A huge haul of stashed away wedding dresses has made one Wellington hospice shop's day, after 160 gowns were donated as a favour for the charity's kindness to an elderly man a decade ago.
Petone's Te Omanga Hospice Shop received a trailer-full of brand new wedding dresses, ballgowns, veils and bridesmaid dresses estimated to be worth between $60,000 to $80,000, Stuff reports.
Manager of the store, Margaret Williams, said the volunteers at the hospice had been "humbled" by the generous donation.
The storyline behind the large gift begun last year when Bluebelle bridal business owners Brady Dyer and his wife Emma bought another Palmerston North bridal business as it was closing down.
The 160 wedding dresses were acquired when the Dyers bought the Palmerston North business, but as much of the stock was discontinued they decided not to sell them.
"They were starting to take up space. We thought about giving them to a costume shop or doing an event around 100 dresses but it seemed wasteful for them to go somewhere where they wouldn't be used as wedding dresses," Brady Dyer said.
Selecting Te Omanga Hospice Shop as the recipient was an easy decision, given Emma Dyer's grandfather had been cared for by them a decade ago.
Manager of the Hutt Valley hospice Margaret Williams said they were planning an evening event on June 26 where the public could come and try on all the dresses.
While some of the dresses are worth $4000, it is expected Petone's Te Omanga Hospice will be charging considerably less for them.
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