DRESSING UP A SAD SITUATION
Donated wedding gowns save the day for dozens of brides jilted by shop closure
It looked like the biggest mass wedding in Albuquerque history was about to unfold at the Marriott Pyramid North as women — and a few men — young and old streamed in to the hotel with bridal gowns bagged and boxed and beautiful in hand.
Instead, it was a way for the community to join together to make a bad situation brighter by donating the wedding gowns to women jilted by the sudden closure of Alfred Angelo stores across the country, including a location at ABQ Uptown.
The bridal chain closed July 12 without warning, leaving hundreds of brides-to-be without their gowns and without refunds. That’s when former Albuquerque store manager Karen Chavez teamed up with Stacy Blackwell, owner of New Mexico Wedding Expos and Guide, to put out the call for wedding gowns used and new to replace the lost ones.
And when that call went out 10 days ago, many said, “I do.”
For more than three hours Thursday, about 160 gowns were brought in for the cause, far more than the number of Alfred Angelo customers who were expected to come in to select from among the frothy, beaded and bustled gowns.
“I’m just overwhelmed; I feel like crying,” Blackwell said as she greeted each donor with the effervescence of a mother of the bride. “This is just a great day.”
It was that. It may not have been an actual wedding, but it was as joyful and as hopeful as one.
“This is just a wonderful thing to do, knowing this dress will go to someone who really needs it,” said Pat Montoya, who wore the gown she donated at her own wedding 25 years ago.
Deborah Rojas said she had been looking for the right cause to donate her daughter’s gown to since the day she bought it in 2001, the $799 price tag still attached.
“She never wore it,” Rojas said. “She eloped.”
Many said they were grateful to clear their closets of the bulky, flouncy dresses — including a massive one with two 4-foot-long trains and 22 bustles.
“It’s been in the attic a number of years, so we thought this was a better thing to do with it,” said Gordon Post, whose bride, Christel Post, wore the gown at their wedding in 1962.
Julie Weaver brought in a never-worn bridal dress found tucked away in a friend’s closet. The friend’s wife, who had owned the dress, has passed away and he was moving on with a new woman now, Weaver said. Strangely, the dress was not the one his wife wore on their wedding day.
“We don’t know why she had it,” Weaver said. “But he sure didn’t need it.”
Jessica Martinez brought in not just one gown but 20, all in storage for 10 years since the closing of her shop, Special Moments Bridal Boutique.
“It feels good to give these to a worthy cause,” she said. “And my husband is especially happy to get rid of them.”
Sarah Smith brought in a beaded sleeveless number she never wore because she had called off the wedding 14 years ago.
“Maybe somebody else will have better luck with it than I did,” she said with a sigh.
All afternoon, Blackwell listened to the stories of the dresses, memories of one perfect day — and on occasion a not-so-perfect memory. One woman, she said, was glad to be rid of her gown just as she was glad to be rid of the guy she married.
Another donated gown was never worn because the bride passed away before she walked down the aisle.
Out of all the gowns donated, the one that took everybody’s breath away was a sleek and simple hand-sewn satin dress from 1938, donated by the bride’s son.
“He just thought it was a shame to keep it in storage any longer,” Blackwell said.
That dress, she said, will be donated to a museum because of its historical value.
Alyssa Sena of Santa Fe thought she was being smart by ordering her dress so far ahead of her June 2018 wedding.
“And then this happened,” she said.
Her fiancé, Michael Bowles, had plunked down a $1,900 deposit for two dresses valued at $2,200. They received only one of them before the store shut down and took their money.
“I don’t know why she needs two dresses, but she does, so whatever she wants is fine with me,” he said.
Smart man.
He didn’t stay to help her pick out the substitute dress — that superstitious thing, you know.
“She said I can’t see it, and I’m good with that,” he said.
One person who stuck around was Smith, who said she was hoping to see her never-worn dress get chosen. In a crowded office that served as a makeshift dressing room, she learned she had gotten her wish.
Sparkling and swirling in front of a full-length mirror was Brianna Miles, who had chosen Smith’s dress for her one perfect day.
“I’m so happy for you,” Smith said, hugging Miles tightly. “I hope this gives you joy.”
It had done that, finally, for Smith.
Gowns not chosen by the Alfred Angelo customers will still find happy, deserving homes.
Four charities — including Joy Junction, Assistance League of Albuquerque, Animal Humane New Mexico and S.A.F.E. House — will receive some of the dresses.
Dresses that were never worn will be spread around to other charities for silent auctions in the next few months. A large group of dresses will be donated to the local Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a youth group that emphasizes leadership training through community service.
Bridesmaids’ dresses will be donated to organizations that help disabled young women.
“We’re trying to share the wealth,” Blackwell said. “This is such a great community outpouring. We’re going to make sure that we benefit as many in the community as we can.”
Long past the 4 p.m. deadline to drop off wedding dresses, the gowns still kept coming.
If it is true that something borrowed is a good omen for marriage, then dozens of brides should have a happy life ahead.