Brides Across America at Bella Sera Bridal

A dress fitting at Bella Sera Bridal’s 2013 Brides Across America event. / Photo by Sue Tabb

Choosing the right gown is an intimate and emotional experience for any bride-to-be—and perhaps even more so for a military bride who has served or whose fiance is deployed overseas. That’s why Heidi Janson, who owns Georgetown bridal salon Tulle, started Brides Across America in 2008. Over the years, the nonprofit has given away more than 12,000 dresses to qualified local military brides and to Boston Marathon bombing first responders and their significant others.

Tulle and Bella Serra Bridal in Danvers are the two Massachusetts shops that participate in the program, and Bella Sera Bridal is hosting a giveaway event this Saturday (July 19). Owners Lisa Almeida and Heidi Nicholson are expecting between 20 and 40 women registered through Brides Across America to stop by. The gratis gowns up for grabs by Allure Bridal, Paloma Blanca, and Casablanca Bridal vary in size and style and retail from $1,000 to $3,000.

Making a military bride feel special on her big day? Priceless.

Bella Sera Bridal, 85 Andover St., Danvers, 978-774-4077, bellaserabride.com.

A bride finds “The One” at Tulle’s event earlier this month. / Photo courtesy of Tulle

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