VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Medical workers have been fighting a continuous battle against the coronavirus pandemic. The last battle this group needed to worry about was which gown they would wear for their weddings.
Thanks to local bridal shop Ava Clara Couture Bridal, 75 designer-made gowns were provided to medical workers like Taylor Bass and Charlotte Tallman for free.
“I think it just fit and I just knew,” Bass said. “She [the employee] put the veil on and I started crying."
“I'm not very girly, so I'm just going to see what I'm feeling,” Tallman said.
The soon-to-be brides came from all over Hampton Roads, with some coming from far as New York and California, for gowns that would usually cost anywhere between $1,500 to $4,000.
"We need to be giving them the utmost support and appreciation,” Alex Fleear, the owner of Ava Clara Couture Bridal, said. "They're putting themselves out there. They're the real heroes."
Fleear decided to give them a hero's gift with help from the designers too.
"I've never had the amount of gowns donated from designers,” she said. “We’re talking brand-new things as well."
Participants had to go through an application process to be considered. 600 people jumped on the opportunity, but only 75 were chosen.
"I feel very beautiful, I feel kind of poofy,” Tallman said, laughing, as she tried on the gown she eventually said "yes" to.
Now these medical professionals have one less thing to worry about for their wedding plans.
"It just took a weight off our shoulders, and I'm very appreciative for the opportunity,” Bass said.
"I have the dress I'm walking away with,” Tallman said. “I'm blessed, I'm thankful."
