Planning a wedding is stressful enough without having things you thought were already completed and check off the list suddenly being undone. (And no one needs any extra sweating in this heat!) Yet, with Alfred Angelo closing suddenly last month, that is the situation in which many engaged couples have found themselves. Not only are the couples who bought wedding dresses, accessories, and wedding party attire now potentially out of their money and their dresses, but those who bought from one of the 1,400 retailers who sold Alfred Angelo designs are also left in the lurch. All of these engaged couples and wedding party members now find themselves asking, "What do I do now?," in varying degrees of panic.
In western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh metro-area, the local communities and wedding industry members have rallied together to help engaged couples find wedding dresses quickly at Dress Rescue, created by planner Nicole Brough and owner of Your Big Day Pittsburgh. Nicole has collected as many dresses as possible, for sale or donated to give away from individuals and local bridal boutiques, like This Magic Moment and One Enchanted Evening, to help those affected by the Alfred Angelo closing replace dresses and accessories they may have lost. More than 30 brides have donated their dresses and more than 50 have given theirs to be sold. Dress prices will be capped at $600.
The event will be held Sunday, August 27, 2017, from 12-6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn University Place in Oakland.
Nicole Brough, owner of Your Big Day, created the Dress Rescue event to help Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania brides who lost their dresses when Alfred Angelo closed unexpectedly in July. Photo by Nicole Cassano for Rust Belt Life.
In addition to dress shopping, other sponsors will supply music, goodies, and giveaways throughout the event. All donated dresses not sold or claimed at the event will be donated to Treasure House Fashions, which assists women in transition or crisis finding the clothes they need to thrive in their lives and jobs.
I am so excited to be assisting Nicole with this event. If you follow me on social media, you know that I believe that a huge part of being a local business means being involved in and giving back to the local community. I will be volunteering at the event to help everyone there find the dress they need, and I am so pleased that any dresses not used for this event will be able to help other women in the community fulfill a need in their lives.
If you would like to join in helping at this event, you can do so by donating or selling a dress, or by volunteering to help at the event itself or donating a gift/giveaway.
The event is free to attend for anyone in need of a dress, not just those who lost their dresses in the Alfred Angelo closing. Attendees do need to register online before the event.
For more information, check out the article about the event in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Rust Belt Life.