Brides do Good is a social enterprise that gives brides the chance to buy, sell or donate a wedding dress to help protect girls at risk of child marriage and exploitation
Brides do Good is a unique social enterprise with a boutique where you can buy sample and pre-loved gowns and accessories. by leading bridal designers. Established in 2016 by Chantal Khoueiry, its aim is to connect women to protect vulnerable young girls. For brides on the hunt for a designer dress for less, that also donates to a good cause, this is a perfect starting point. Meanwhile, any bride who wants to give the gown they wore on such a happy day a valuable new life – knowing another bride will love wearing it – also gets the pleasure of knowing proceeds from the sale are helping to put an end to child marriage and fund other projects around the world that support and empower girls.
How Brides do Good works
Brides do Good has a boutique within ‘the showroom presents’, a multi-store space in Fulham, south-west London. Here you will find stocks of designer gowns for all styles and shapes of bride. The stock changes, but you’ll get a good idea of current styles and designers via its website. Prices range from under £500 to £6,000.
Expect gowns by international names such as Anne Barge, Monique Lhuillier, Galia Lahav, Peter Langner and Reem Acra. UK stars such as Sassi Holford and Suzanne Neville are also in the mix. You can search by style, colour or theme, by designer or by size. Unlike many outlets offering dresses for less, these are not all teeny sample sizes so you will find everything from size 4 to size 30 within the collection. Prices are listed by each gown and you are able to book an appointment to try on at the store. What we love most is that for each gown you look at on the website it’s clear how much will be donated.
“Unlike many outlets, these are not all teeny sample gowns – expect to find everything from size 4 to size 30 within the collection”
Bridal appointments
Brides do Good bridal appointments last 90 minutes and cost £30. Your booking fee goes directly to support its projects. You will be asked for information before you turn up for your appointment so the team can get an idea of size, likes and other key information. This enables them to shortlist a selection of dresses. If you don’t find anything at that first appointment you can book another appointment for free. Expect lots of additional help putting the look together – shoes and accessories are in the mix too – and you can book a fitting appointment with the skilled seamstress on the team if you find your perfect dress.
Sell or donate
While many dresses come direct from designers, brides are an essential part of the ‘fabric’ at Brides do Good. In fact, founder Chantal Khoueiry was first inspired by hearing of a friend whose £8,000 designer gown was boxed up in her attic while another friend remarked that she would love to marry in a designer dress but simply couldn’t afford it. Brides do Good accepts pre-loved dresses that fit its criteria (condition and authenticity) and there’s a form on its website where you provide key information. If it is a gown that can be resold to another bride, the team will collect it from you for free for resale. You can either sell or donate – over 30 per cent of gowns in its stock are gifted by brides or designers. The team will let you know once the gown has found a lucky new owner.
Brides do Good supports a range of projects in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen, Egypt, Nepal and Nigeria. These focus on essentials such as education/skills, providing support and scholarships to keep girls in school and help reduce the threat of an early marriage. It also backs #onlyagirl, which works to stop child marriage around the world. This includes the UK, where marriage remains legal with parental consent for girls aged 16+.
Find out more
Brides do Good is located at ‘the showroom presents’, 25 Effie Road, London SW6 (nearest Underground is Fulham Broadway). It is open Mon, Thurs, Fri and Sat and opens by request on other days of the week. To make an appointment, gift a dress or find out more about its work, visit bridesdogood.com
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