This feature story has been written by Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia summer student, Laura Dauphinee. We thank Laura for sharing her time, talent and typing to help us change the way people think!
Photo credit: Liam Hennessey, Applehead Studio
“Everyone we spoke to thought it was an awesome idea. I would definitely encourage other brides to do something similar at their wedding.”
August 22nd was likely just a regular day for most people. However, it is a very special date for Nicole and Mark Haverstock, as the two happily tied the knot and became husband and wife at the Halifax Central Library.
Instead of sharing one single kiss at the altar, the couple decided to increase that number by adding a unique twist to their memorable day. Every time someone made a donation to the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, the two would pucker up.
Photo credit: Liam Hennessey, Applehead Studio
“Traditionally at weddings, couples will use different tactics to make the husband and wife kiss, like clinking their drinks for example,” says Nicole. “Instead, we got people to donate to the Foundation to get us to stand up and kiss.”
The two discovered the idea from visiting different wedding websites, as well as seeing other people do something similar. They chose the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia as their charity of choice because it hit close to home - some members of their family live with mental illness. This simple, yet incredibly kind gesture, was a way to support their family members and raise awareness for mental health initiatives at the same time!
The newlyweds fundraised a total of $310. We sincerely thank them for including us in their special day, and helping to continue changing the way people think about mental illness and addiction in Nova Scotia.
If you have a special event coming up and you are interested in fundraising for the Foundation, visit www.mentalhealthns.ca/community-events for more information!