Vendors Are Donating Everything They Can to Panicked Brides Following Dress Shop Fire

An outpouring of support followed a devastating fire at VIP Occasions in Elmhurst Thursday afternoon, from people inside the local community and out. As a shop that sold wedding dresses, the blaze also left several brides without gowns for their upcoming nuptials.

Sisters Nicole Samardzija and Natalie Krstev, who have owned the shop since 1991, had already received offers from a handful of bridal stores willing to help VIP's brides within hours of the fire starting.

Friday, Crystal Garhammer, the admin of a Facebook page called "Buy-Sell-Trade Anything Wedding-Related Illinois" reached out to the pair, citing almost 20 additional people who were ready to donate big or small. The page had shared a post about the VIP Occasions fire Thursday afternoon, and people were signing up to help before the flames had even been extinguished.

The Facebook page has around 11,000 members who are involved in the wedding industry. These are the faces who want to help Samardzija and Krstev:

• Kristina Bellisario-Tortoriello and her friends want to donate bridal gowns
• Crystal Garhammer of WeddingBliss708 Wedding Planning and Day-of Coordinating wants to donate new bridal hair pieces she just got in stock, as well as a brand-new veil
• Bliss Bridal & Prom of Bourbonnais wants to help
• Yvette Pacheco of Events by Yvette wants to donate a brand-new gown she just got
• Amy Yassinger of Yazz Jazz Entertainment wants to help in any way she can
• Shannon Roberts Fox, a former bride, wants to donate her "old" (yet still new) wedding gown
• Jamie Ruggio Hubbard of Bella Sposa Bridal in Tinley Park wants to help
• Kesa Gunther wants to donate her own wedding gown
• Wendy Brown said she'd like to help however she can
• Samantha Jo wants to donate goods
• Patrick and Crystal Phal of Windy Acres Photography in Grant Park wants to donate time for brides to take new photos
• Sheryl Pryne wants to donate two wedding gowns
• Abryanna Ward of Dessa Event Planning wants to donate
• Teri Mugnaini of Armour Enterprises Video and Photography has said she wants to donate
• Micaela Wachewicz wants to donate a used, plus-size gown
• Jasmine Wedding Galleria wants to help by donating
• Bella Bianca Bridal wants to donate
• Complete Bridal in Dundee and Volees Bridal both want to help out.

The list continues to grow.

"We are all eager to help immediate-need brides feel a little bit less stressed during this beautiful time of their lives," Garhammer said in an email.

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