Each year, 626,000 babies are born through still birth or miscarriage. In the US alone, that’s one baby every minute that doesn’t get to go home with their parents. At a hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wedding gowns are repurposed to offer solace and dignity to grieving families who must say goodbye to their tiny angels.
Known as angel gowns, or angel suits, or angel pockets and wraps, these special burial outfits are given to stillborn, miscarried, preemie, or micro preemie babies. They are often given to children whose skin is too fragile for other clothing, or who cannot fit into traditional burial clothes.
Powell says the programs have become so popular that networks are forming in other parts of the country and even Canada. If you have a dress in your closet, or are decluttering your craft room, check out a similar group near you to see if they need any more wedding dresses or sewing supplies. Some groups even need men’s ties to make little bow ties for boys. They can be made from the spare fabric left over after the seamstresses cut off the original wedding dress’s frills.