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    Power Philanthropy

    TACA celebrates 50 years of championing the arts with glittering Dallas gala

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Sep 11, 2017 | 6:00 am

    No one danced around the theme of TACA's 50th Anniversary Gala on September 8 at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. "Celebration" was the word of the night — in conversation, in remarks onstage, and in the title of the artistic highpoint of the glittering event.

    "This signature gala celebrates five decades of TACA's commitment to the arts in North Texas," said Wolford McCue, TACA Carlson president and executive director.

    He and gala co-chairs Chef Dean Fearing and Wanda Gierhart greeted several hundred arts-minded attendees at the entrance of an outdoor, air-conditioned tent decorated elegantly with white roses and twinkling lights. Inside, the glamorous guests nibbled on passed canapes from Dallas' most revered restaurant and sipped wine, champagne, and cocktails — including signature gin libations called "A Fish Called Wanda," garnished, appropriately, with plastic fish swizzle sticks.

    Emcee Joel Ferrell, associate artistic director at Dallas Theater Center, insisted that the cocktails continue ahead of a live auction that would directly impact arts organizations like his — "mama needs a new play festival," he quipped. In her touching remarks, TACA Board Chair Donna Wilhelm shared how honing her artistic talents helped her overcome the shame she felt being called "immigrant girl" as a child.

    Then the artists who benefit from TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) took center stage. Members of three Dallas-area dance troupes — Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Bruce Wood Dance, and Dark Circles Contemporary Dance — gave the world premiere performance of "Celebration," commissioned by TACA for the gala. Curated by TITAS Presents Executive-Artistic Director Charles Santos and choreographed by Bridget L. Moore, artistic director of Dallas Black Dance Theater, the groovy, energetic piece was set to Stevie Wonder songs.

    "I wanted to create a work that would honor and celebrate TACA's milestone of 50 years and its commitment to the arts," Moore said. "Charles suggested a variety of songs, and we both agreed that Stevie Wonder would be a great fit for the work. You just can't go wrong with the music of Stevie Wonder."

    The luxury live auction, conducted by auctioneer Louis Murad of Murad Auctions, featured six incredible packages of both local experiences and journeys around the world. While TACA is still tallying totals, it was clear bidders were prepared to be generous.

    A trip to locales featured in James Bond films in the Swiss Alps, Venice, and Monte Carlo brought on a bidding war so fierce that a second, identical package was added; both sold for $14,000.

    The most sought-after auction package, though, was a dinner for 12 cooked by Fearing and served by three former Dallas Cowboys greats as personal waiters and wine stewards: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Daryl Johnston. Fearing told the crowd he had hesitated to press "send" on the email to the Super Bowl champs, but each said yes immediately, creating a once-in-a-lifetime dinner experience.

    "I went out on a limb to ask these guys, and we need big dollars for this," he said from the stage. "It'll never happen again. We'll do it once, that's it."

    Fearing and TACA scored big with a winning bid of $32,500.

    The gala continued with a three-course dinner with CK Mondavi wine pairings inside the Mansion's restaurant. On the menu were Peekytoe crab with langoustine, avocado, Meyer lemon, and local tomato gazpacho; Wagyu beef sirloin with fois gras, textures of kale, bacon marmalade potato, and king oyster mushroom; and a sweet ending called "Intense" — dark chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnut, choco'passion macaron, and exotic sorbet.

    Established in 1967, The Arts Community Alliance champions artistic excellence in North Texas arts organizations and encourages innovation, collaboration, and engagement through financial support, stewardship, and resources. Since its inception, TACA has distributed more than $24 million to emerging and established performing arts organizations.

    Gierhart teased that next year would see changes to TACA's premier fundraising event, and to its mission. "TACA's Custom Auction Gala has historically signaled the commencement of Dallas' black-tie season," she said. "Because the organization is poised to expand its reach to include the visual arts, the party on September 8 will be the last of its kind, lending extra excitement to the proceedings while setting the stage for exciting changes in 2018."

    In other words, arts lovers should stay tuned.

    Linden Wilson and Briana Buxbaum arrive for the TACA 50th Anniversary Gala.

    Linden Wilson, Briana Buxbaum
      
    Photo by Sylvia Elzafon
    Linden Wilson and Briana Buxbaum arrive for the TACA 50th Anniversary Gala.
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    Celebrity wedding

    Dallas Cowboys cheerleader ties the knot in dreamy wedding in Tuscany

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Jun 16, 2025 | 4:24 pm
    Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Marissa Phillips, Braden Leschber wedding, Tuscany
    Photo by Kseniya Palchi via Facebook/Marissa Phillips and People magazine.
    Marissa Phillips and Braden Leschber wed on June 3, 2025 in Italy.

    Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Marissa Phillips married her college sweetheart, Braden Leschber, in a picture-perfect wedding under the Tuscan sun of Italy on June 3, 2025.

