The LizyT Show with Nicola Mansell Topsom

Nicola Topsom

The Floriana Wedding Dress Project

(Founder and Canadian Director)

The Floriana Wedding Dress Project opened the first “pay what you can” store in Port-au-Prince on March 28, 20105. Donated wedding, bridesmaid, grad dresses and accessories are rented or sold for whatever price the customer can afford. A second location was opened across the city by our team there. They opened it on my birthday this year – the best present I could ask for!

This little idea that my sister and I had (our goal was 10 dresses for the March 2015 trip) exploded into something so quickly it has just been amazing. We have over 200 wedding gowns and 425 bridesmaid dresses already given to us! Many of these are already in Haiti or have been packed up for the next container.

One of our goals is job creation for Haitian parents through sewing and up cycling projects. We will also plan to assist orphans transitioning out of care and into adulthood with jobs – there is a need for these young people to have employment, life skills and a way of supporting themselves

Some of our goals for the very near future on the Canadian end of things are to have an office with storage, an excellent website that makes it easy to navigate and contribute, and an annual fund raising event that's interesting, fun and somehow involves the wedding industry.

There is a special place in my heart for Haiti as my husband Jason and I were privileged to adopt a beautiful little child in 2010, following the devastating earthquake. This summer we celebrate our 21st Anniversary and are happy to say we enjoy each others company more than ever! We live in Burlington with our two internationally adopted daughters, Shantaya (from Malawi, age 11) and Divna (from Haiti, age 7).

http://morethanatourist.com/about