Wish Upon a Wedding, a new national nonprofit organization that grants weddings to terminally ill individuals, celebrated the launch of its Orlando chapter on Thursday night. The cocktail party attracted nearly 160 event vendors, press, and planning volunteers to Tavern on the Lake for the seventh of 19 chapter launch parties taking place around the country through September. 

“The goal [of the parties] is to get sponsors who will help us grant wishes,” said Sasha Souza, president of the organization's national board of directors. “At the weddings we coordinate, the recipients aren’t thinking about their illness or the time they have left, but are given a day to focus on themselves in a really happy way.”

Local chapter president Elisa Delgardio and the five-person board worked together to coordinate the two-and-half-hour event emblazoned with the Wish Upon a Wedding logo and colors of yellow, light blue, sea foam green, and white. The group secured 11 local event suppliers to sponsor decor elements like a balloon archway from Balloon Connection, table linens from Kirby Rentals, as well as desserts from Cakes by Design and liquid-nitrogen ice cream from Three2Oh.

Highboys topped with white orchid floral arrangements and trees lined the perimeter of the venue. Cake O Licious's white wedding cake with cake pops—balls of cake on a stick, similar to a lollipop—on each layer served as the focal point of the room.

About 45 minutes after arrivals, Delgardio welcomed guests and showed a short presentation about the organization and a wedding conducted in northern California in April. Guests continued to mingle and dance to DJ Rekka’s music until the party wrapped up around 8:30.

The event brought in an additional 100 friends on Facebook within the past week. Additionally, 26 people and companies, including 10 of the event’s sponsors, have signed up to be Wish Granters for the organization and will be called upon for their services when a couple within 300 miles of Orlando is granted their wish by the Wish Upon a Wedding national board of directors.