Deborah Chan
There are several organizations that accept wedding dress donations to be made into angel gowns for babies. These include NICU Helping Hands, Little Angel Gowns, and Angel Babies. The donated wedding dresses are transformed into infant burial gowns, also known as angel gowns, which are provided free of charge to hospitals, funeral homes, and grieving families. These organizations rely on donors and volunteers to create these angel gowns, offering comfort and support to families experiencing the loss of a baby. Before donating, it is important to review the specific guidelines and criteria provided by each organization, such as dress condition, packaging instructions, and shipping or drop-off details.
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Wedding dress donation criteria
Thank you for considering donating your wedding dress to our organisation. We are always in need of donations, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. Here are the criteria that your wedding dress donation should meet:
Condition: We accept wedding dresses that are in clean condition. Please ensure that the dress is free of any stains, discolouration, or strong odours, such as from smoke, mothballs, pets, or perfume. We kindly request that you clean the dress before donating it if it has been in storage. Please note that we cannot accept dresses with dry rot, mould, or mildew.
Material: We accept wedding dresses made from bridal satin, silk, or other heavier-weight materials. We are unlikely to be able to use dresses made from stretchy, jersey, or lightweight/see-through polyester materials as they may not provide enough fabric for our purposes.
Colour: We accept wedding dresses of any colour. We also accept pale pink, pale blue, and lavender bridesmaid gowns in addition to wedding gowns.
Preparation: Please remove all tissue paper, hangers, and packaging from the dress. If you wish to keep a portion of the dress as a keepsake, please remove that portion before donating. We kindly request that you fold or roll the dress to fit into a small box for shipping or mailing. If dropping off, please put the dress in a plastic bag and ensure it is not in a box.
Donation Process: Due to the high volume of donations, we ask that you follow our online donation process. We are unable to accept gowns collected through any other means. After completing the donation form, a seamstress in need of a wedding gown will contact you directly with shipping information.
Please note that we do not provide photographs of the completed Angel Gowns due to the complex nature of the construction process. We reserve the right to re-donate or dispose of any dresses that do not meet our criteria. Thank you for your understanding and your generous donation.
Guide to Addressing a Catholic Priest in Wedding Programs
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$15.99 $18.99
Shipping and packaging
If you are interested in donating your wedding dress to be transformed into an infant burial gown, there are several organizations that facilitate this. These include NICU Helping Hands, The Emma and Evan Foundation, Little Angel Gowns, and Angel Babies.
Before shipping your wedding dress, it is important to check the specific requirements of the organization you are donating to. For example, NICU Helping Hands requires donors to complete an online donation form, and The Emma and Evan Foundation may have specific requirements that can be found on their website.
Little Angel Gowns asks that donors send an email to [email protected] to receive their dress acceptance policy. Angel Babies provides detailed instructions on how to package and ship your wedding dress. They request that donors remove all tissue paper, hangers, and other packaging from the dress. If you are mailing the dress, fold or roll it to fit into as small of a box as possible. Ground mail, UPS, or FedEx are all acceptable shipping methods.
Angel Babies specifies that they cannot accept preservation boxes and that any received will be returned to the sender. If you are dropping off your donation, Angel Babies requests that you put the dress in a plastic bag and remove it from any boxes. Drop-off is only available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, and items can be left on the porch with no contact.
It is important to note that once a dress is donated, it cannot be returned. If you wish to keep a portion of your wedding dress as a keepsake, you should remove that portion before sending the dress. Additionally, due to the high volume of donations, organizations may not be able to provide photographs of the completed Angel Gowns made from your dress.
Some organizations, like NICU Helping Hands, may contact you directly with shipping information if one of their seamstresses is in need of a wedding gown. This helps to cut down on shipping costs for both the donor and the organization.
Remember to review the criteria for dress donations, as organizations may have specific requirements for the condition, color, and material of the dresses they can accept.
Guide to Adding Dress Code to Wedding Invites
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$14.88
Other ways to help
There are several organisations that accept wedding dress donations to create angel gowns for babies, including NICU Helping Hands, Angel Babies, The Emma and Evan Foundation, and Little Angel Gowns. These organisations provide angel gowns free of charge to hospitals, funeral homes, and grieving families.
