Little Angel Gowns - Velse Photography

Oh where to begin!?

A couple weeks ago my cousin Lori texted to tell me that an organization was looking for a volunteer photographer. Once I looked into what this nonprofit was all about, I couldn’t pass it up. So I contacted them and offered to help.

Little Angel Gowns is a registered nonprofit organization. They make burial gowns out of wedding gowns, formals, and first communion dresses for babies that are called to home to heaven. They are funded solely by donations and work completely on a volunteer basis. The organization was started as a way to provide support to grieving families by offering a gown or pouch for their loved one to wear. Each gown is individually boxed and wrapped in tissue and presented to the family by the medical team caring for the baby. Could this be a more beautiful concept?

Thankfully, I have personally never lost a child or miscarried. I have 3 beautiful healthy babies. But this mission struck a cord with me because two of our very best friends in the world- Katie and Josh, lost their daughter Cora about a week after her birth. Cora was beautiful and on the outside looked perfectly healthy. She resembled her siblings. Perfect skin, a head full of hair and the face of an angel. The short time Cora was here on earth, she made an impact, she still does today. Katie and Josh talk about her often and feel blessed that they were picked to being this baby into the world. She is around them always and every year they have a tea party to celebrate her birthday.

I texted Katie last night to tell her I was having trouble finding words for this blog post. As I photographed these little gowns, I thought about each baby that would wear them. Its sad beyond measure, but beautiful at the same time. Katie, always good with words, texted me back and basically said anyway that someone can give back and make a tragedy easier, or one less thing to worry about, along with acknowledging a little one’s life, no matter how short or small it was, is what its all about. I think about these babies often. I think about all of my friends, cousins, aunts, and clients who have struggled with miscarriage too. These sweet little lives are real and powerful. I like to think heaven has special privileges for these little souls:)

You can read more about Katie and Josh’s story published on Mamalode. Katie is an amazing writer and her outlook on life is a breath of fresh air, I love my friend.
http://mamalode.com/story/detail/six-days/

And to learn more about Little Angel Gowns, check out their website. They are always looking for volunteer seamstresses and donations.
http://littleangelgowns.org/home/

Thank you Little Angel Gowns for letting me be a part of this!