By Lily Belcher
Throughout the summer, 16 winning brides arrived one by one at The Regent in Riverview to pick out their dream wedding dresses.
The wedding dresses were donated to the Regent by Satin & Lace Bridal Boutique in Winthrop to be given to engaged health care workers. The giveaway was originally supposed to be a scavenger hunt when it was planned two years ago, but, when COVID-19 hit, it was revised to bring hope to health care workers.
The brides were nominated in the summer and, once selected, picked out a wedding dress from Satin & Lace. The future brides arrived at The Regent at 11 a.m. in the morning for a wedding breakfast. Each was allowed to bring a plus-one and many of the brides invited their mothers as their guest.
“[It] was really cool because their moms hadn’t been with them when they came to pick out the dresses, so their moms hadn’t seen the dresses,” said Alison Farnan from Satin & Lace.
After picking up their dress, the brides could look at various accessories and some of the brides even purchased the matching veils that were paired with their dresses. Each bride had the opportunity to share their equally touching stories with the audience and what getting the wedding dress meant to them.
Farnan shared that one of the brides was nominated to receive the dress by her partner, who is also a health care worker. Her future husband’s best friend, who was supposed to be in the wedding, passed away from COVID on the same day she got selected to receive a wedding dress from the event.
“The email telling them that they had been selected seemed to come at the time when they really needed it the most, which is the thing that really stood out to everybody,” said Farnan.
The wedding dress giveaway gave local health care workers and their families hope and a cheerful break from their challenging jobs.
“It gave us all a really good feeling to help out the people that have been on the front lines and in the trenches for far too long, and that we’re thinking of them,” said Farnan.
For more information, email Farnan at manager@satinandlacebridalboutique.com or visit
www.satinandlacebridalboutique.com.
