For most people, a wedding dress is something that you only wear once. It’s to mark a special occasion in the bride’s life but it usually is never worn again. Some choose to donate them to Goodwill and some choose to preserve them in their closet as a keepsake.
However, some of these dresses go to a far better use. A use that will help comfort families who have to go through an unspeakable tragedy.
NICU Helping Hands is an organization that helps families cope with the loss of a newborn. They believe that these deaths are sacred and these babies should be honored.
This organization repurposes these old wedding dresses and turns them into beautiful sheath wedding dresses that the baby can be buried in. They work with a group of volunteers who make these special garments and present them to the families.
“Often, we would just wrap little babies just in tiny little hospital blankets or washrags or towels, and we didn’t really have much to offer those families,” said Amy Vickers, a former NICU nurse who saw a need and volunteered to sew. “It doesn’t take the hurt away from them. But it just lets them know that we feel like their baby’s life means something.”