RACHAEL RAY Makes Wedding Bells Ring for Houston Brides After Hurricane Ike

RACHAEL RAY Makes Wedding Bells Ring for Houston Brides After Hurricane Ike

Emmy Award-Winning RACHAEL RAY to Create Wedding of a Lifetime for Dozens of Houston Brides and Grooms with Giant Ceremony

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmy winner RACHAEL RAY has invited more than fifty Houston couples to share in a memorable wedding ceremony, after their own wedding plans were swept away by Hurricane Ike on September 12th, 2008. The RACHAEL RAY show will create a special one-hour episode about the couples, culminating with a giant wedding and reception held on the playing field at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. The entire show will be shot during the two weeks leading up to the wedding, and will air on RACHAEL RAY (check local listings at http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/) in late November.

The wedding plans of these Houston couples were destroyed when two reception venues closed their doors, citing financial hardship brought on by the effects of Hurricane Ike. Some paid as much as $20,000 to book their weddings, but when the reception halls closed, these couples claim they not only lost their money, but their dream of a perfect wedding.

When RACHAEL RAY heard about the situation, she wanted to help by sending a team to Houston to begin planning the gift of a lifetime. Eliminating the couples' financial worries, the RACHAEL RAY show will host the wedding of the year with everything for their special day including wedding gowns and tuxedos, cake, flowers, decorations, professional photography, and a live musical performance. Ray is also personally creating a menu for the reception.

Ray's team of on-air "content buddies" flew into Houston to coordinate many of the elements leading up to the wedding, which will be held on November 2nd. Gretta Monahan, the show's fashion and style guru, will team with lifestyle contributor Colby Donaldson, to help the brides and grooms choose their wedding attire. Kristan Cunningham, the show's DIY expert, will transform Minute Maid Park into a magical venue for the wedding and reception.

The RACHAEL RAY team has coordinated generous contributions from major companies that wanted to help make this event possible, including the Houston Astros, David's Bridal, Kay's Jewelers, Men's Wearhouse, Aramark, Hotel Indigo and Toni & Guy.

RACHAEL RAY, the Emmy Award-winning Outstanding Talk Show, is distributed and produced by CBS Television Distribution in association with Harpo Productions, Scripps Networks and Watch Entertainment. Janet Annino is executive producer. CBS Television Distribution is a unit of CBS Corp.

In 2009, the Houston Astros will celebrate their 10th season playing baseball at Minute Maid Park. However, the downtown facility is much more than just a venue for the 81 Astros regular season home games. From music festivals to graduations, galas and a variety of events, including former President Bush's 80th birthday celebration and concerts such as Jimmy Buffett and Madonna, Minute Maid Park is a perfect place for any event. For more information about Astros baseball and special event opportunities at the ballpark, call 713-259-8800 or visit http://www.astros.com/.

Source: RACHAEL RAY

CONTACT: Lauren Nowell, Director of Publicity, +1-917-332-3156,
Lauren.Nowell@cbs.com, or Hallie Goldfarb, Publicity Coordinator,
+1-917-332-3155, Hallie.Goldfarb@cbs.com, both of RACHAEL RAY

Web site: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/
http://www.astros.com/

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