It's all about the dress.

"It's a Vera Wang and it's like for Cinderella," said Mary Helen Carroll, president of Brides Against Breast Cancer Making Memories.

The dress sets the tone for the day. It sets the tone for the beginning of a new life. And it can also set the tone for the end of one, too.

Carroll and her friends have been "making memories" since 1998 for women dying of metastatic breast cancer.

"One of our friends was dying of metastic breast cancer," Carroll said. "One of the things she was upset about was, the only memory that her family would have was her being sick. We all got together and put enough money together to send her and her family to Disneyland. Then we just decided, 'Why not do this?'"

The friends knew they had to sell something to make money. So, here's where the brides come in.

"Each one of our wedding gowns comes in as a memory," Carroll said. "People donate them joyfully. And they go out making memories for the women who are dying of metastatic breast cancer, plus for the lovely bride who is buying one of our gowns."

Brides Against Breast Cancer is Making Memories' largest division. They raise money by selling donated wedding gowns, making a bouquet of memories paid for with silk and lace.

"Here's a $5,050-gown. It'll probably go for $1,000 or less," Carroll said. "Even if it's really old or has tears in it or needs cleaned, we cut those gowns up and we make quilts out of them."

Making Memories started in the basement of a home in Oregon. "Now, gowns come in from all over the world," Carroll said.

Frank McAnarney drives the gowns from all over the world all over the country.

"It's just a good cause," McAnarney said.

He drives them to different venues for the Brides Against Breast Cancer tour of gowns.

"To get 1,000 dresses on here, it has to be packed almost like a nice set of silverware," McAnarney said.

He knows how to pack them, but don't expect much more.

"I know that these are co-tear-ish or something or co-tur-ee," McAnarney said. "I don't know anything about wedding dresses."

McArnarney may not be a connossieur on couture, but he certainly does his part.

"I'm just a good guy at heart," he said.

In a little more than ten years, the organization has granted about 600 wishes.

"A Disneyland trip or computer or video camera for the ladies to take a make memories for their kids," Carroll said.

Family or friends can nominate the wish receivers, or they can even nominate themselves.

"We send them a packet and there's a form that they have to have their doctor sign to say they are in stage 4 of metstatic breast cancer," Carroll said.

These patients, who are walking the aisle between life and death, deserve to pass having one last joyful moment. For some, it's to put a smile on the faces of their children.

"It seems when I lost my dreams, he lost his dreams, too. The pain of watching him suffer because of my decline is worse than any pain I've ever suffered including my own illness," one letter read.

Sometimes the wish is to have a beautiful wedding.

"We put that together and, after she passes, the family usually donates the gown back," Carroll said.

In those cases, it comes full circle. For those on borrowed time, beautiful memories from those who say, "I do."