Creative Memories Names Royal Wedding Contest Winner

Two weeks, nearly 1,200 photo entries and more than 25,000 votes later, a winner has been chosen in the Happily Ever After Photo Contest, sponsored by Creative Memories in partnership with entertainment journalist and TV personality Nancy O'Dell.

Elizabeth Thomander of Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia, is the lucky winner of a trip for two to London during the April 29 British Royal Wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William. She plans on taking her 13-year-old daughter Lauren as her guest. This trip, which will take place April 27-May 1, is especially fitting for Thomander, who has followed the Royal Family for years. Part of Thomander's winning package includes joining O'Dell for a spot of tea while in London. O'Dell, whose love of scrapbooking and photo albums has led to a partnership with Creative Memories, will be covering the wedding for Entertainment Tonight.

To enter, contestants were asked to submit their favorite photo on the Creative Memories Home Office Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/creativememoriesofficalpage) that best illustrates what happiness means to them. Submissions were received from April 1-15, and the top 100 vote-getters were considered for the grand prize. Thomander's winning photo of her two young sons standing near water's edge at dusk having a brotherly chat while holding hands was chosen by O'Dell and the Creative Memories Home Office staff based on its personality, creativity and originality.

During the contest, the Creative Memories Home Office Facebook page received nearly 100,000 visits. The grand-prize winner wasn't the only one to win something from the contest; Creative Memories prize packages ranging from $50-$170 were also given out to 15 runners up.