Stitches are instruments of healing. 

Sometimes the mending is of flesh, other times the mending is more internal. A hand stitched wedding dress worn by White House bride, Kellye White, is a declaration of healing. 

Delicate crepe material overlaid with creamy chiffon cascading to the floor, the stunning gown becomes irresistible when you hear its background. Its creator, Moni, was a native Cambodian girl rescued from human trafficking. The Nashville-based organization, Freedom’s Promise, taught Moni how to sew as part of their restoration process. 

A bridal gown was born. Beauty rising from brokenness.

It’s a tale Kellye fell in love with. “The story kept bringing me back to it. I love comeback stories. Someone who wasn’t supposed to make it out and they do, and they make something great. My heart wanted that dress.” 

Trying it on for the first time in July of 2022, Kellye was told about the dress’ background by Lisa Peterson, the owner and operator of the White House based boutique, Second Chances Consignment. She had learned about Freedom’s Promise and put several of their wedding gowns on consignment in her shop. 

The Moni dress, although beautiful and everything Kellye wanted, was a little over her budget, so she didn’t purchase it that day. Even though her fiancé urged her to immediately buy the dress, she waited. “I kept telling the story, though,” says Kellye, “I bet I told twenty-five people, and they all urged me to get the dress.” 

Finally, five months later, Kellye yielded to The Moni’s tug on her heart in January 2023 and went back to Second Chances to purchase it, but she couldn’t find it. “I looked on every rack,” she said. The dress wasn’t there. Heartbroken, she asked Lisa for help. 

“Traditional styles weren’t selling well,” Lisa said. “So we put it in our sale area.” Lisa had called Freedom’s Promise to return the unwanted dresses, but they told her to give them away because they were closing the program. Disappointed, Lisa felt these gowns had a greater next chapter, and she decided the purchase price of each dress would be donated back to the rescue mission. 

So, when Kellye found The Moni again—tucked into a sale rack—she purchased it without hesitation. “Moni doesn’t know me, but she helped me feel the most beautiful I’ve ever felt. She was a part in making my special day the best,” said Kellye.

Kellye has since given The Moni to another bride. “All I ask in return is that she passes it on to another bride after her wedding,” says Kellye. Could she have started a sisterhood of sorts? A sisterhood of the traveling gown. It’s a sisterhood passing along a powerful reminder of hope.

“That’s one of the dresses with an extraordinary story,” said Lisa. 

Each dress is as unique as its creators, ranging from detailed lace to crisp taffeta. “We need to help our sisters all over the world,” encouraged Lisa, inviting our Stay Positive News readers to pop in and see the gowns still available for purchase in person. 

Why not do just that? Be reminded: A story marred by ugly can become a story infused by beauty.

Stop in at Second Chances (302 Hwy 76 White House) or call Lisa at 615-756-7513 for more information.