Susan Johnson
In a small room two floors above Trafalgar Street is a room full of bridal gowns that Sue Sara hires out to brides on a budget. In fact, Sue can provide just about everything for the bridal party, from the mother of the brides’ dress to dresses for the maid of honour and the flower girl, to shoes and jewellery. For $150 a bride can hire a designer-made, near-new gown, $50 of which will be refunded on the gowns return and $50 is donated to the Nelson Hospice.
Sue believes that every bride should feel ’a million dollars on her wedding day’, and that’s what she tries to achieve at Pay It Forward Wedding GownHire.
Sue, originally from Golden Bay, and now in her 60’s, is married with six children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild and still works as a real estate agent. She says she couldn’t manage without the help of her husband, “he’ll usually have cooked dinner by the time I’ve got home, thank goodness” says Sue.
It started five years ago with a couple in Nelson called Sam and Donna. When Sam was diagnosed with cancer, they decided to get married, but Donna didn’t have the money to buy a wedding dress. So the community rallied around on the Pay It Forward page on Facebook and bought the dress and the flowers and everything a bride needs for her special day. After the wedding Donna was so grateful, she decided to pay it forward and lend the dress to someone in need and the collection started from that point. There are now 64 dresses the brides can choose from.
The donated gowns come from all around New Zealand, and even from America, in fact 80% of them come from outside the Tasman/Marlborough region. A bride in Auckland had bought two for her big day, one from Barcelona which was the one she chose not to wear, and which was donated to Sue. Three sisters all donated their gowns. She has Victorian gowns, and even a ‘little Bo Peep’ gown. When a bridal boutique in Tahunanui closed it donated 16 new gowns.
Her brides come from ‘everywhere’, those that are on a budget from necessity and those from choice. “I have a few business owners who don’t see the sense in spending hundreds or thousands on a dress for one day” says Sue.
Sue loves what she does but she would like some help and is looking for a volunteer. A trustworthy, retired, non-smoker with their own transport who has minor sewing skills, is patient, (Sue has only had one Bridezilla), a people person, with a bit of fashion flare.
Ph: Sue Sara on 021 743 465 or visit the FB site Pay It Forward Wedding Dress Nelson/Tasman.