Her quote is no joke at all. Now mind you, when I married my ex-husband ( another one of those things that's being disclosed about my life that I really don't talk much about), I didn't really do any of the wedding planning because my ex-mother-in-law and her brother took over it all. In fact, I felt more like a guest than a bride at my wedding. But that's really another story for another time (or maybe one of those things we'll just never talk about). Anyway...
MOVING ON...
So a lot of women often complain about how wedding planning can be so time consuming and take over their whole life until the very last thank-you card from the actual wedding has been sent out. But just like with everything else, these women are taking for granted the fact that they get to plan their dream wedding out. Because believe it or not, there are some brides who don't even get to experience that. Now I'm not talking about other women like myself. I'm taking about Military Brides. More likely than not, these brides don't often get to have their dream wedding because their fiancees are often facing deployment. And sometimes these women just have to settle for a quick civil wedding at the courthouse and just hope that they'll be able to have the big lavish wedding until their fiancees return. And sometimes even finances plays a role.
Brides Across America is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization that helps these Military Brides by providing them with FREE wedding gowns for when they are able to finally have their dream wedding. Founded by Heidi Janson, this is the bridal industry's way of thanking our troops for serving our country.
In order to get a free gown, there are certain qualifications a Military Bride has to meet:
- She must be engaged, or had a civil ceremony and planning a wedding within the next 18 months; and
- Her or her fiance were deployed within the past five years OR will have an upcoming deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Bahrain, Libya, Kuwait, Korea or Japan and have not had a formal wedding.
For more information about how to get a free gown, Military Brides can check out their website.
And for those civilian brides who are not sure what to do with their wedding gown, Brides Across America does accept wedding gown donations to be passed on to a Military Bride in need. More information about donating to the organization can also be found on their website.