Cape Breton bride living in Fort McMurray overwhelmed by dress donations

A Cape Breton woman says both Maritimers and Torontonians really stepped up to help afterher wedding gown was destroyed in the Fort McMurray wildfire earlier this week.

lise Boissonneaultis originally from Sydney and now lives in Fort McMurray. She was getting ready to leave for Toronto for her weddingwhen the evacuation orders were issued and she had to flee the Alberta city.

"I was ready for the wedding. I already had bags semi-packed, so I was able to bring some of my stuff, but then this happened and it's just unreal," she told CBC's Maritime Noon.

Wedding dress at seamstress' home

Boissonneault's gown was being altered at her seamstress' home and there was no time to retrieve it.

"I'm being told that part of town has been burned, so I don't expect to see it," she said.

Boissonneault landed in Toronto stressed and without a gown. That's when her friend back in Halifax, Alana Ritter, stepped in.

"I made it my mission to do what I could do to help her out. I just posted an ad on Facebook," Ritter said.

'So many generous offers'

The post read:"I know it's a long shot, looking for a cheap one or even just to borrow as she now has nothing. She would obviously prefer not to get married in jeans but that may be the only option."

Ritter was overwhelmed with the response.

"My phone was going crazy for a few hours," she said. "Offers of dresses to borrow, and for free, it went crazy."

Boissonneault was equally surprised.

"I thought she was going to ask a couple of friendsmaybe,if they had a spare dress kicking around, I didn't expect that," she laughed."I didn't think she'd post it all over social media."

Ritter said time wasof the essence as any dress they got in Halifax would have to be in the hands ofBoissonneault's parents before they left for TorontoThursday afternoon.

"I knew Maritimers are a very giving people anyway, I knew somebody would come forward so I thought,'I'll get what I can and meet her parents at the airport and shoot it off,' but there were so many generous offers," she said.

As word spread through the wedding industry, a Toronto dress shop, Lee-Ann Belter Bridal,stepped forward and offered a free gown.

Not just one

On Thursday, Boissonneaultended up with not one, but two dresses for her big day.

"There were two dresses I was torn between and they said, 'Just take them both, you can have one for the ceremony and one for the reception,' and I'm just blown away by that as well," shesaid.

In total, more than 100 dresses were offered by people, as well as other free services, from hairstyling to jewelry.

Boissonneault has since heard that her home in Fort McMurray is OK. That will be one less thing to worry about as she gets married on Toronto Island on Saturday.

• Breaking updates on the Fort McMurray wildfire