Brides for a Cause: Secondhand Wedding Dresses for Charity
Brides for a Cause is a non-profit bridal boutique that sells wedding dresses for charity. This unique bridal shop focuses on collecting & reselling wedding dresses while empowering women. The proceeds from wedding dresses sold are donated to women focused charities.
Since opening in 2012, Brides for a Cause has collected over 10,000 wedding dresses, donated over $700,000 to their charity partners, and provided their customers with a number of sustainable wedding dresses.
Shop Sustainable Secondhand Wedding Dresses from Brides for a Cause in the PNW
Bridal shops around the country partner with Brides for a Cause to donate their excess wedding dress inventory. Brides for a Cause uses the donations to stock their own boutiques in Portland, Seattle and Tacoma, selling these brand NEW dresses at discounted prices.
On top of receiving brand new dresses from bridal shops around the country, Brides for a Cause also collects & resells gently used dresses from recent brides. The Brides for a Cause boutiques consist of a mix of brand new and gently used dresses. SO MANY.
Brides-to-be can walk into a Brides for a Cause boutique and expect to be greeted by a friendly face while shopping gorgeous gowns at reasonable prices.
When I was shopping for my dress I was pleasantly surprised at their wide variety of dress styles, sizes, (they’re plus size inclusive too which is awesome, sizes typically range from 0-24 depending when you visit as dresses come in and out all the time), and prices.
I saw a lot of dresses in the $200-$800 range, which is great considering how expensive wedding gowns can be.
How Does Brides for a Cause Give Back?
Proceeds from the dresses sold in the boutiques are donated to Brides for a Cause charity partners. Brides for a Cause donates to women focused charities to continue celebrating and empowering lovely ladies.
Previously Brides for a Cause charity partners have included Wish Upon a Wedding, a nonprofit organization that grants free weddings for couples facing serious illness or life altering circumstances and Dress for Success, a nonprofit that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
In 2018, Brides for a Cause supported 15 different local and national nonprofits totalling $175,000!
So far in 2019, Brides for a Cause has donated $75,000 and has a goal of giving away a total of $175,000 again this year! So amazing! For a full list of Brides for a Cause charity partners click here.
Brides for a Cause Seattle Review
It’s funny because when I found Brides for a Cause I was living in Texas, but ended up moving to Seattle for Jake’s job….so I was able to visit their shop and shop in person for my dress.
Now similar to ring shopping…..I felt overwhelmed and was really nervous to go wedding dress shopping. For a few reasons….
I had NO clue what I was looking for. Literally none.
I really don’t like trying on clothes. My weight fluctuates and I’m not a stick figure, so sometimes going into a store and trying on a bunch of clothes that don’t fit can lower my self confidence. I was afraid that was going to happen with wedding dress shopping.
I’m VERY indecisive. So I went in thinking, I’m going to have to come back five times and it’s going to be such a process to get myself to commit. But….
Brides for a Cause Made Wedding Dress Shopping Easy & Fun
THANKFULLY I was lucky enough to meet Meghan and Michaela, two lovely ladies who are part of the Brides for a Cause Seattle team. And oh my gosh, I had the best experience. I straight up told them I was nervous and clueless.
They immediately calmed my nerves and said it was okay if I didn’t find anything today or if I felt too overwhelmed and need to shop in steps that was okay too.
Thankfully they’d done this a few times before and helped me along. I started by picking out five dresses that spoke to me on the rack. We went through those and I tried them on while telling the ladies what I loved/didn’t love about each dress.
Soon they started getting a sense of my style and bringing me dresses. There was one dress they brought me that did end up being the one I said yes to.
My Wedding Dress
The dress I purchased from Brides for a Cause was gently worn, but you would never know. This secondhand wedding dress was in great condition and I was lucky to find it. While the average wedding dress goes for $1,600, my secondhand wedding dress was about $400, most of which went to charity.
I knew this was a dress I was only going to wear once, so I wanted to be conscious of my spending and the impact my dress would have on the planet. I wanted to have a plan in place for after the wedding.
I didn’t want the dress to sit in my closet unused for years, so I’m planning to donate it back to Brides for a Cause. Re-using, re-wearing & re-selling are all important practices in sustainable living.
What I Love About My Secondhand Wedding Dress
Besides the fact that my wedding dress is sustainable and gives back, I am obsessed with the detail of the dress. This dress was very me by being unique, yet not too over the top. In person the dress had a slight ivory tint which I loved because it gave the dress an earthy tone.
The skirt was filled out with layers of different laces adding detail and making the dress unique. I was really drawn to the intricate detail of the floral embroidery pattern starting at the top of the dress and continuing down through the body of the dress.
I sincerely appreciate that this dress provided full coverage around the chest area. As someone with a larger chest, I knew I didn’t want to have to worry about my dress falling down or moving around through out the day, so finding a wedding dress with straps was important to me.
I wanted a dress that I could comfortably walk in. I’m already incredibly clumsy so putting me in a long dress was just asking for me to fall. Thankfully, I didn’t because this dress moved with me beautifully. The skirt really wasn’t as heavy as it looks.
How to know if you’ve found THE wedding dress?
I wasn’t sure how you were supposed to know which dress is the one, especially as an indecisive person, haha. BUT YOU DO KNOW.
When I tried on “the one” everything after just didn’t compare. I felt confident and happy. I narrowed it down to the top three dresses and re-tried those on to confirm “the one.”
When I put the one back on, I could see my face in the mirror light up. The dress moved with me beautifully. And yes, I almost cried. I didn’t want to be one of those people who cried at a dress….but I almost was. I am SO excited to show you all my dress.
Sadly we have a little less than a year until our wedding, so I won’t be able to show you for a while. But trust me I’m ready. I want to wear it today! It’ll be worth the wait.
Not in the PNW near a Brides for a Cause store? You can still be sustainable about your wedding dress choices!
Consider shopping secondhand.
There are a few other charitable bridal shops throughout the country. Try researching and see if one is near you.
Consider donating your dress to Brides for a Cause after your special day. For more details on donating your dress to Brides for a Cause click here.
Make a girls trip out if it and visit Brides for a Cause to witness Brides for a Cause incredible work first hand ;)
I’m so impressed with Brides for a Cause. This unique business model is great because it prevents unwanted wedding dresses & accessories from ending up in the landfill, recycles dresses to find new happy homes, and gives back. So much good!
I had an amazing experience shopping for my wedding dress and would definitely recommend paying Brides for a Cause Seattle a visit. And if you’re a recent bride who is interested in donating a dress to Brides for a Cause you can learn more here.
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