ROSEVILLE — A wedding dress.

It’s the wearable intersection of little-girl hopes and grown-up reality.

But the wedding gown wishes of thousands of Alfred Angelo brides have been crushed since the designer chain abruptly shut its doors July 13th – with little regard as to where its employees would work the next day or what its customers would wear down the aisle.

“This is my little girl,” said Therese Giannelli with tears in her eyes.

Her daughter Anastasia is getting married in a month.

Out of the blue Alfred Angelo staff in Roseville gave her just a few minutes to drive 22 miles from her home in Rescue to their store…or risk never seeing the big dress for the big day ever again.

“When we got that call…we felt so helpless and hopeless and trying to get there fast enough…but we were lucky. We got our dress,” said Giannelli.

It was in pins, with scheduled alterations incomplete…but in hand.

“There’s so many that every penny went to that dress and there’s nothing left. There’s no reserves and not that we have reserves either, but we would have found a way. Some people don’t have that option,” she said.

That’s why she’s just launched a new Facebook page and email address (weddingdresshelp@yahoo.com) called “weddingdresshelp” to connect those willing to give their old gowns away with brides now in need.

Her dress is one of three already posted and 25 more wives have indicated they want to help avenge Alfred Angelo’s wrongs with something from their closets.

All five Dimple Records locations will serve as safe pick-up and drop locations for the free dresses.

The dresses at this Citrus Heights bridal shop aren’t free, but they are all now on discount in an effort to help the brides harmed by the Alfred Angelo bankruptcy.

What’s hanging up at the Diamond Bridal Gallery is now 20 percent off for customers forcibly divorced from their first dress choice, even if the item’s already on sale.

“It’s a very full a-line that also goes on to your natural waistline,” said Mariya Petrashyshyn, describing some of her wares.

She can’t help but push the ball gown-style of wedding dress she loves best, but she intends to help these brides find what their hearts’ desire.

When that happens it’s special.

“It’s that moment..it’s like you…I can’t explain it. I..I..I don’t know. It’s just great,” she said.

Until August 15th her store is also offering $300 in store credit to those who need to replace head pieces along with their gowns – all of it to turn the panic of unexpected wedding woes into wedding wins.