This Surry County seamstress is paying it forward and gifting 44 wedding dresses to 44 brides

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    SURRY COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — A Surry County woman is paying it forward and is gifting dozens of wedding dresses to brides on a budget, just so they can wear their dream dress on their big day.

Debra Thornburgh of Pins and Needles Alterations says she was gifted 44 dresses from a friend in Williamsburg.

“I received a call from some friend of mine and they closed their business and they gifted me 44 wedding gowns,” Thornburgh said.

A great gift to be given – but also a conundrum.

“I’m thinking how are you going to get rid of 40 dresses?,” Anna Hansen, a friend of Thornburgh’s asked.

The answer was pretty simple for Thornburgh, and she decided to pay it forward.

The expert seamstress understands how tough times are, and how expensive wedding dresses can be.

So to help reduce expenses, Debra decided she would help out some brides on a budget.

“I would like to find some brides that would enjoy these beautiful gowns on their wedding day, to wear them for free,” Thornburgh said.

The dresses are of different styles, including bodice, corset back, tied, buttoned, and zipped.

“It is incredibly generous and also really can take a weight off of trying to figure out, like how to have a picture-perfect wedding and be able to pay your bills the next month,” Hansen said.

All 44 dresses are brand new, and if any of the dresses need to be fitted, Thornburgh says she “can do the alterations.”

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