—leading up to The Knot Dream Wedding of Devon and Asha on May 13, 2016, at the historic New York Public Library in New York City.
Devon's dream came true earlier this year when doctors said his 5-year-old daughter, Leah, was cancer free. His next dream will come true when she walks down the aisle as a flower girl at his wedding to Asha. Their story gained national attention last year when this NFL player used his platform to raise awareness for pediatric cancer through his family's plight, as his then 4-year-old daughter battled stage IV neuroblastoma.
"I didn't want to do any wedding planning until I knew my daughter was going to be able to walk down the aisle as a flower girl," Devon said. "I'm so grateful we were offered The Knot Dream Wedding because it allowed us to focus on Leah's recovery and leave the planning to The Knot and America's votes. Fans helped us so much during Leah's cancer battle, and I'm trusting America will not steer us wrong when they decide on the key elements of our wedding."
TheKnot.com will document Devon and Asha's journey to the altar—along with Leah's—capturing all of the exciting, love-filled moments that come with preparing for a wedding. Each week, original content, articles, social media and video will launch on TheKnot.com/dreamwedding and offer America a weekly opportunity to vote on the key elements for the wedding:
"We're extremely excited to pull off Devon and Asha's dream wedding," said Kellie Gould, editor in chief of The Knot. "With America's input and the help of the best wedding professionals in the industry, this will be the wedding of the year for everyone's favorite couple and flower girl."
To plan and book this wedding, The Knot is working with its premier sponsors and top wedding professionals from the more than 300,000 that are listed in The Knot wedding marketplace. The Knot Dream Wedding premier sponsor is Allure Bridals, Inc., which will exclusively provide bridesmaid dresses. Associate sponsors include Simon G. Jewelry, which will provide the wedding rings for the couple, Secrets Resorts & Spas which will host the couple on their honeymoon, and Allstate Insurance Company. Other top wedding professionals who have helped create The Knot Dream Wedding include: A Stylish Bride, Atelier Isabey, Camelot Specialty Limo, Cloudless Weddings, David Beahm Experiences, Élan Artists, Francesca Events, Hayley Paige, Joseph Lin Photography, Kleinfeld Bridal Salon, Kobrand Fine Wine & Spirits, Luminous Designs, Marcia Selden Catering, MG Hair & Makeup, The New York Public Library, Studio Z, Sylvia Weinstock, Taylor Creative Inc. and Xedo. As the official media partner, People will also share the couple's wedding planning experience with their audience via video, print and digital stories on People.com.
Visit TheKnot.com/DreamWedding to follow their journey to "I do" and vote each week for the winning wedding element, and follow #TheKnotDreamWedding on social media for real-time updates. In honor of Leah, the couple requests that donations be made to their charity registry, which supports pediatric cancer research foundations, on TheKnot.com/dreamwedding.
About the Couple
Devon Still and Asha Joyce met in 2012 and got engaged on July 11, 2014, which is both of their birthdays. They put their wedding plans on hold while Devon's daughter, 5-year-old Leah, underwent treatment for neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Thousands of NFL fans have followed Devon and Leah Still's story since 2014 and learned more about Leah's courageous fight at the 2015 ESPY Awards. Devon accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award on behalf of Leah, and during his acceptance speech, he thanked many people, including his fiancée, Asha, for being there: "We didn't have the typical engagement where we sit down and plan everything because I didn't want to plan anything until I knew that my daughter was going to be able to walk down that aisle as our flower girl. I thank you for being so unselfish, and I promise you, I'm going to try to give you the wedding of your dreams."
When wedding experts at The Knot heard Devon's speech, the decision to offer this selfless and loving couple the Dream Wedding, as well as provide a platform to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer, was made without hesitation. The Knot is honored to bring Devon and Asha's wedding vision to life and provide family, friends and fans with the ability to donate to a pediatric cancer foundation in Leah's name. The couple will be fundraising for the Still Strong Foundation, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, through their Charity Registry, content and programming on The Knot.
Leah received the news that she is cancer free in January 2016, and will serve as flower girl for Devon and Asha's wedding on May 13, 2016.
About The Knot Dream Wedding
The Knot Dream Wedding began in 2000 when The Knot and the TODAY show partnered to create one of the first ventures into interactive television, TODAY Ties The Knot. Millions of TV viewers watched The Knot editors preview key elements of the wedding on TV, as they encouraged America to vote online and make the final decision on everything from the dress, venue and flowers to the cake and even the couple. This interactive TV partnership continued for 10 years, and in 2013, The Knot embarked on the first-ever live-streamed, crowdsourced wedding planned by The Knot experts, celebrity wedding professionals and TheKnot.com members. In 2015, The Knot Dream Wedding provided a glimpse into the future of the next generation of weddings by showcasing the cutting-edge technology that can be applied to a wedding in a meaningful, personalized way.
About The Knot
The Knot is the nation's leading wedding resource with a marketplace that seamlessly engages, matches and connects couples with the right products, services and local wedding professionals they need to plan and pull off their wedding. The trusted brand reaches a majority of couples in the U.S. through the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com, its mobile apps, The Knot national and local wedding magazines and The Knot book series. The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan a wedding that is uniquely them. The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc. (NYSE: XOXO), the premier consumer internet and media company dedicated to helping people navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments - from getting married, to moving in together and having a baby. Please visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: Facebook.com/TheKnot and @TheKnot on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
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