Wedding Dress Disaster: Bridal Shop Reaches Out After Dresses Go Up in Flames

Nov. 19, 2010— -- When a Chicago-area bridal shop went up in flames this week, so did the dreams of dozens of brides-to-be whose burned dresses were left among the rubble.

Eva's Bridal Shop in Oak Lawn, Ill., was destroyed by the fast moving fire Wednesday. Only a handful of dresses were salvaged.

"I just wanted to look like that princess for that one day," bride-to-be Casey Aulisa said. "It's really hard."

Ashley Kuhl also lost her dress, as well as four of her five bridesmaids' dresses.

"I looked good in it," she said. "I felt good in it and it has some special touches."

Kuhl has had her dressed picked out for more than a year.

"I ordered it in July 2009," she said. "It's been in the works for a while."

With her wedding scheduled for Dec. 4, two weeks away, Kuhl was at a loss for what to do.

Enter Renee Fennell, owner of A' Paris House of Bridal & Fashion in Michigan City, Ind., which boasts one of the largest selections of wedding dresses in the Midwest.

Fennell has offered to outfit not only Kuhl but all her bridesmaids -- for free.

"Thank you," Kuhl said when she heard the news on "Good Morning America" today.

Fennell said she knows what Eva is going through. About 20 years ago, her family-owned store, then located in downtown Chicago, lost everything in a fire.

"I am a firm believer in karma," she said. "What goes around comes back and we just want to help."

Bride-to-Be Gets Surprise Offer: 'I Will Have a Dress'

Kuhl said she initially thought it was a joke when her mother called to say Eva's was on fire.

But her aunt, who worked across the street from Eva's, had seen the fire and knew her niece's dress was likely destroyed.

"Complete shock," she said. "I didn't know what to think."

Several other bridal shops in the area have rushed to the rescue as well, offering several brides-to-be, including Aulisa, help in replacing their dresses, according to the Chicago Tribune.

A picture of Kuhl in her old dress from Eva's shows a smiling bride-to-be, obviously proud of the pretty white gown with a sash tied in a bow at her waist.

Now, she said, she will look forward to wearing something beautiful, even if it wasn't exactly as she planned.

"I will have a dress," Kuhl said.