SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Last week, a bride-to-be and her friend reached out to ABC7 News about a nightmare of a wedding dress story.
The Pittsburg bridal shop where she purchased the dress suddenly closed without giving her the dress, two weeks before the wedding.
Dozens of viewers reached out to us after the story and Tuesday night, that bride-to-be has an all-new wedding dress.
“Hi guys, we’re at Nelly’s Bridal Boutique in South San Francisco!”
Akila Mwongozi is all smiles in newly-recorded video but last week, it was a different story when the bridal shop in Pittsburg where she bought her dress many months ago suddenly closed, the owner nowhere to be found before the alterations were made. All less than two weeks from Akila’s wedding.
“Completely empty! No dresses no nothing I was just like, ‘What is going on?’ I honestly thought something had happened to her,” said Mwongozi.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Bride-to-be without wedding dress days before ceremony after Pittsburg bridal shop closes
An East Bay woman getting married in less than two weeks now doesn’t have a wedding dress after the Pittsburg bridal shop closed
Days after our story ran, that owner was suddenly around again, even meeting up with Akila but without a dress and upset that the story went public.
“You need to apologize,” said the initial bridal shop owner in Pittsburg.
“I was told I have to apologize. What do I have to apologize for?” said Mwongozi.
Hours later, Akila was given a refund but no dress.
But that was then, and this is now.
“I wanted Akila to forget about the past and the experience that she had, and I wanted to create a new experience for her at a bridal store!”
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That’s Nelly Santana of Nelly’s Bridal Boutique, one of many who saw the story who wanted to help, and did so by reaching out to ABC7 News reporter J.R. Stone and Akila’s friend Carlina Williams.
“I got emails even this morning still offering a dress, J.R.,” said Williams.
“There were about three ladies, one lady in Michigan who actually UPS’d a dress out here to me. She knew it might not fit but she saw the story and said she was almost in tears, you know,” said Akila.
But it was Nelly’s family-run store in South San Francisco that came through in the end with a dress that fits like a glove and only requires minimal alterations.
“The first dress that I pulled out is the dress that Akila loved. Tried it on and we were all in tears after that. It was very emotional, honestly, in the 20 years that my family has had the business and myself I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that emotion of the gratitude as well as the happiness,” said Santana.
There are pictures of Akila in the initial dress that she never got, but there are no pictures yet of her in the new designer dress that Nelly gifted her free of charge. Not until wedding day, which is Sunday.
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“So where is the dress right now?” asked Stone.
“It is in my hotel room. It is not going to nobody but the lady in the alterations shop,” said Akila laughing.
“J.R., ABC, all of you – thank you. You guys have just come through, we can’t thank you enough. Thank you for spreading the word,” said Williams.
“If I got anything from this, it’s not to give up on humanity because there are good people, there really are good people,” said Akila.
The wedding is Sept. 1 and stay with us here ABC7 News, we’ll be sure to update you with pictures.
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