1,800 Engaged Couples Enter Contest to Get Married at the Premiere of Columbia Pictures' Made of Honor

1,800 Engaged Couples Enter Contest to Get Married at the Premiere of Columbia Pictures' Made of Honor

18 Semifinalists Chosen; Videos Available at http://www.MadeofHonor-movie.com

CULVER CITY, Calif., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 1,800 engaged couples have entered the Made of Honor "Get Married at the Premiere" contest, presented by Columbia Pictures and the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com. After sharing their stories in essays stating why they should be chosen to tie the knot at the premiere of the highly anticipated motion picture comedy, the field has been narrowed down to 18 couples, and the public can now follow the competition online at http://www.madeofhonor-movie.com/. Made of Honor will be released in theaters nationwide on May 2, 2008.

At http://www.madeofhonor-movie.com/, the 18 semifinalists have posted photos of themselves and essays why they should be the couple chosen to exchange wedding vows at the premiere. On April 7, the contest will present videos of the four finalists, and the public will be invited to vote on their favorite couples. The contest will be featured on "Entertainment Tonight," prompting the public to go online and vote. Voting will take place April 7 through April 11 and the winning couple will be announced on "Entertainment Tonight" during the week of April 14.

The 18 couples are all available for interviews in their local markets. The 18 semifinalists are:

   Nicole and Michael, San Jose, CA   Julianna and Drew, Chicago, IL   Cassandra and Michael, Coralville, IA   Katie and Jerry, Chicago, IL   Tonya and Matthew, Huntersville, NC   Michelle and Shaun, Camp Hill, PA   Nichole and Richard, Augusta, GA   Matthew and Katherine, Orem, UT   Melissa and Jamie, Pueblo, CO   Hollie and Justin, Huntington, WV   Natalie and Matthew, Dallas, TX   Beth and Jeremy, Roseville, MI   Agatha and Marlon, Middletown, CT   Cecelia and Mike, Houston, TX   Elizabeth and Michael, Austin, TX   Nicole and Trever, Olympia, WA   Dayna and Ty, Detroit, MI   Kerri and Chris, Northport, NY    

The contest will celebrate the winning couple's nuptials with an extravagant wedding and honeymoon. The Grand Prize-winning couple will receive a trip for four to the premiere city, including hotel, airfare, transportation, and per diem. To tie the knot at the world premiere in late April, the winning couple will also receive the bride's wedding dress, provided by Selia Yang; the groom's tuxedo (as a rental); a bridal bouquet, provided by Fleurop; his-and-hers wedding bands, provided by Damiani; and a $3000 Bed Bath & Beyond shopping spree in the form of a gift card. In addition, upon request, the winning couple will receive 10 additional passes to the premiere for friends and family members to join them on their special day. Finally, to celebrate their honeymoon, the winning couple will spend a romantic six nights in Europe, visiting Paris and Venice, with hotel and transportation included provided by Fleurop.

While only one couple will win the Grand Prize, the other finalist couples whose videos were voted on online will each receive $1,000 Bed Bath & Beyond bridal registry in the form of a gift card to help them outfit and decorate their home.

Commenting on the announcement, Valerie Van Galder, president of domestic marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, said, "We knew that many couples would be intrigued by the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk down the red carpet and exchange marriage vows at the premiere of Made of Honor, but never did we think that so many couples -- over 1,800! -- would enter or that each and every one would have such a compelling story. Choosing only 18 for the semifinal round was a very difficult thing to do. Now, the public can follow the competition online at http://www.madeofhonor-movie.com/, and beginning April 7, they will vote for their favorite love story among our four finalists. Our best to all the brides and grooms that entered and good luck to the 18 semifinalists."

In Columbia Pictures' Made of Honor, Tom (Patrick Dempsey) leads a good life: he's sexy, successful, has great luck with the ladies, and knows he can always rely on Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), his delightful best friend and the one constant in his life. It's the perfect setup until Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip ... and Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. He resolves that when she gets back, he'll ask Hannah to marry him -- but is floored when he learns that she has become engaged to a handsome and wealthy Scotsman and plans to move overseas. When Hannah asks Tom to be her "maid" of honor, he reluctantly agrees to fill the role ... but only so he can attempt to woo Hannah and stop the wedding before it's too late. The film is directed by Paul Weiland. The screenplay is by Adam Sztykiel and Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont from a story by Adam Sztykiel. The producer is Neal H. Moritz.

About Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/.

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Source: Columbia Pictures

CONTACT: Steve Elzer, Senior Vice President, Media Relations of Columbia
TriStar Motion Picture Group, +1-310-244-7142, steve_elzer@spe.sony.com

Web site: http://www.madeofhonor-movie.com/
http://www.sonypictures.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment