Internet Helps Canadian Bride Get Wedding Dress After Hers Was Lost in Wildfire
The Canadian woman got two dresses after her photographer's social media posts.
— -- A Canadian bride who lost her wedding dress in the recent wildfire thought her hopes of a perfect wedding were dashed, until a social media post went viral, eventually saving the day.
Elise Boissonneault Phillippo said she was seriously worried about her wedding day last Saturday. Phillipo was one of the more than 80,000 people who have been evacuated from Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada, because of the massive wildfire that has burned 1,600 homes and other buildings in the heart of Canada's oil sands region.
When her wedding photographer, Alex Neary, called to check on her and her family to see if they were OK and if they needed anything, Phillippo, 29, had one request.
"I said, 'To be honest with you, I need a wedding dress. I'd rather not get married in jeans, but if I have to, I will,'" Phillippo said.
That's when Neary, 30, sprang into action -- posting about Phillippo's situation on Facebook. It didn't take long for offers to pour in by the hundreds.
When Phillippo flew to Toronto ahead of her wedding to Brandon Phillippo, whom she had been dating for seven years, Neary arranged for the bride to try on dresses at Lea-Ann Belter Bridal shop.
The experience was emotional, Phillippo said.
"To be honest it was hard at first," she said. "The first dress I tried on was similar to the one I was actually supposed to wear. It brought tears to my eyes."
So she decided to go with a completely different gown, but couldn't decide between a lace A-line dress or a backless silk dress. Thankfully, the bride didn't have to pick because she was able to take both -- one to wear for the ceremony and another to don at the reception.
"I couldn't believe that," Phillippo said. "All I could do was say, 'thank you!'"
On the day of her wedding inside Rectory Café, Phillippo said her husband Brandon, 33, "was trying not to cry."
In fact, the wedding was emotional for many who attended. Photographs of the attendees showed many wiping away tears.
"There's not enough words to really describe it. It's overwhelming. It's touching," she said of how strangers stepped in ahead of her special day. "There was a time when I didn't feel that people were willing to give anymore, but when something like this happens it really put things into perspective and you realize people are still really that amazing."
For now, Phillippo said her Fort McMurray home is "still standing." Her local firefighters have been checking in with her periodically to give updates.
"I appreciate all of their support and how hard they're working to keep Fort McMurray safe -- well what's left of it," she said. "Keep fighting the good fight."
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