By Nikki Gaskins
ngaskins@abcnews4.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV)—A Charleston wedding boutique salutes Lowcountry troops by giving the bride-to-be a free wedding dress.
Bridal House of Charleston in Mount Pleasant has teamed up with the charitable organization, Brides Across America, for the second year in a row now.
Their goal is to give military brides their dream dress for the big day free of charge.
"Our wedding was everything we dreamed of. It was incredible," said Ashley Smith. Smith was fortunate enough to receive a wedding gown last year year.
This past March, Smith finally married her fiancé, Ben Smith, a C-17 pilot in the United States Air Force. He's faced numerous deployments in the past.
"I love him, and I'm so proud of what he does," said Smith.
This is the second year, bridal store owner, Yvonne McCullough, has participated in the program.
"It was something that I wanted to do to give back. My dad was in Vietnam and my parents were married to him prior to leaving for Vietnam so it was kind of personal," said McCullough.
This year McCullough plans to give away thirty dresses with an average price tag of $1,500
"We have a variety of styles. Some are lace. We have strapless. We have some heavy beaded gowns," said McCullough.
McCullough says last year, brides-to-be lined up outside her store in hopes of getting their hands on their dream dress.
"The first group of girls had gotten a lot of the dresses and then there was one left and it was perfect for me," said Smith.
For Smith, finding the perfect dress made her wedding that more special.
"If it hadn't been for the program, I don't think we would have been able to have the wedding of our dreams," said Smith.
To qualify for a free wedding gown, the soon-to-be bride or her fiancé must be an active member of the military, show proof of deployment, as well as a form of ID.
The free dress giveaway will take place on July 20 at Bridal House of Charleston. For more information, contact the boutique at 843-971-1477.
NOTE: Photos used in the video above were courtesy of Zero9 Photography, zero9photography.com.
( Courtesy: Zero9 Photography / zero9photography.com )
