Baranette’s Receives Local Business Support with Brides Across America

Over the long Veteran’s Day weekend, participated with a nationwide event that gave free wedding gowns to military brides.

The event, called “Brides Across America,” is held twice a year, and involves retail bridal shops across the country. According to the Brides Across America website, over 35 bridal shops in 25 states participated with the most recent Veterans Day event.

In Pennsylvania, Baranette’s was one of two participating event locations.

“You don’t really realize how many people you know until you sit down and think about it,” Dawn Leary, owner of Baranette’s said of the family, friends and neighbors who serve in the military. “How lucky we are that we have so many people that want to volunteer and fight for us to make sure that we’re protected.”

This is Leary's seventh year as owner of Baraneete’s, which has a 57-year history in Willow Grove.

According to Leary, this was the first year Baranette’s participated with the Brides Across America event. However, the bridal shop did try to participate last year, when she was first informed of the event through a bridal shop sales representative. But due to miscommunication with event organizers, Baranette’s was unable to participate.

During the first week of November this year, Leary recalled the Brides Across America event, and was eager to again try and participate. She found that the retail bridal shops nationwide would participate around the Veterans Day holiday, giving her only a week to prepare.

“We took it upon ourselves to go above and beyond to get more dresses,” Leary said.  “I wanted the brides to have options.”

Leary was able to contact bridal shops in Bucks County and in Ohio to receive dress donations that would supplement her own stock in preparation for the event. According to Leary, Baranette’s offered over 50 free wedding gowns.

Leary and her staff also contacted local businesses, asking for their support with the event.

According to Elizabeth Reese, a Baranette’s sales associate; asking local businesses to participate for Brides Across America was not a difficult task.

“The businesses, for the most part, were really receptive to helping,” Reese said. “And, that was their way to thank [military personnel], to join with us and give a little piece to make their day special.”

A large number of decorated gift bags lined the main retail counter space of Baranette’s. Each gift bag held the local business donations, most of which took the form of gift certificates, and included, but were not limited to:

• A free bridal bouguet from

• A $35 gift-certificate to

• Three free fitness classes from

• $200 off a wedding package from EJZ Entertainment

Several more businesses donated goods and items for the event, including wedding accessories and patriotically decorated baked goods for refreshments.

Baranette’s hosted the Brides Across America Event from Nov. 10 - 14.

But, despite contacting local media, using the Baranatte’s website and social media, only a handful of military brides took advantage of the event, leaving Leary with a majority of the donated gift certificates and dresses.

“We anticipated a little bit more than what we had turn out,” Leary said. “So, we are looking for other avenues on what to do with these dresses.”

Leary said she may use the dresses as part of a potential fundraiser held through the store to benefit holiday season charities or military outreach programs that the and other local VFWs support. She added that Baranette’s is also looking to the local VFWs to find military brides in need of a free wedding gown.

“We have many different options as what to do to still help raise money for  our military and their families,” Leary said.

Leary added that she is not discouraged from reaching out to the community and again participating in Brides Across America next year.

“It’s a fulfilling event, and it’s something that we would want to do again,” she said.