Wedding for Good to bring a new kind of event, fundraiser to State College

Jason Browne and Angela Steco — who you might recognize as the co-hosts of B94.5’s Morning Getaway morning show — have joined forces to create a charitable event unlike any Centre County has seen.

Wedding for Good is a fictitious wedding ceremony and reception that raises funds and awareness for a particular cause relevant to the Centre County community. It’s a way for the radio personalities to use their creativity to give back, Browne said.

“Angela and I have been working together for almost five years and we’ve been looking for a way to leverage our skill sets and also our position as somewhat of public figures to do something good for the community, and this is a way we can do it,” Browne said.

Each year, the cause will change. For the event’s first year, the topic is mental health and beneficiaries include the Jana Marie Foundation, Tides and the Osaze Osagie Foundation at Penn State. The beneficiaries were chosen with assistance from Centre County United Way.

Wedding for Good includes three different events taking place over two weekends. A pre-party is planned for Saturday, and the ceremony and reception take place Feb. 15, at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.

The pre-party, which Browne describes as a family-friendly bachelor or bachelorette party (though guests are required to be 21 or older), will include limo rides to several stops around town, including Rampage Room and Tastebuds Kitchen.

“The emphasis is to make this fun and light-hearted,” he said.

The following weekend, the Wedding for Good ceremony takes place at 3 Dots Downtown and mimics the layout of a traditional American wedding ceremony, only instead of vows being exchanged between a bride and groom, the community attendees will exchange vows with the mental health organizations recognized. Essentially, Browne said, the community will be asked to support the organizations and focus on their causes. Then, attendees will have a chance to stick around and speak with mental health organization leaders from the community, ahead of the ticketed reception at Hyatt Place State College.

Again, the reception follows a traditional American wedding reception format, but with a lot more fun and a focus on a good cause. Various activities will be available, such as an appetizer-making station hosted by Tastebuds Kitchen. Food, dancing and a bouquet toss are all on the agenda as well.

Tickets for the ceremony and reception are available until Wednesday. Early bird pricing ends Monday.

While the organization of the event has been solely in Steco and Browne’s hands, Browne is quick to note the high level of support they’ve received from their sponsors and partners.

“There are a lot of folks in this town who are also very supportive of this cause,” he said. “We asked some of these sponsors for a big ask, especially for a first-year event, and they all committed and said, ‘We will do this because we believe in the cause. We believe in doing something different.’ That’s the one thing I’ve heard, ‘I’m so glad there’s an event that’s different in town and it’s raising awareness and it seems like it’ll be a lot of fun.’ ”

He added: “We can find creative ways of bringing attention to topics and coming together as a community outside of what you expect and it’s OK.”

For those planning to attend, Browne offers a few tips.

“There will be some fun activities at the reception, so bring some cash because you might want to participate. There will be a cash bar there as well. If popping a bottle is your thing, you might want to bring some change for that. Come fancy if you want to; if you have a wedding outfit you haven’t worn in a while, wear that ... or if you just want to be a little more casual, that’s OK, too. Whatever you feel comfortable in for an event, wear that.”

They’re also looking for participation from mental health organizations large and small. Those interested in being involved should message Browne and Steco at Facebook.com/weddingforgood.

Find more information about Wedding for Good or to purchase tickets, visit www.weddingforgood.com.

This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.