A teenage girl who drove six hours across her state to see her dream prom gown was awarded the dress for free.
18-year-old Elyse Monroe from North Carolina made headlines after driving over three hundred miles from Manteo to Charlotte to shop for her plus-size prom gown at the Juicy Body Goddess boutique after being unable to find her perfect dress anywhere.
Once at the store following a long journey, Elyse came across a sparkling violet gown only to discover that the $700 piece exceeded her $400 budget by several hundred bucks.
The heartbreaking moment was featured in the store owner Summer Lucille’s live-streamed consultation, prompting random strangers to offer their own money to help the girl pay for her dream dress.
“At that moment, I knew that was the universe telling me, just give her the dress,” Lucille admitted as she recalled her meeting with the teenager.
In the video shared on TikTok, Lucille could be heard talking to the girl and her family saying they didn’t have to worry about the dress because all would work out once they got to the cashier.
Once there, the store owner said: “So this dress is $700. But it’s free. We’re giving it to you.” In the emotional clip, Elyse and her family could be seen tearing up after the positive surprise.
After the transaction was over and the story went viral, Lucille spoke out and explained why she is so passionate about helping young girls feel like goddesses in their prom gowns.
“I had a horrific time at prom. I couldn’t find nothing. The dress I wore was horrific. It was a very sad time in my life. So me dressing these girls, it’s healing,” she admitted.
She added: “That video did something because a lot of people, not just chubby girls, but a lot of people have really bad memories from prom, from high school.”
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