North Fulton Boutique Treats Military Brides to Dresses

For Sandy Springs resident Tracy Morton, shopping for her wedding dress was a surreal experience.

Morton got a chance to shop with other fiancés of military service members at Roswell’s Wedding Angels Bridal Boutique.

The Brides Across America event will be held Monday from 3-6 p.m. and Tuesday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Brides can come without an appointment, and they must bring identification and deployment papers.

“I didn’t know there was going to be as many women there, but it was a great turnout,” Morton said. “I wasn’t expecting all the cameras, either. I was on the news.”

While she didn’t find her perfect wedding dress during the Brides Across America event, she said she’s still glad she was able to participate.

“The whole event, the thoughts behind it, it was awesome,” she said.

Morton’s is one of many stories that Wedding Angels employees say they say they’ll likely never forget. And, they say that giving wedding dresses to these women is just a small way they can show their appreciation.

“We really remember so many of the specific stories that we hear,” said Jacquie Westney, the boutique’s owner. “The people are so grateful, and we’re just so grateful to them. There’s always lots of hugging and crying and celebrating.”

Next week will mark the fourth year that Wedding Angels will participate in Brides Across America, a program that provides wedding dresses free of charge to women who have been deployed or who are engaged to someone who is or has been deployed.

“They asked if we would be willing to help support the troops and their families this way,” Westney said. “We feel like no matter what your politics, these guys are making gigantic sacrifices. We thought this was a small way we could show our appreciation. We just can’t stop. We’re addicted.”

Wedding Angels closes its doors during the event, only letting in the military brides, who will get one-on-one appointments with a bridal consultant. This year, the shop has about 100 gowns to give out.

“We run it like a real shopping experience,” Westney said. “It’s like a miniature version of what they’d experience if they came here. For me, that’s the most special part of what we offer. It’s not like running of the brides crazy. We bring our whole staff in. I think it’s special for them to have a dedicated consultant and be able to bring mom and sister with them.”

Although Westney says there isn’t a “crazy” atmosphere in the boutique, she said brides do camp out in front of the shop to get first selection of the gowns.

Qualification requirements for participants can be found at www. weddingangels.com.