Amid tragedy, we often feel helpless. There’s only so much that can be done to comfort people experiencing death and destruction. The Los Angeles wildfires have caused both. As people are looking for ways to support these communities, one woman came up with a brilliant idea for how she could be of service.
Her kindness and efforts were contagious. She inspired many others to do the same, helping hundreds of women whose lives have been devastated.
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Kelly Mosser thought about what she would grab if she had to evacuate.
Mosser, a marketing company founder, lives across the country in New York City, The Independent reports. Still, as fires raged in Los Angeles, Mosser considered what she might do in that situation, if she were forced to evacuate her home. While she saw people speak about pictures and other memorabilia, Mosser, who got married two years ago, realized that many brides weren’t speaking about having to leave behind their wedding dresses.
“It just made me think, ‘You know what? There are probably women in the next few months who have weddings coming up and don’t have a dress right now,’” she told People.
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@kelly_mosser Reach me on the other app @kelly.mosser ❤️ and if you’d like to contribute in case we get more than one bride, we can help even more people. If you have bridal industry connections, maybe brands can help too? #bridetobe #labrides #lawedding #labridal #labridetobe ♬ original sound – kelly_mosser
Other people joined in to help Mosser.
Mosser said anyone who’s ever bought a wedding dress knows how long the process of having it delivered and then altered can take. So Mosser went on TikTok and Instagram to see if there were any LA brides looking to replace their dresses. Mosser planned to buy one of these brides another dress from either Anthropologie or J.Crew.
The video went viral. Almost immediately, other women offered to donate their wedding dresses, rehearsal dinner dresses, and engagement party dresses to women who may have lost theirs in the fires. So far, Mosser has 200 donated dresses.
Others offered to donate other things as well.
Attire turned into wedding services. Another person offered free photos to someone who may have lost their originals. Designers are offering to make custom gowns. Tailors are offering their alteration services.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there are so many amazing people out here who really want to help,'” Mosser says. “Looking at all the support and offers, I started to think about it more. Then I got the idea of hosting a live in-person event in Los Angeles sometime in the spring, where brides affected by these fires can come and find a dress for free.”
@kelly_mosser HUGE thank you for sharing my last video. We can help more brides who urgently need dresses and are not in a financial position to buy a new one, so please keep sharing! Thank you to all who’ve offered to contribute!! We are also organizing an in-person dress drive + free shopping event in LA when it’s safe to do so. To donate bridal wear, please reach out to [email protected] with a photo of you in the dress, description (if available) and sizing info. We are also looking for a connection to a space in LA for March/April to host this event! #2025bride #lafires #labride #lawedding #labrides #bridetobe #engaged ♬ original sound – kelly_mosser
Many brides are still in limbo.
Right now, Mosser has more dresses than brides. So far, the brides who have reached out are asking if they can follow up with Mosser. “…probably like a dozen brides that are saying, ‘Can I get back to you in a couple of weeks? I don’t even know the state of my dress right now because I can’t get in touch with my tailor,’ or, ‘My dresses at my aunt’s house, and we’re not able to get back there yet.’ So it seems like the brides are kind of keeping us on their radar, but so we will be excited to help them out if and when they do end up having the need.”
While Mosser knows that wedding dresses are not essential, they represent something deeper. “I’m very aware that a wedding dress is not an essential item, but it’s a symbol of hope and joy. For people going through such a devastating time, they need that bright spot on their calendar. I don’t want them to feel constantly reminded of everything they’ve lost,” she said.
