Dressy donation
The volunteers at Petone’s Te Omanga Hospice Shop knew they were in for a hefty donation when a car and trailer pulled up.
Inside were close to 160 wedding dresses, ballgowns, veils and bridesmaid dresses.
Hospice shop and retail support manager Margaret Williams said the shop was ‘‘humbled’’ by the donation.
Brady Dyer and his wife, Emma, came into possession of the dresses last year when they bought a Palmerston North bridal business that was closing down.
The couple own their own bridal business, Bluebelle, but a lot of the stock they inherited was discontinued, so they stashed the garments away.
‘‘They were starting to take up space. We thought about giving them to a costume shop or doing an event around 100 dresses but it seemed wasteful for them to go somewhere where they wouldn’t be used as wedding dresses,’’ Brady Dyer said.
Te Omanga Hospice was the obvious choice – Emma’s grandfather had been under its care a decade ago.
Since being dropped off, the dresses are now taking up a rack at the back of the Fitzherbert St store.
Williams estimated the retail value of the dresses was between $60,000 and $80,000 – although the hospice shop probably wouldn’t be selling them for that.
All of the dresses were new and some of them were worth up to $4000. ‘‘We are very humbled by the donations,’’ Williams said.
The three Te Omanga Hospice shops in the Hutt Valley had occasionally received similar donations in the past – usually from shops closing down or changing displays.
To make the most of the beautiful array of dresses, the Petone shop’s staff were readying them for ball season. Williams said the hospice was planning an evening event on July 26, where girls and their mums, family or friends could try the dresses on.
Volunteer Colleen Marcanik said any money made from the dresses would be going to a wonderful cause.
Over her time volunteering, she had come to know the community and said they were ‘‘just so generous’’ – not only because of this donation but from all support that came in.