Planning a wedding can be costly, but finding a beautiful dress that makes you feel like a million bucks doesn’t have to break your budget. Brides for a Cause, a nonprofit bridal boutique with locations in Tacoma, Seattle and Portland, specializes in connecting budgetconscious brides with the gown of their dreams at a fraction of the suggested retail price. The icing on the cake (pun intended) is that every purchase helps fund donations to local and national organizations supporting women.
“All of our dresses are donated,” explains Erin Scharf, founder of Brides for a Cause. “We receive dresses from around the country from traditional retail bridal stores, designers, manufacturers and individuals.” Each dress is then priced by style, popularity, condition and age. When dresses hit the racks for sale, they are marked at 30–70% off retail prices. Special events, like the boutiques’ 50% off sale and $150 Dress Dash, can bring prices down even further.
“In six years we have collected more than 10,000 dresses and donated more than half a million dollars to women-focused charities,” Scharf says proudly. The nonprofit is on track to donate $175,000 in 2018 to beneficiaries like the Seattle chapter of Young Women Empowered—an organization focused on giving girls confidence, resiliency and leadership skills.
Buying a sample, discontinued or repurposed gown isn’t for everyone. But many brides rave online about their experiences finding the perfect dress at Brides for a Cause boutiques. “If you don’t find your dress on your first visit, come back or check a different location,” says Scharf. “We put out new inventory weekly.”
If you have a dress you’d like to donate, drop it off at any of the locations or mail it to the shop. Dresses must be five years old or newer and in reasonably good condition.
JULIE LEYDELMEYER
For Additional Information
Brides for a Cause
Locations in Tacoma, Seattle and Portland
bridesforacause.com