- Donate other items: Angel Babies accepts various other items, including knitted or crocheted blankets and hats for newborns, basic sewing supplies, white thread, craft store gift cards, flannel material, mason jars, zip-top bags, yarn, and monetary donations. These items help create angel gowns and support grieving families.
- Volunteer your time and skills: Organisations like The Emma and Evan Foundation rely on volunteers to provide comfort to grieving families. Consider offering your time and skills to support their mission.
- Raise awareness: Spread the word about the work of these organisations and the impact of baby loss. Share information about their angel gown programs and how people can get involved, whether through donations, volunteering, or advocacy.
- Fundraise: These organisations rely on financial support to sustain their work. Consider organising fundraising events or campaigns to help cover expenses such as burial expenses for families or operational costs for the organisations.
- Support hospital partnerships: These organisations often work closely with hospitals to provide angel gowns. Reach out to your local hospitals to see how you can assist in connecting them with these programs and ensuring a steady supply of angel gowns for families in need.
- Offer professional services: If you have expertise in areas such as marketing, graphic design, or accounting, consider offering pro bono services to these organisations. Your skills can help them improve their operations, raise awareness, and secure additional funding.
Addressing Wedding Envelopes: Who Matters Most?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
What the dresses are used for
Wedding dresses donated for angel babies are transformed into infant burial gowns, also known as Angel Gowns. These are provided free of charge to grieving families, hospitals, birthing centres, and funeral homes. The Angel Gown Program by NICU Helping Hands has a team of over 180 seamstresses across the United States who convert donated wedding dresses into these burial gowns. The program is nationally registered and trademarked and is available across the United States.
The Emma and Evan Foundation also provides Angel Gowns to families, hospitals, and funeral homes. The foundation has a dedicated board of directors and a network of volunteers from across the US who aim to provide comfort to families experiencing the loss of a baby.
Little Angel Gowns, a charity based in Indiana, hand-sews burial attire for babies from donated wedding gowns. They work with hospitals, funeral homes, and individual families to provide this service.
The process of creating Angel Gowns is complex, and several wedding gowns are often used together to create a one-of-a-kind garment. The organisations generally do not return any part of the donated wedding dress to the donor, and donors are advised to remove any portion of the dress they wish to keep before sending it for donation.
Writing a Check as a Wedding Gift? Here's How
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Who the dresses are for
The donated wedding dresses are transformed into beautiful infant burial gowns, also known as Angel Gowns. These Angel Gowns are provided to grieving families and hospitals free of charge. The gowns are distributed to hospitals, birthing centres, and funeral homes. They are also given directly to families who have suffered the loss of a baby.
The Angel Gown Program by NICU Helping Hands is a nationally registered and trademarked program available across the United States. The program is made possible by donors and volunteers, many of whom have experienced the loss of a child or loved one. The donated wedding gowns are sent to a team of seamstresses who convert them into Angel Gowns.
The Emma and Evan Foundation also has a dedicated board of directors and a network of volunteers from across the United States. They aim to provide comfort to families experiencing the tragedy of losing a baby. The foundation hopes to help families financially with burial expenses or cover bills from missing work in the future.
Little Angel Gowns is another organisation that works with hospitals, funeral homes, and individual families to provide burial attire for babies. They hand-sew these burial gowns from donated wedding dresses.
Addressing Save-the-Date Cards: Including Kids
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You can donate your wedding dress to organisations such as NICU Helping Hands, Angel Babies, Little Angel Gowns, and The Emma and Evan Foundation.
Angel baby gowns are burial garments for babies who have passed away. They are made from donated wedding dresses.
The dress must be clean and free from stains, discolouration, odours, dry rot, mould, and mildew. It must also be made from bridal satin, silk, or another heavier fabric. Some organisations only accept certain colours, while others accept all colours.
Due to the complex process of constructing angel gowns, organisations cannot guarantee photos of the completed garments. However, they may take photos and post them on their social media pages or websites.
No, once the organisation has received your dress, they cannot return it or any part of it to you. Therefore, if you wish to keep a portion of your dress as a keepsake, you should remove that portion before sending the dress for donation.
