Archive for the ‘Congratulations’ Category
photo: Mike Weidelich Photography
We love letters here at TBP, and we just had to post this one from an irresistible pair: a laid-back bride and a man in uniform!
I wanted to send a followup to my wonderful experience with The Brides’ Project. I had had a good friend recommend The Brides’ Project; and had an enjoyable afternoon with my dress maidens and your staff who all helped me to find my perfect gown! I had tried one “traditional” bridal boutique previous, and was thrilled with your laid-back atmosphere, friendly volunteers, and great selection. It was great to know that the proceeds from my dress purchase went to such a great cause. I wish I could personally thank the anonymous bride who donated my dress. I worked with Pearl Seto to have some minor alterations done and she was a real gem!
… I heartily recommend The Brides’ Projects to all of my newly engaged friends.
Congrats, M&A! We wish you all the happiness your hearts can hold 
photo: Mike Weidelich Photography
photo: Sandals Royal Bahamian, Nassau, Bahamas
Manuela married Josip this past February at the Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, Bahamas. Were we there? (Very) Sadly, no, but one of our dresses was!
Manuela is the picture of loveliness in this ruched, lightweight gown purchased at The Brides’ Project. It fit her like a glove and now it’s back at the shop, ready for a trip down a local aisle (or maybe back in the Caribbean?). Who knows, maybe the next trip for this dress is down a boat dock in the Muskokas, or an art gallery, or City Hall. Make an appointment to see if this is The Dress, and the rest is up to YOU, Dear Bride.
Manuela is one of our Double Love Brides: not only did she buy her dress from us, but she donated it right back!
Congratulations Manuela and Josip for choosing each other, for choosing us to be part of your Big Day, and sharing your happiness two-fold to benefit others!
Photo: Sam Shepherd Photography (samshepherdphotography.com)
We received another donation on Sunday, an elegant Maggie Sottero (Kendra) from a recent ravishing bride, Kristin.
Kristin writes:
The Brides’ Project was the first place I went when I started looking for wedding dresses before my wedding. I had so much fun trying on the dresses with my mom, sister and friend. I didn’t find “the one” there but I knew I would donate my dress there after. I got married October 1, 2011 and it was a cold but wonderful day with my family and friends. Jeff and I are so happy and I hope that some other bride has a wonderful day and start to married life in my dress!
Thank you for your generous donation, Kristin, and entrusting us to send “Kendra” happily down the aisle again on your behalf!
Ladies, this dress will make you feel like a million bucks — it is beautiful, it is ready-to-wear, it comes with Kristin’s good karma, and your purchase of this gown will be part of our next quarterly donation. Make an appointment before it gets snapped up!
Click on any of the thumbnails to view larger. Photographer: Sam Shepherd
Photo: http://www.jandjphotography.ca/
Elora, Ontario was the beautiful setting for Jennifer’s summer wedding to Josh last year. She purchased her gown from The Brides’ Project earlier in the year and is now donating it back to us! In fact, she just dropped it off so another bride can enjoy her day as much as she did, and we are very grateful for her decision.
Jennifer is simply glowing!
For The Brides’ Project, one good turn deserves another, and another trip down the aisle not only raises more funds for cancer charities, it is friendly to the environment, socially conscious, and makes the most expensive single item apparel purchase in a woman’s life become affordable. Imagine putting a bride’s dream dress, with an original price tag too high, suddenly within reach? You can do ALL of the above, simply by donating your wedding dress to us and letting us do something very positive with it.
Our singular goal — to fight cancer by fundraising exclusively for cancer charities — can only be made possible by the generous hearts of brides like Jennifer. Thank you, Jennifer (and Josh!), for sharing your day, your dress, and your doubly-exciting baby news with us! Twins!
More photos by J and J Photography of Guelph can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnails:
Photographer: www.littlebluelemon.com
For those of you who haven’t heard of The Brides’ Project before, it’s natural to compare us to a bridal salon, but we are so much more than that. Not only do the funds raised by the sales of our wedding dresses go directly to cancer charities, but what bridal salon sees their client return… happy?
Very often, we do!
Brides like Natalie who buy their wedding dress from us then donate it back after they get married, are the cornerstone of our social enterprise. We have dresses that have been altered several times, dry cleaned between weddings, and returned in fantastic shape to the racks to make more brides happy. These are our “good karma” dresses and each time the dress is sold more funds are donated. Imagine how much good one dress can do!
We were thrilled to receive Natalie’s e-letter and her September 2011 wedding photos by Little Blue Lemon Photography. Now you can see what the dress really looks like — not on a mannequin, but in all its beauty!
