Gastonia bridal salon says thank you to service members with free dresses

GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia bridal shop helped make dreams come true for women in the military and fiancés of military members on Sunday.

Women from all over the country traveled to Poffie Girls Sunday to pick out their perfect wedding dress.

As a way to say thank you to those who serve, the store gave each woman 20 minutes to find a dress, veil and jewelry – all for free.

"We really appreciate everything our military does for us, and this is just our way of saying thank you,” manager Vicki Jefferies said.

Leslie Champlain is getting married to an Army soldier next September in Alabama and with help from the staff, she found her perfect dress.

"These women have done a phenomenal job. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for us," Champlain said.

This is the sixth year Poffie Girls has held the giveaway, which is part of the nationwide initiative called Brides across America.

The initiative, which started in 2008, said about 2,000 wedding gowns are given to military brides each year.

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