A teen who drove for six hours to get her dream prom dress was left speechless after the shop owner decided to give her a very special gift...
When Elyse Monroe stepped into Summer Lucille's Juicy Body Goddess boutique, she was hopeful that she'd find the perfect dress for her upcoming prom event.
Accompanied by her mom, two aunts, and her grandmother, Monroe spent time carefully selecting options within her $400 budget that she felt would be perfect to wear for the special day. However, all the options that the teen was attracted to were a little out of their range, though Lucille assured them they'd "figure it out."
Speaking to PEOPLE, the store owner that specializes in plus-size gowns perfect for any occasion, said: "They drove six hours" just to come to their consultation at the store, so she was determined to help Monroe find the perfect fit for her.
Unfortunately, though, the issue of the budget kept cropping up to the point where one of Lucille's social media followers - who was watching the live stream of the consultation - even offered to chip in $200 extra so that the teen could buy the stunning purple dress she wanted.
"At that moment, I knew that was the universe telling me, just give her the dress," Lucille told the outlet. "That follower was just an angel just reminding me that just you have to give.
"I went in and the mom and the aunties kept asking, 'How much is this dress?'", she recalled. "I said, 'Well, we'll worry about the price when we get to the register.'"
When the time finally came to tell the family how much the dress actually cost, the owner says the family was "in shock" when she told them it was a $700 gown.
But they were left speechless when the store owner told them that "it's free."
In a video capturing the emotional moment, you can clearly see the confusion on the student, as well as her family's faces as they stare blankly at Lucille before asking: "What do you mean?"
"We're giving it to you," she responds to which the family gasps and asks: "Are you serious?"
Monroe immediately gets emotional at the news, before they start hugging the kind woman.
"When she got into that purple dress, she lit up," Lucille says. "I couldn't let her walk out of that store without that dress."
"It was a beautiful, beautiful moment," she adds.
Speaking of her business, Lucille emphasized that despite it being a dress store, the inspiration behind it is more than just offering beautiful clothing.
"I know the struggles of not being able to find something to wear," she tells the outlet. "This is not like other places where we got two dresses that you might be able to fit. Every dress can fit you."
More than that, she says it's her goal to create a "safe place" and "give everybody this experience that they don't forget" — especially when it comes to prom.
"Prom is a whole other level of excitement and joy. I cry at every consultation," the owner says. "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 says before adding: "I just want people to know that this place is just a safe place for everybody. No matter what your size, you are here on purpose and you have the right to be loved."
What a heartwarming moment!
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