Wedding Gown Donation Waitlist Name * First Last

Email *

Location of Wedding Gown * City Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific State

Thank you for your interest in donating your wedding gown to our Angel Gown® Program. Please review our frequently asked question (FAQ) section below before completing the Wedding Gown Donation Form at the bottom of this page.

After processing the initial 15,000 wedding gowns that we received in 2014, we are so happy to announce that we are currently accepting wedding gown donations on an “as needed” basis. When one of our seamstresses is in need of a wedding gown, we refer to our waitlist. The closest wedding gown donor to the seamstress in need (geographically) will be contacted directly by the seamstress with shipping information. This cuts down the cost of shipping for both donor and organization as the gown will only need to be shipped once on its journey to being transformed into Angel Gowns.

There is no greater gift that can be given to a grieving family than affirming the importance of the life of their child by offering this simple gift. We are grateful for your interest in our Angel Gown® Program.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

I’m interested in collecting weddings or holding a wedding gown drive for the Angel Gown® Program. Is this possible?

Does my wedding gown need to be cleaned before I donate it?

Do you accept other formal gowns?

Is the donation of a wedding gown or bridesmaid gown a charitable donation?

Can I request Angel Gown® garments made from my wedding gown be sent to a specific hospital?

What kind of wedding gowns do you accept?

Does NICU Helping Hands charge bereaved families or hospitals for Angel Gown® garments?

How long will it take for my dress to be turned into an Angel Gown® garment?

Are you willing to take pictures of the gowns that are made from my dress?

I would like a keepsake piece of my wedding gown – what do I do?

How will I know when you have received my wedding gown?

How should I package my gown for shipping?

What happens if I send my wedding gown and it cannot be used?

I donated my wedding dress and shipped it to NICU Helping Hands. I have changed my mind and would like my wedding gown back. What do I do?

I’m ready to donate. What should I do now?



I’m interested in collecting weddings or holding a wedding gown drive for the Angel Gown® Program. Is this possible?

Due to the overwhelming interest in our program, we are no longer able to endorse individuals or groups collecting gowns or holding wedding gown drives for our organization. All wedding gown donations must go through our online donation process for purposes of inventory control and reasons related to our 501(c)3 status. We are unable to accept gowns collected in any manner outside of our online donation process.



Does my wedding gown need to be cleaned before I donate it?

If your wedding gown has any odor we ask that you have your gown cleaned before shipping to us. All gowns must be from smoke-free homes. If your wedding gown is heavily stained, unevenly yellow from age or otherwise damaged it may not be usable.

It is our commitment to hospitals and bereaved families to provide clean, beautiful and high quality Angel Gown® garments. Thank you for your understanding.



Do you accept other formal gowns?

We accept pale pink, pale blue and lavender bridesmaid gowns in addition to wedding gowns. We do not accept any other colors or any other type of formal gowns or formal wear at this time. Thank you for your understanding.



Is the donation of a wedding gown or bridesmaid gown a charitable donation?

NICU Helping Hands is a 501(c)3 non profit organization and donations made to us are tax deductible. We cannot value your donation, but we will send you a tax acknowledgement letter via email once we have received your donated wedding gown or bridesmaid gown. Tax donation acknowledgement letters will be emailed throughout the year and will arrive in plenty of time for the tax filing season. Alternately, you may include a self-addressed stamped envelope with your dress to receive a tax donation acknowledgement letter via mail.



Can I request Angel Gown® garments made from my wedding gown be sent to a specific hospital?

We provide Angel Gown® garments to any hospital that requests them; however, we cannot guarantee placement of specific Angel Gown® garments at specific hospitals.



What kind of wedding gowns do you accept?

We accept all wedding gowns that are clean and in good condition. We also accept bridesmaid gowns that are pale pink, pale blue and lavender. These are the only colors for bridesmaid gowns that we accept. Thank you for your understanding.



Does NICU Helping Hands charge bereaved families or hospitals for Angel Gown® garments?

It is an honor for us to provide the gift of our Angel Gown® garments to any bereaved family or hospital requesting them at no cost.



How long will it take for my dress to be turned into an Angel Gown® garment?

It can take several months for a wedding gown to be processed and put into the hands of our volunteer seamstresses to be made into Angel Gown® garments. Once we receive the garments back from our seamstresses we then quality control check them, package them and ship them to families and hospitals across the US. This is a delicate process and one we take very seriously. Please know that we are working tirelessly to ensure that all wedding gowns and bridesmaid gowns are used as quickly as possible.



Are you willing to take pictures of the gowns that are made from my dress?

The process of constructing Angel Gown® garments is a complex one. Often times several wedding gowns are used together to create a one of a kind garment. Because of this NICU Helping Hands does not guarantee photographs of completed Angel Gown® garments to wedding gown donors.



I would like a keepsake piece of my wedding gown – what do I do?

If you would like a keepsake piece from your wedding gown you should remove whatever portion of your wedding gown that you would like to keep before sending your gown to NICU Helping Hands. Please note that due to the high volume of donated gowns received we are not able to offer this service after we receive your donated gown.



How will I know when you have received my wedding gown?

Due to the high volume of donated gowns we handle on a weekly basis we cannot personally confirm with each donor when a gown is received. If you would like confirmation that we have received your gown please purchase tracking with your shipper so that you receive delivery confirmation from them.



How should I package my gown for shipping?

We recommend and request that you package your gown in the smallest box possible. Please do not ship your wedding gown in a preservation box as it is extremely costly for you to do so. We suggest that you remove your gown from large boxes, remove all crinoline from the underskirt of your gown and then simply fold and place your gown neatly in as small a shipping box as possible.



What happens if I send my wedding gown and it cannot be used?

If your wedding gown is shipped to us and does not meet the above criteria and we are unable to utilize it for our garments we will donate it to another organization that can utilize it.



I donated my wedding dress and shipped it to a NICU Helping Hands’ seamstress. I have changed my mind and would like my wedding gown back. What do I do?

NICU Helping Hands is unable to return donated wedding gowns. We know that making the decision to donate your wedding gown is one that can be very difficult. We encourage donors to take time to thoughtfully consider the donation before making it. Preparation of the wedding gown for use begins immediately upon receipt. Removal of underskirts, lining and crinoline are done as soon as the gown is received, donation forms are taken from the shipping box and processed and the gown is prepared for use. Once placed with a seamstress the gown is cleaned and further deconstructed. We encourage those interested in donating their gowns to thoroughly consider this donation before proceeding as we are unable to return wedding gowns that we receive.

I’m ready to donate. What should I do now?

NICU Helping Hands has open wedding gown donation cycles throughout the calendar year. We do not accept wedding gowns at any other time. To be notified of when we will be holding our next open wedding gown donation cycle please sign up to receive our newsletter.