About Us
Believing in the power of love & generosity since 2010
When Mike and Vanessa Hawkins tied the knot on May 14, 2009 in a beautiful ceremony on the San Francisco Waterfront, they never imagined that their vow of love would kickstart a movement in the wedding industry that, years later, would help more than 375 couples experience a dream wedding.
In 2009, while looking for ways to give back to her community, Liz Guthrie, a party and event planner, organized a dream wedding giveaway in San Francisco for couples who couldn’t afford a high-end wedding. Although the giveaway received 350 applications from all over the country, the story of one couple warmed everyone’s heart.
Enter Vanessa Muza Teskey, a U.S. Air Force officer battling stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and her fiancé, Capt. Mike Hawkings, also an Air Force officer. After graduating from the Air Force Academy, the couple met and got engaged in 2008. Vanessa received her cancer diagnosis one day before Mike was deployed to Southwest Asia.
From 11,000 miles apart, the contest gave the couple hope for a brighter future and enough resilience to face Vanessa’s chemotherapy sessions. Vanessa and Mike’s love story ended up winning them a $100,000 high-end wedding package –all of the proceeds were donated by local businesses and wedding industry professionals.
The Hawkins’ wedding was a huge success and sparked an idea. And in November of 2009, Wish Upon a Wedding was officially born.
Our Mission
We exist to grant weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or life-altering health circumstances. We help couples alleviate the financial burden and time commitment that planning a wedding entails, focusing instead on dealing with their treatments and spending time with their loved ones. It's our goal to provide a day for our couples that is free from the worry of their disease and that is filled with love and light - and one that they did not have to stress about!
375+
Wishes Granted
50
State Participation
1000+
Wish Granter Vendors Annually
#1
Nonprofit in the Wedding Industry
Meet Our Board of Directors
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Danielle McNulty
President
Danielle owns Ohana Events, a nationwide event planning/design company known for creating thoughtful, stylish, and seamless experiences. She also recently co-founded a corporate planning and production company called Dosalma Events, based in Miami/Chicago. She was initially inspired to work with Wish Upon a Wedding due to the obvious connection with the wedding industry, but later found its mission is about much more than planning weddings; it's about creating meaningful, unforgettable experiences for couples during life's most challenging moments. Outside of planning events, she loves cooking with her husband, traveling across the world, and finding creative inspiration in everyday life through crafting and exploring fun projects.
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Beth Anderson
Vice President
Carol Beth Anderson (Beth) is an audiobook narrator and an author, currently working on a memoir about caregiving. In 2024, she and her husband, Jason, experienced a perfect 25th-anniversary vow renewal through Wish Upon a Wedding, eleven weeks before she lost him to stomach cancer. She joined Wish Upon a Wedding's Board in 2025. Beth lives in the Austin, TX area and has two kids in college and an elderly miniature schnauzer who absolutely loves his daily walks.
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Marcy Radcliffe
Treasurer
Marcy owns EvCliffe Senior Living Consulting, which helps people navigate the maze of senior living options. She has also been involved in the non-profit space for over 25 years helping to bring awareness and raise funds for over 10 different organizations, including Wish Upon a Wedding, which she began serving as a board member in 2023. She is honored to serve on the board of Wish Upon a Wedding because it brings love, joy, and dignity to couples facing serious illness, and creates cherished memories when they are needed most. She currently lives in Lancaster, PA and when she is not there she is in her happy place, Ocean City, NJ, with friends and family.
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Kenya Campbell
Secretary
Kenya is a dedicated hospice Nurse at KC hospice and she recently earned her ELNEC certification in end of life nursing education. She also owns the Benson Event Space in Belton, Missouri. As a nurse, she has witnessed firsthand how meaningful moments can bring comfort, strength, and healing to individuals and families. Her involvement with Wish Upon a Wedding is especially close to her heart because it allows her to help make dream weddings and vow renewals possible for couples navigating serious health challenges.Kenya serves on the Outreach and Media team at her Church, and in her downtime you'll often find her baking or simply pausing to enjoy the beauty of flowers.
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Kate Johnson
Director
Kate Johnson is the owner and creative director of The Bridal Beauty Team and Glossed Studios, professional makeup and hair companies serving clients across the Midwest. With more than 20 years in the beauty industry, she is passionate about helping people feel confident, cared for, and celebrated during life’s most meaningful moments. Kate became involved with Wish Upon a Wedding when she volunteered as a wish granter for a wish and volunteered her companies’ beauty services. She loved the experience and fell in love with the organization.Kate lives in the Chicago area and is a mom, educator, entrepreneur, and creative leader who loves building community and mentoring others in the beauty industry.
