100 wedding dresses for vets in Morristown

Servicewomen and significant others of veterans and active duty military personnel began lining up outside of the “I do… i do…” bridal studio on South Street before 5 a.m. Wednesday, wanting to get first crack at 100 free wedding dresses offered for Veterans Day.

“The dresses are a way to give back to those who have or are serving our country,” said co-owner Leia Marley of the fifth annual event. “It’s a very special day, I love it. There won’t be a girl who leaves here without a gown.”

Many of the dresses are brand new but were discontinued, so instead of getting rid of them, Marley said they wanted to donate them to worthy individuals. Each dress given away was valued at up to $3,000, with $100,000 worth of dresses donated in total.

“Everything you see in the store today is available,” said co-owner Patricia Lipper. “It’s always fabulous to see someone leave with a dress but hearing all of these meaningful stories is so fun.”

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On a busy Saturday, I do… i do… may see 15 or 16 brides, but they expected upward of 60 on Wednesday. Marley said the day is just like a typical bridal appointment for the bride-to-be and her family and friends, just a bit shorter, about 40 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half.

“But we only let a certain number of brides in the store at a time,” Marley said, “to make sure each one gets all the attention they deserve.”

Kaili Barrett, 29, of Budd Lake patiently was waiting her turn about 10 a.m. Wednesday, standing with other brides in line on the sidewalk.

Barrett’s fiancé, Wilfredo Rodriguez, a military police officer stationed at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, told her about the special giveaway while on deployment. He had heard about the previous years’ events from friends.

Barrett is a mother who is training to become a nurse at JFK Muhlenberg School in Plainfield and is a military police officer in the National Guard, so she has no time for a civilian job at the moment.

“So the free dress is very helpful for us,” Barrett said. “Right now, we’ve got the one income.”

Brides came from all over the tri-state area, some waking up in the middle of the night to be one of the first in line.

Denville’s Alysia Battista was the first in line and had her pick of all the available dresses Wednesday. When she said the first “yes” of many at 10:30 a.m., the store erupted in cheers and she was greeted with a celebration as she made her way out the door, carefully packaged dress in hand.

While Battista was leaving, Christina Barletta, 21, of Bridgewater was busy trying on dresses.

Barletta’s fiancé, Andrew Illuzzi, is a corporal in the Marines stationed in North Carolina. The two met in high school and have been together for 3 1/2 years. The pair will marry on July 1, at Tides Estate in North Haledon.

Future mother-in-law Michelle West teared up while looking at Barletta in the gowns. As she watched, West played with a ring on her finger. It was originally her grandmother’s, who married her grandfather while they were prisoners of war at a German work camp during World War II. It’s been worn by several brides in the family on their wedding day since then – something borrowed, old, and blue - and she hoped Barletta would do the same when she says “I do” next July.

Barletta tried on four or five dresses before going back to her first choice.

“Coming here I was nervous because I’m very picky, but I’m really happy,” Barletta said. “It’s totally different than what I thought I wanted. I’m glad I tried other people’s opinions.”

Prior to trying on the dresses, the women were invited to visit Dain Shoppe down the road on Community Place. In conjunction with “I do… i do…,” the store gave away fine lingerie to the first 100 brides, grooms or fiancées who provided a valid military identification.

“It’s only a little thing, but it’s a way to give back, giving the foundation of a wedding to people protecting our foundation of freedom,” Dain Shoppe owner Cathy Earnhardt said. “How lucky are we that we have people who serve to keep us safe and America free? We’re the luckiest people on earth to be here in America, and it’s my pleasure to do this.”

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