Our heartfelt congratulations and huge thank you, Natalie, for adding your good karma to another Bride’s Project dress!
Click on any of the photos to view larger:
Photographer: Travis Allison (travisphoto.ca)
Could you find two happier people? We think not. Kimberly and Stephen were married just last month and Kimberly has already brought the dress back to us, ready to make another bride happy on her wedding day.
Could you think of anything more selfless to do after your wedding day?
After you read Kim’s story, if you are inspired to love and be loved and share your love with others, we know we’re doing something special here — much more than selling wedding dresses.
An excerpt from Kim’s email, shared with her permission:
Our background and planning our wedding:
We met over 4 years ago at a course for work involving computer programming. We had lunch every day for four days during the course and then Stephen asked me to dinner afterwards and we’ve been together ever since. We were engaged in July 2011 and our wedding took place at the Glenerin Inn on January 14th, 2012 on a very cold, but beautiful sunny day with snow on the ground. The Glenerinn was a cozy warm respite from the weather and was the perfect venue for our wedding of just over 100 guests. Over the course of our relationship, we’ve made a lot of decisions based on a gut feeling of just “feeling right”. It was how we first said “I love you”, how we decided to move in together, to purchase our first condo and here, to pick our wedding venue.
The dress story:
For many reasons, we decided to have a quick engagement. We were 5 months away from our wedding, so I knew going the traditional bridal salon route was not for me. I decided to take a look at second hand and off the rack options. I had considered making an appointment at another shop selling second hand dresses, and when I googled to find their phone number, The Bride’s Project came up in the search.
I was happy that TBP was much closer to me and I was floored that all of the proceeds went to cancer charities. Stephen and I have both been touched by cancer in more ways than anyone should be, so checking out the store became a first priority because it “felt right”. We both support cancer charities including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation through various running events. We both ran the 2011 Scotiabank half marathon in support of the Molly & David Bloom foundation that funds drug development for Multiple Myeloma (a blood cancer) at PMH.
I brought my bridesmaid Tawnya along with me. I loved the setup of TBP – organizing each room by size so you never have to leave the room to check out other dresses. We picked a few out and this dress was the first one I tried on. We nicknamed her “Miss Chastity Belt” because there was an inner belt in the dress before zippering from the outside. Miss CB fit perfectly and it pretty much had all of the elements I was looking for – A-line, lightweight, detailed beading, sweetheart neckline, and intricate back. Tawnya agreed that it was fantastic, but she knew it was her duty to persuade me to try on other dresses. It was hard to take off. I tried on some others, which I don’t remember now, and immediately went back to Miss CB. Again, it “felt right”, so it was a done deal. I purchased her on the spot, and drove her over to Tawnya’s place for safe keeping.
The dress worked perfectly for me on our wedding day. I was able to sit, move and dance easily and the bustle my seamstress installed held up well. Most of all, I felt wonderful in it, and that’s what a wedding dress should do for a bride. After the wedding, there was no doubt in my mind about returning Miss CB back to the Bride’s Project. When I returned the dress, there was a lot of evidence that I had a pretty good time in it, but I now know that it’s not a big deal to get it cleaned. I told one of my friends Josephine about Bride’s Project and she became interested in becoming a volunteer. I waited until one of her shifts to come over with Miss CB to donate her back. It was a little emotional, but I’m very happy about the decision. Hopefully another bride will love her just the same as I did.
All the best to you,
~Kimberly McCormick
*sniff*
Kimberly, THANK YOU from the bottom of our volunteer hearts for taking the time to write to us, to let us be a tiny part of your Beautiful Day, and to give us the opportunity to make another bride happy. Our donations to cancer charities are only possible with brides like you who support us in so many ways! We wish you and Stephen all the happiness in the world!
Brides-to-be, you would be hard-pressed to find a dress with more good karma. Click on any of the thumbnails to view the dress photos larger.
All photos by Travis Allison, you can find more of his work here: http://subtlevoxphotography.com/
Photo: Gerri Photography
We get the best mail, seriously. We were incredibly touched to receive this one from Meagan Joy, who was married last autumn in a wedding gown purchased from us and is already planning to bring it back along with other dresses she will be collecting for us.
I have attached a pic from our wedding Sept 16th 2011. 1 pic of our wedding party, as well 1 of Myself, husband and Mother-in-law. I purchased my dress from you, and will be returning it in the near future. Not only did I purchase my dress due to the good cause I was supporting, it is a slightly sentimental subject as well. Our wedding was slightly rushed due to my mother-in-law being diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2011, and has now spread to her bones, kidney and brain.
I want to say THANK YOU for doing such and amazing thing.
