43
Do you take this gown as a token of admiration?
Photo
BEAUTIFUL AND FREE: Judy Gibbons of Macedonia tries on a wedding dress at Evaline’s Bridal store in Warren. Beside her, shop owner Lori Dubasik assists Gibbons with her dress during an event giving military brides free and deeply discounted dresses.
By Jordan Cohen
Evaline’s Bridal in Warren shows its patriotism by giving wedding dresses to future brides of servicemen.
WARREN — Judy Gibbons of Macedonia beamed as she modeled a wedding dress that could be her bridal gown next year.
“It’s just beautiful,” she said. She also was quite pleased about the price. The dress was free.
Evaline’s Bridal on East Market Street put aside 40 wedding gowns that it planned to give away to the fianc e or bride of a serviceman on duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Store owner Lori Dubasik said the campaign was launched by Brides Across America.com, a Web site dedicated to helping women engaged to men serving in the two war zones. Evaline’s was the only store in Ohio chosen by the Web site to participate, and the Web site chose only one store for each state.
Dubasik said the dresses, all new, ranged from from $300 to $4,600. Evaline’s and a New York company donated the gowns.
“We’ve had servicemen read about this online and call us about having their fianc es come here,” Dubasik said. A woman from Westerville near Columbus showed up minutes later to take advantage of the giveaway.
While Gibbons, 23, tried on several dresses, her future husband, Jim McVey, 30, who just returned from Iraq, stood off to the side. Following tradition, he did not look at any of the gowns. McVey said he expects to be redeployed there.
Lorie Baker, who came to Warren from her home near Cooks Forest, Pa., is not a bride-to-be. She said she has been married for 12 years and her husband is an Army sergeant serving in Afghanistan. She said they plan to renew their wedding vows when he returns next April.
“I know this isn’t the way it usually happens, but I chose the first dress I tried on,” Baker said. “I love it and I know my husband will too.”
Two Army recruiters sat in the front of the store to verify authenticity as each woman was required to show either a copy of the deployment orders or other forms of identification.
“This is a wonderful thing,” said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Dukes, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan during his 10 years in the military. “It’s nice that people think about the families this way.”
Dubasik said that if the gowns were all taken, or if the future brides were not happy with the free selection, the store was offering discounts of 10 percent to 50 percent off the remainder of its stock.
That was not a problem for Kelly Simon, 19, and her husband, Pfc. Anthony Simon, 21, of Poland, who is stationed in Hawaii awaiting deployment to Iraq. He is on leave and the couple returned to the area in time to take advantage of a free gown.
“We didn’t have a real ceremony when we got married, but now we can and maybe hold it in Hawaii,” Simon said.
Dubasik said the Mahoning Valley Wedding Network, a group of Warren businesses that offer promotions with Evaline’s, provided items such as free photography, wedding cakes, and flowers that were awarded to the winners of drawings from the list of names of the prospective brides.