Staff Member Jessica Hannan Selected as Finalist in Modern Bride of the Year Contest

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Jessica Hannan, events and project manager at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pa. has been selected as one of the top five finalists in the running for Modern Bride Magazine’s “Modern Bride of the Year” contest. Hannan, of the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, was selected through a vigorous process for her passion for education and for her volunteer and community service to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and military support groups.

Modern Bride Magazine’s “Modern Bride of the Year” contest, currently in its third year, selected 25 brides for the contest from thousands of online submissions, and then narrowed the field to 10 semi-finalists based on video submissions about each bride and the contributions they make in their community. The 10 semi-finalists, along with their stories and videos, were then featured on the Modern Bride Web site, where over 50,000 votes determined the top five finalists. The five lucky brides were then whisked away for a four-day trip to New York City that included photo shoots for Modern Bride Magazine in Central Park, an after-hours personal shopping trip to Macy’s, cooking lessons at the Rouge Tomatè, and events at several exclusive restaurants in Manhattan.

In addition to other prizes, the winners were also included in a live taping and segment on The Tyra Banks Show, where the winner of the contest will be announced in October. The winner of “Modern Bride of the Year” will be featured on the cover of the December / January issue that goes on sale October 20, 2009.

Jessica Hannan has worked as the events and projects manager at Chestnut Hill College since February 2009 and is responsible for major donor and fundraising events at the College. Jessica and her fiancé, Tom Giarratano, are a “Big Couple” for Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Southeast Pennsylvania, and have been mentoring a 10 year-old boy from Northeast Philadelphia for the past year. She also volunteers her time and talents to military support groups such as Adopt-a-Soldier in honor of her brother, who is currently serving in the Army in Iraq.

Hannan, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Pittsburgh and is planning an October 2010 wedding.