Meagan Joy, thank for you for everything: buying from us, sharing your wedding story with us, donating the dress back, and helping us with more dress donations. We simply couldn’t do what we do, without you!
with Mama
Photos: Gerri Photography
Photographer: Daniel Lalande http://www.danphoto.ca
Nicole donated her dress to us a couple of weeks ago and we’re sure it’ll be headed right back out the door again. It’s perfectly suited to her gorgeous outdoor nuptials: strapless yet low-maintenance (a bodice that stays put!), beaded overlay, A-line with a sweep train, this dress has it all!
Donating the dress has been a nice trip down memory lane. I hadn’t looked at the dress or these pictures in awhile and it was great taking a look back. It was a perfect, perfect day. I really hope someone else loves this dress as much as I did.
Nicole, we’re sure to find your dress a new home with someone who will love it, too! Our very best wishes to you and Mike for a lifetime of happiness together
Photographer: Daniel Lalande
Website: http://www.danphoto.ca/
http://www.darrylschipper.com/
It was a hot and humid day in July when Suzanne said “I Do” to her love, Wayne, in the presence of their family and friends.
We are so very pleased to have contributed to such a happy occasion. Suzanne bought her dress from us and sent an email recalling the fond memories of dress-hunting with her mom and sisters.
I think you have such a great thing going and I was determined to buy my dress from you — I’m thankful it worked out so nicely!
It certainly did! You look gorgeous, Suzanne, and we wish you and Wayne a long life together!
http://www.darrylschipper.com/
http://www.darrylschipper.com/
http://www.kellytheshutterbug.ca/
Julie bought her dress at The Bride’s Project and sent us a fabulous letter after her wedding last autumn:
Hi Helen (and Pom)!
I just wanted to pass along some photos from my wedding. Steve and I were married on October 14, 2011 at the Old Mill in Toronto and my dress couldn’t have been more perfect! Pom did an amazing job on the alterations and I made sure to tell everyone who would listen where I got it – and believe me everyone asked about it
I can’t tell you both how much it means to me that I was able to have the Brides Project part of my wedding. I actually just lost a good friend of mine to pancreatic cancer this past Saturday – it was his third battle in just over 10 years. Although he was too ill to make it to my wedding, I got the chance to share my photos and videos with him before he passed away. He was so thrilled to hear about the Brides Project and the fact that I was able to get my wedding dress there. I showed him a picture of the gown in February after I got it while we were on the way to a chemo treatment, and it really brightened his day to learn about the project. He wanted me to make sure I passed along to you how amazing you both are, and to thank you for volunteering your time for such an amazing cause.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such amazing women – I wish you both nothing but the best!
Julie
These letters make us verklempt, but in a happy way! Thanks for making our work so worthwhile!
Photographer: Kelly Holinshead
Dress alteration: Pom Penner
Venue: The Old Mill
Photographer: Elizabeth In Love
The Brides’ Project isn’t just about wedding dresses, it’s about stories and connections between brides and families and the community at large. We want to share this wonderful story behind these beautiful photos, it’s the best explanation for why we love our little corner of the wedding industry:
I found my dress at The Brides’ Project 15 minutes before you closed. I had tried on a bunch of dresses and was about to give up when one of your volunteers said “why not just try it” about a dress that I had been eyeing but should have been 3 sizes too small. For whatever reason it ended up fitting and I knew it was the one. My bridesmaids, my mom and I had SO much fun shopping since they could be in the room with me. It was the most fun we had in a full day of shopping. One of your volunteers also pulled a veil for me and it was perfect on the first try. They definitely have an eye for what works. I am so happy to be returning my dress so that someone else can love it on their special day.
I’m very happy to have found my dress at The Brides’ Project since I knew the profits were going to many cancer charities. Having had purchased from The Brides Project became even more meaningful to me about 3 months before my wedding when I was diagnosed with a bone tumour. There were a couple weeks that we weren’t absolutely sure what kind it was. Thankfully after surgery it was determined to be benign, and for 2.5 months post major surgery I was non-weight bearing. I started walking 2 weeks before my wedding and with hard work, an amazing medical team and a lot of support, I was able to walk down the aisle and dance the night away without crutches.
Thank you for everything!!! I have recommended The Brides Project to everyone I know.
Marion
For many more photos of the dress, visit Marion’s photographer’s website, Elizabeth in Love.
at the church
We received a lovely email from Theresa, a newlywed and a huge supporter of The Brides’ Project: she sourced three of her wedding vendors here!
My name is Theresa and I guess you could say that I am a huge supporter of TBP! I bought my wedding gown and veil from TBP back in July 2010 and I was married in May 2011 to my husband Abner.
