For families coping with the unimaginable loss of their infant, special garments known as angel gowns offer a tiny bit of comfort. The gowns are sewed from donated wedding dresses and worn by grieving babies at hospitals and home birthing centers.
A seamstress in Lansing, Michigan, works to support those families through her sewing skills. She transforms beautiful wedding dresses into one-of-a-kind angel gowns for infants who never make it home from the hospital. Her group, NICU Helping Hands, is in need of more donations of wedding dresses and money to pay for shipping costs.
JASON GARNER/SPIRIT HILL MEDIA
For parents who lose their unborn child, the most important thing is to remember that baby. Angel Gowns, a non-profit organization, offers a way to honor those lives through the gifts of handmade gowns made from donated wedding dresses. The gowns are delivered to hospitals, funeral homes, and directly to grieving families, free of charge.
Each year in the United States, more than 626,000 babies are born through stillbirth and miscarriage. Those tiny souls will be remembered for the rest of their life in a gown that was once part of a bride’s special day, symbolizing love, hope, and healing.
The nonprofit Angel Gowns of WNY has transformed wedding gowns into angel gowns for those babies who never go home from the hospital. The group has received more than $35,000 in funding through donors and volunteers. The organization’s president, Missy Ray, says it’s an honor to see the families embrace their tiniest angels with a one-of-a-kind, handmade gown.
The gowns are sewed from the donated dresses and embellished with beads, pearls, lace, and tulle. They are also decorated with small bow ties for boys or vests for girls. Ray and other volunteers hand-wash, iron and package the gowns, which are delivered to hospitals and funeral homes around WNY.
ANN ABBOTT/SPIRIT HILL MEDIA
Allison Harris, an audiologist at Akron Children’s and mother of two little ones, is a big believer in the power of these gowns to bring some peace to families during their grief. She donated four of her own wedding dresses to Hillary’s Cherished Gowns, a volunteer group in the Akron area that sews infant bereavement gowns and accessories for families. She was inspired after reading a column in the newspaper about the nonprofit, which was started by another parent who lost her daughter at 9 months gestation.
Those who wish to donate their wedding dress to Angel Gowns can do so by clicking here. They will be able to follow their gowns on social media, meet the seamstress, and learn about the impact they are having in the world. Those who cannot donate their dress can help with the cost of shipping the gowns to the families in need by donating here.