    People magazine got the exclusive on all the wedding details and gorgeous photos by Milan-based photographer Kseniya Palchik.

    Phillips just completed her third year with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and reportedly cut the Italian wedding trip short to return to Dallas and "buckle down" for the next season's auditions. She appeared in Season 1 of Netflix's hit series America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Season 2 begins streaming Wednesday, June 18.

    Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Marissa Phillips, Braden Leschber wedding, Tuscany
      

    Photo by Kseniya Palchi via Facebook/Marissa Phillips and People magazine.

    Marissa Phillips and Braden Leschber wed on June 3, 2025 in Italy.

    Phillips, a Round Rock native, began dating Leschber in 2017 when they were college students: she, at Texas A&M University and he, at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin. They got engaged, fittingly, on the field of AT&T Stadium in Arlington - home of the Cowboys - on August 10, 2023.

    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Braden Leschber (@braden_leschber)

    According to People, the couple chose to marry in Italy for two reasons: because of Phillips' proud Italian family heritage and because it was (somehow!) cheaper than a big, traditional Texas wedding. So, they and 75 friends and loved ones jetted off to romantic Tuscany for a destination wedding extravaganza that lasted several days.

    "We wanted to make this celebration as special as it could be and stray away from the typical wedding scene whenever we could," Phillips told the magazine. "We also don’t get a lot of time to slow down and enjoy the company of our friends and family, so we really loved the idea of a destination wedding, where everyone could unplug and spend time together."

    Festivities started Monday, June 2 with a welcome party that included Italy's two most important food groups: pizza and gelato.

    The wedding was held the next day at Borgo Stomennano, a historic estate in the Chianti Classico region, near Florence and Siena. According to the website, the estate's villa and farmhouses are surrounded by woods, vineyards, and olive groves in a tiny village built on ancient Roman and Etruscan ruins that are still visible.

    For the ceremony, People says, the bride wore Katherine Tash's elegant "Luna" wedding dress, featuring a wide-scooped neckline and hand-draped bodice and skirt, from Dallas bridal shop a&bé bridal. To complete her bridal look, she rented diamond stud earrings and a tennis bracelet from Verstolo and wore shoes from Bella Belle Shoes. Her hair and makeup were done by The Styling Stewardess. Bridesmaids wore black dresses from Birdy Grey and Kendra Scott jewelry.

    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Marissa Phillips (@marissaphillips__)

    Phillips walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" and Phillips' brother-in-law officiated the Christian ceremony, in which bride and groom exchanged traditional vows.

    "[Marriage] means we are stuck with each other for life, through the good times and the bad, tied together as one under God and what God has joined together, let no man separate," Phillips told the magazine.

    At the reception, guests dined on a three-course plated dinner of Italian favorites, including trofie pasta with arugula and walnut pesto; fagottino (filled pasta) with bufala ricotta and artichokes and pecorino cheese sauce; and pork chops lacquered with honey and chopped pistachios. Dessert was traditional Italian wedding cake, which the couple "made" in front of guests. (A photo shows them sifting powdered sugar on top.)

    Phillips told People that she and Leschber took the food so seriously, they traveled to Italy a year before their wedding for a tasting with their caterer, Il Sorriso Ricevimenti.

    The bride changed into a custom party dress designed by her best friend and bridesmaid, Kathryn Emily of Belvedere Couture, made of fabric, lace and pearls from Phillips' mother's preserved wedding dress. The newlyweds and their guests then danced the night away to the live music of BritPops.

    Marissa Phillips, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders wedding.The bride and fellow Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders performed "Thunderstruck" at the reception.Photo by Kseniya Palchik via People magazine.

    And, in keeping with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders tradition, members of the squad performed their iconic routine "Thunderstruck."

    Before heading home, the couple and their guests gathered the next day for a "La Dolce Vita"-themed pool party. The new Mr. and Mrs. then slipped away to Lake Como for a quick "mini moon." (They'll take a longer honeymoon at the end of the next Cowboys season, they say.)

    Back home in Dallas, Phillips is not only a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, but also an administrative assistant at an accounting firm and co-owner (with her sister) of the online Joey Lynn Boutique. She's also involved in the Alzheimer's Association in honor of her father, who died of Lewy Body Dementia in 2021.

    She's also a social media influencer. She went viral in December 2024 for gifting each of the 40 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders members a Dyson Airwrap hairstyling tool, valued at $600 each.

    “Huge thank you to @dysonbeauty and @dysonusa for helping me pull off the biggest surprise to the girls who deserve it most! All the love,” she wrote in the Instagram caption of a video of the women opening the $24,000 Christmas haul.

    celebritiescheerleadercowboysitalianreal-housewivesweddingweddingsmarissa phillipsvacationdallas cowboys cheerleaders
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