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Maddy Spellerberg
Director
Maddy currently serves as Enterprise Account Manager at David's Bridal, where she oversees strategic partnerships and enterprise brand relationships across the company’s omni-channel wedding ecosystem. Prior to her time at David's, she spent a decade plus working at several boutique agencies providing marketing and PR support. She was introduced to Wish Upon a Wedding through a client donation, which she successfully secured press coverage for in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and WCVB Channel 5. She resides in Charleston, South Carolina with her bubbly golden retriever named Pancake.
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Samantha Ruby
Director
Samantha Lynn Ruby began her career in the bridal industry at just 16, cultivating a lifelong passion for fashion and the transformative power of the wedding dress experience. She currently serves as National Sales Manager for Madi Lane Bridal Group and Hayley Paige Bridal, where she works closely with boutiques across the country. Samantha was introduced to WUW by another board member and immediately knew she wanted to get involved as it means so much to her to have the opportunity to put more heart and meaning back into the Bridal Fashion community. Samantha currently lives in Chicago when she isn't traveling for work or fun she loves to listen to techno or spend time in the kitchen cooking and baking.
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Sara Sandoval
Director
Sara is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Unfiltered Magazine, a digital publication that shares honest stories from people living with and beyond breast cancer. She also works as a marketing and brand strategy executive in the financial technology sector. After her diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer in 2024, Sara and her husband, Ramiro, were granted a beautiful vow renewal from Wish Upon a Wedding, and she joined the Board in 2026. She lives in Chicago with Ramiro and their dogs, Capone and Sicily, and continues to believe that while cancer changes many things, it does not have to define everything.
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Alexandra Moring
Director
Alexandra Moring is the Operations Manager for The Bella Edit | Bella Bridesmaids across South Carolina, where she brings over a decade of experience styling ladies for life’s most special occasions. Passionate about creating meaningful, people-first experiences, Alexandra leads with a focus on connection, service, and celebrating life’s biggest moments. When she heard about Wish Upon a Wedding, she jumped at the chance to use her professional expertise to benefit the organization. She joined the Board in 2026. Outside of work, Alexandra enjoys spending time with her significant other and their two dogs, as well as soaking up time with friends and family along the South Carolina coast and Lowcountry.
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Kelly Clark
Director
As the owner of Chicago-based Sew Bridal Boutique, Kelly offers an elevated, inclusive experience specializing in wedding gowns, accessories, and expert customizations. By leading her team with a blend of meticulous, award-winning craftsmanship and heart, Kelly ensures every bride feels celebrated and authentic throughout a truly personalized shopping journey. As someone who has dedicated their career to celebrating love stories, she is deeply honored to help make wedding dreams come true for couples facing unimaginable circumstances. When she's not in her bridal boutique, you can find her traveling, staying active, or relaxing with Pad Thai and a good rom-com.
Meet the Team
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Lacey Wicksall
Executive Director
Lacey Wicksall serves as Executive Director of Wish Upon a Wedding. She first joined the organization in 2018 as Program Coordinator, spending four years working directly with couples and Wish Granters to bring weddings and vow renewals to life. In 2022, Lacey stepped into the role of Executive Director and has now been part of more than 200 wishes across the country.
With a background in writing, marketing and public relations, Lacey is passionate about sharing the stories of the couples Wish Upon a Wedding serves and building the community of donors, partners and wedding professionals who make each wish possible. Having experienced the loss of her own father to terminal cancer, she understands deeply the importance of creating moments of joy, hope and lasting memories for families facing an uncertain future.
Lacey lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her two teenagers. When she isn’t working, she loves escaping north to spend time with family and soak up life on the lake.
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Maddie Carver
Development and Philanthropy Manager
Maddie Carver is the Development & Philanthropy Manager at Wish Upon a Wedding. She is passionate about connecting generous individuals, companies, and foundations with the
organization’s mission of creating unforgettable wedding and vow renewal experiences for couples facing serious illness or life-altering health circumstances. With a background in
relationship management and higher education advancement, Maddie loves building authentic relationships and helping people make a meaningful difference. She believes that some of life’s most impactful moments happen when compassion, generosity, and community come together. -
Megan Biehl
Wish Program Manager
Megan Biehl serves as Program Manager at Wish Upon a Wedding, guiding couples through every step of the wish journey, from their initial application through the celebration of their wedding or vow renewal. With more than seven years of experience in the wedding industry and 20 years in customer service, Megan brings both industry expertise and a deep commitment to caring for the couples we serve.
Megan’s connection to Wish Upon a Wedding began as a Wish Granter in December 2023. Inspired by the experience, she joined the team and now works closely with couples across the country while building Wish Granting teams and cultivating relationships with the generous wedding professionals who make each wish possible.
When she isn’t helping bring wishes to life, Megan enjoys soaking up life with her husband and four children in Houston, Texas.