I feel like the dress can be one of the most conflicting things of a wedding — at least it was for me. I wanted the beautiful dress, just like all brides, but the thought of spending thousands for a dress I would wear for one day felt so strange too. I wanted the perfect dress, but without the weight on my conscience that I was not only spending a lot but being unsustainable or wasteful. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found Bride for a Cause, a shop that aligned with my ideals and also felt far more wallet-friendly.

The shop is bright and welcoming, the appointments laid-back (and a little DIY), and the staff very friendly and helpful. Most importantly, though, Brides for a Cause is a perfect trifecta of affordable, sustainable, and charitable — which made this bride feel great. They collect donations of used or sample dresses, sell them at a deep discount, and then pass along the proceeds to a myriad of inspiring causes supporting women. I’ll be honest, knowing that they would be limited to what was donated, I really went to say that I tried and with low hopes that they would be able to make my dress dreams come true. I was prepared to go back to a traditional shop. Instead, I walked out not only with my perfect dress, but with the knowledge that I was being sustainable and supporting great causes. And the $600 price tag did not hurt.

I think my dress had not been worn previously, so it needed a bustle and other alterations, which turned out to be more complicated than expected. Still, even with all that, I ended up spending around $900 total on my dress — well under just the starting price of a similar gown bought at a traditional shop. On top of that, the DIY nature of the shop (where you pick your own dresses off the rack versus having an attendant bring them to you), turned out to be a lot of fun for my sister, niece, and me! One piece of advice: I went to a traditional shop first to have an array of try-ons and hone in on my style preferences (with the expectation that I’d return if I didn’t find a dress at Brides for a Cause). I’d highly recommend that to anyone, because it was great to have a professional help pinpoint things from the inspiration photos I’d brought, and then we were able to take notes on what we liked and didn’t from the dresses I tried — making it lot easier to go into Brides for a Cause and find something.

I got an amazing deal on my dress worth $2000 for $750. I went home to think about it and had to pick it up the next day. That was my dress!

The location was really cute and very helpful staff.

This was the first place I went and the place I went back to. Store was tidy and clean, staff were friendly and helpful (even were able to find a dress from a photo I took last visit), and the selection was wonderful. Found just the right dress for me within my budget! Couldn't be more thrilled with this place!

I'm pretty sure I've already given this rant to every woman I've encountered in the past few months, but it deserves to be posted here too.

I cannot say how happy I am with BFAC. So many of my friends are paying thousands of dollars for their wedding dresses, which take months to be delivered. I spent an hour at BFAC and went home with my dream dress AND a veil, which only cost me $340.

You're not going to get the "sipping champagne and shopping with 10 of your best girls" experience here. And if you have a very specific idea of what you want, there's a good chance that this shop won't have that exact dress. But it's definitely worthwhile to start here, to see what styles look best on you, and in case you get lucky like me and find a gorgeous lace dress with sheer paneling and a bodice that fits like it was made for you.

Make sure to book an appointment online, and bring a friend or family member to help pick and try on dresses. The dresses are organized by size, which makes selecting dresses easy. The attendants were super helpful in using clips to show how the dress will fit once altered. And do make sure to leave room in your budget for alterations.

Happy shopping, ladies :)