A woman whose wedding dress was left at a Fort McMurray dry cleaner says it was an "amazing moment" when the Ottawa bridal shop she bought it from came up with the exact same design — and gave it to her for free.

Caitlin Leroux said she only had a few minutes to get photos and some important documents from her home in Fort McMurray last week before fleeing north from the massive wildfire that devastated parts of the city.

"It was just very surreal, the traffic was insane, even the radio announcements were like something you hear out of a movie about an evacuation in progress," she said.

It wasn't until the next day that she thought of her wedding dress, which was at the store for alterations. She doesn't know what shape it is in after the fire.

Sample dress fit 'beautifully'

Leroux travelled to Kingston, Ont., to be with her mother, and the pair decided to go back to All That Glitters bridal store in west Ottawa to see if she could get another one.

The store's owners Chantal Larocque and Shirley Barresi found a sample dress of the gown she had bought — and it ended up fitting perfectly.

"I thought I would have to pick a new dress so I was a little upset by that… when [they] showed me that they were able to fit me into that dress, it was an amazing moment," Leroux said.

"I had two girlfriends who were able to make it here and they were in tears, everyone is just thrilled."

Barresi added, "After all the alterations are done it will fit beautifully, it will be lovely on her."

'The least we could do'

Larocque and Barresi said they decided to give Leroux the $1,300 replacement dress for free.

"It's the least we could do after all she's suffered and gone through, weddings are stressful enough as it is," Larocque said.

Leroux is getting married July 30 in St. John's, Nfld.

"Everyone has been so generous and I'm just so amazed by the compassion and kindness of others. I was so appreciative they'd even help me find another dress in such little time," Leroux said.

"I never expected this kind of generosity and I'll be forever grateful."