Amy is getting hitched! She is awash is pre-marital bliss, websites and mags, and of course trying to be green and socially conscious about the whole affair. Always looking for a way to give back, Amy began looking for creative ways to make the wedding planning sustainable, which led to an appointment at The Bridal Garden.
The Bridal Garden is a dress shop based in Chelsea, NY that opened in 1998 as the fundraising arm for a charity supporting youth development. It later grew into its own entity, but stayed true to the early vision: proceeds now benefit Brooklyn Charter School in Bed-Stuy. The storefront is an appointment-based dress shop full of sample wedding dresses from famous designers like Vera Wang, Mon Cheri, Judd Waddell and Ulla-Maija.
The bridal industry is ripe for new business: gown appointments are shockingly hard to come by (J. Crew Bridal gave Amy a three-month wait for a weekend appointment) and there will always be a steady stream of new brides (from engagements, and from divorces--ear muffs, Amy!). It’s also fairly recession-proof, thanks to the wedding industry and to Disney: let's face it, isn’t everyone basically shooting to look like Cinderella on their wedding day?
The Bridal Garden is a dress shop based in Chelsea, NY that opened in 1998 as the fundraising arm for a charity supporting youth development. It later grew into its own entity, but stayed true to the early vision: proceeds now benefit Brooklyn Charter School in Bed-Stuy. The storefront is an appointment-based dress shop full of sample wedding dresses from famous designers like Vera Wang, Mon Cheri, Judd Waddell and Ulla-Maija.
The bridal industry is ripe for new business: gown appointments are shockingly hard to come by (J. Crew Bridal gave Amy a three-month wait for a weekend appointment) and there will always be a steady stream of new brides (from engagements, and from divorces--ear muffs, Amy!). It’s also fairly recession-proof, thanks to the wedding industry and to Disney: let's face it, isn’t everyone basically shooting to look like Cinderella on their wedding day?
The Bridal Garden isn’t cheap (most were around the $2K range), and many of the dresses unfortunately reflect their past: samples that have been tried and tossed for years. But for brides looking for a designer label at closer to a David's-Bridal-price, this is a great contender. And knowing that all proceeds benefit underfunded education programs is a huge plus in an industry where normally, brides are throwing down thousands for a brand-new item they will wear only once. The shop assures customers that the dresses can be cleaned up and tailored to fix the flaws, with plenty of testimonials to boot.
Overall, the Bridal Garden has a great model: recycling materials within a wasteful wedding industry and generating funding for education!
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