After detours, contest finds its way to altar

At first, the Marriage for a Lifetime contest promised a $10,000 cash prize to an engaged couple pledging not to engage in premarital sex, but had no takers.

Now it boasts more than 100 entries but offers no money —- although a wedding coordinator has stepped forward to try to give this sticky story a happy ending.

Last month, after the AJC featured the contest organized by abstinence educator Phillippia Faust, dozens of couples claiming they were chaste entered from around the United States. However, only couples where one lives in DeKalb, Newton or Rockdale counties could qualify.

But the office of Faust’s organization, the Marriage Appreciation Training Uplifting Relationship Education, also received a call from the federal Office of Family Assistance informing that no federal grant money could be used for the contest, which had an entry deadline of Oct. 31.

The contest did not meet federal guidelines because the grant is designed for high school-age students, and the winners would be at least 21, according to Marsha Terry, director of marketing and public relations for the Rockdale Medical Group, which implements MATURE.

Terry said MATURE officials believed federal grant money could be used for the contest because it was designed to “inspire” high schoolers to wait to have sex until marriage. Faust did not respond to interview requests.

Faced with the contest’s cancellation, Angela Whitmire, a co-owner of Angelic Affairs wedding planning who had been a volunteer, took it over.

Within days, dozens of businesses, including a florist, photographer and bridal shop, have offered freebies for the winning couple, Whitmire said. The value of the wedding giveaway now tops $20,000, she added, even if it no longer includes a cash prize.

“The purpose of the Marriage for a Lifetime contest is to show young people a tangible illustration of a healthy lifestyle, a real, live couple people can identify with,” Whitmire said. “Let’s face it: Actions speak louder than words. We can teach them all day long, but to see a real, live couple that lives by the principles of a healthy relationship, that can really mean a lot.”

Lisa Riser, wedding coordinator at Always Banquet and Conference Center in Conyers, said owner Hilda Abbott has gladly offered the space featuring a large ballroom and vaulted ceilings for a wedding for up to 200 guests. The owner will also cover staffing for a site that typically rents for about $2,000, Riser said.

“The owner believes in what MATURE stands for and believes in a couple not living together before marriage or participating in any risky behaviors that would pose a threat to marriage,” Riser said. “We are very excited to be a part of this contest.”

The original cash giveaway was among a host of events with a sex-can-wait gospel. Faust, who goes by “Miss Flip,” visits schools throughout the year with a program pressing abstinence as well as teaching conflict resolution and financial management skills.

In 2006, her program was awarded a federal grant of $455,510 annually for five years (a total of $2.27 million).

In the past, Faust, a former labor and delivery nurse, has orchestrated mock weddings, contrasting one featuring young moms, money woes and sexually transmitted diseases with another that had a smiling bride walking down the aisle in a flowing white gown.

This year, she wanted to give young people a real wedding showcasing a couple with a romantic story and the determination to wait to consummate the marriage.

Last month, Faust admitted to the AJC it could be hard to find a couple who hadn’t engaged in sex, and said the contest would be open to couples who have had sex but now recognized “the right choice is probably not to have done it.”

Indeed, among 18- and 19-year-olds who are unmarried, close to 70 percent have had premarital sex, and that percent climbs upward once singles reach their 20s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whitmire said this week she wants the wedding giveaway to be a positive experience for the winning couple.

“We want to reward a couple for waiting,” she said.

That winning couple will be announced about 4 p.m. Sunday at the East Metro Bridal Show at the Newton Center of DeKalb Technical College in Covington.