~ I also had my alterations done by Pom (loved her, she always made me laugh)!
~ My flowers were done by Kim (so sweet and very creative)!
~ And photographs by Gail (from noon till midnight, she is truly one in a million)!My wedding experience was nothing short of wonderful!
At the Reception (guest photo)
We are absolutely tickled to read mail like this, to know we’ve been able to help brides in not just one way but several, all the while raising money for cancer charities. Our goal for 2011 was $60,000 (already reached and soon to be exceeded) and we wouldn’t be able to do this without brides like Theresa, who is also donating back her dress and veil!
Thank you, Theresa, and congratulations! FYI, her gown is back to be enjoyed again!
Below is the lovely Natalya with her handsome hubby Brett. Congrats you two! You look so happy, and obviously had a super fun wedding day. And we LOVE the shoes!!! This dress was actually worn by Alyssa Milano for a wedding movie… and now the story of the dress grows with Natalya’s wonderful day.
She wrote us a lovely message; “I am writing to thank you for helping me find the absolutely perfect dress for an amazing price! We had a fantastic wedding and everyone complimented my dress a lot!” Those words are music to our ears, and she has promised to donate the dress back when she’s had a chance to enjoy it some more! (Photo credit to PhotoSix Weddings / Allen McEachern)
Brett and Natalya
married in Tuscany
Congratulations to the lovely Lindsay, who married Steve at a beautiful villa last month in Tuscany.
“It was absolutely magical,” she said, and of that we have no doubt! (Ahhh, dreaming of Italy!)
We are so pleased to have contributed a small part of the magic — Lindsay bought her dress at The Brides’ Project, and had it altered by Pearl, who also added straps. It looks beautiful, flowy, and perfect for a summer wedding.
Thank you, Lindsay! We wish you and Steve many years of wedded bliss
married in Tuscany
married in Tuscany
married in Tuscany
photo: friends/family
Joanna bought her dress from The Brides’ Project back in March of this year, and was just married on August 12. We are delighted that she thought of us and passed along these photos from her wedding day.
Congratulations, Joanna! We wish you and your hubby all the happiness in the world!
photo: friends/family
photo: castingmemories.org
Jaclyn just said “I Do!” to Joshua in a dress from The Brides’ Project! We love, love, love Jaclyn’s retro wedding style and how smashing the whole wedding party looks!
Lucky for us, Jaclyn’s donating her dress back to us and you can customize it, too! Its simplicity is ideal for adding your own personal touch. Make an appointment and see for yourself.
Thank you for your generosity, Jaclyn! We wish you and Joshua much happiness!
photo: castingmemories.org
photo: castingmemories.org
congratulations, Shannon!
Shannon got married earlier this year and she has already decided to donate her gorgeous Ella Rosa dress! Lucky us! And, maybe LUCKY YOU if you come into the shop at the right time and snap it up before someone else does. It’s a size 14 and the designer’s photo is below. Make an appointment today — that fabulous train deserves another trip down the aisle!
Ella Rosa gown
We just got a lovely email from Amanda, who tied the knot with her handsome hubby Riki in October. As Amanda says, “I just want to say thank you for having the dress of my dreams!! I shopped there April 2010 and it was truly an amazing experience! We got married October 16th,2010 and had many compliments on the dress.”
Here is a fabulous shot of the happy couple, courtesy of Elise Ansley Photography and Amanda Arch Photography.
We are ever so grateful to our generous donors who provide us with dresses to make another bride happy on her wedding day. Our beneficiaries also thank our donors, who help in our fundraising efforts to beat cancer.
Congratulations Carolyn and David on your summer 2010 wedding! We wish you a lifetime of happiness
Photo credit: Vicky Brahos
Click on photos to view larger. Don’t forget to make an appointment to try on dresses!
We received a heartwarming email earlier this year from a very proud mama who watched her daughter have the wedding of her dreams last year, wearing a dress purchased from The Brides’ Project.
From the virtual mailbag:
Hello to the friendly staff at the Bride’s Project!
We wanted to share our beautiful results with you, and hopefully with the original bride who donated the dress we chose. We had a storybook day for our princess bride and could not be more pleased with our purchase there! We added a couple of loops and formed a bustle so Shannon could dance freely, but otherwise a few tucks to shorten it and hemming the underskirt were all the alterations required!
Thanks for your patience, friendliness and helpfulness!
Sincerely Sandra (Mother of the Bride) and Shannon (Bride)
Our congratulations go out to the lovely Shannon and her family, and many thanks for sharing your photos with us! (Photo credits to the parents of the newlyweds.)
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