[Bumping this back up to the top as a reminder! --Gail]

Once again The Brides’ Project will be featured at the National Bridal Show, and we’d love to see you there! Come to the shop and get your free pass — we have a limited number available on a first-come, first-serve basis. (They’re $13.50 online, $15.00 at the door.)

We’re also very excited to offer another green option for clients by teaming up with some talented ladies at Ryerson’s Fashion Design to showcase their redesigns of dated styles. You’ll be excited, too, once you see what they’ve done! Fresh takes will be shown at our booth, come by and check them out.

As a green-oriented, charity-driven bridal shop, we are the perfect partner to team up with the National Bridal Show. Here’s what they say about us:

http://www.nationalbridalshow.com/fall/features/14001

The official website with full information:

http://www.nationalbridalshow.com/

Location:
International Centre, Mississauga

Show Times (September 10-12):
Friday: 5pm – 9pm
Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday: 10am – 6pm

Fashion Show Times:
Friday: 7:30pm
Saturday: 2pm and 7pm
Sunday: 1pm and 4pm

Regular hours of 10am to 5pm apply for Saturday September 4th.

I read on their Web site that they have two very important goals – to provide every bride with the things she needs for a beautiful wedding within her budget, and to support cancer charities by donating all their profits. I was sold.

I called to inquire and realized this was exactly where I wanted to donate my dress. Unfortunately, life got pretty hectic (we moved, I started a new job, I got pregnant and then had a baby) so my good deed was put on the backburner. Until today.

I finally got down to the Toronto location (at Broadview and Victor) and dropped off my dress. (Note: they also have a location in Ann Arbor, Michigan.)

I wasn’t entirely sure how I would feel dropping it off. Part of me thought I might regret it, or feel a little apprehensive. But I didn’t. I felt relief. And more importantly I felt gratification. Truth be told, my dress hadn’t made its way out of the garment bag since my wedding.

So while my wedding day was a beautiful day full of love, happiness, family, friends and amazing memories, for me it was never about being a princess for the day, it wasn’t about the beautiful dress, or being the centre of attention. For me, my wedding day was solely about uniting my family. It was the day I married my soulmate, and the day I officially became a stepmom. That meant more to me than any dress ever could. So parting with the dress was easy for me. And hey, if I ever want to reminisce I can just pull out the hundreds of pictures I have of me in the dress. Isn’t that why we spend thousands of dollars on a photographer?

I sincerely hope that someone else can have the same experience in it as I did, but more importantly, I hope a cancer charity can benefit from the funds they’ll receive from the sale of my dress.

And that is how I decided to do more. Even if it’s only one dress at a time.

Response from The Brides’ Project: Thank you so much Soulla!  As we mentioned when you popped in, this dress is SO fabulous that we actually have 2 of them!  One is Soulla’s in size 6, and the other in size 10 or 12.

OK, maybe not THE Alfred Sung, but AN Alfred Sung… this one was brought to the shop today and fresh on the racks. It’s a size 6, beaded bodice, an overlay that continues into the train, with buttons down the back. (Sorry, I forgot to take photos of the back this time!) Click on the thumbnails to view detail, and — don’t forget this part! — make an appointment to try it on!

Here’s the lovely Joelle with her hubby:

Personally, I think Joelle does this gown true justice… but for the die-hards, here’s the manufacturer’s magazine pic:

We loved meeting them, and knowing that our dresses will help to make their Sept 5th wedding day super-special.   Congratulations and best wishes from all of us!  Can’t wait to see you both all dressed up!

Take for example Annie’s dream… a tea length dress with a splash of black.

Here’s the ‘before’ picture… a gorgeous dress by Maggie Sottero called “Sarama” donated by the lovely Shawna as shown below:

And here is the ‘after’ picture, showing Annie just glowing in her new tea length gown with a shawl made from the train!!

(photography credit to Lissa Veilleux Photography)

You can do this too!  And… stay tuned… upcoming are some DRAMATIC gown re-designs by our fabulous crew from Ryerson’s School of Fashion Design, to be premiered on Sept 10-12 at the National Bridal Show!

If your wedding style is of the urban persuasion and you’re searching for ‘glam’ over ‘princess’, have we got a treat for you!

This light ivory Size 4 Maggie Sottero strapless couture gown is fitted to hug your figure and guaranteed to knock your groom’s socks off! It was generously donated over the weekend from Ottawa (the wedding was on the beach in Vancouver) and due to arrive at the shop this evening, where I predict it will stay for about 20 minutes…

If this is the gown you have in mind, you’d better be quick and make an appointment!

The back:

The trim:

This lovely Lucca frock charmed me to pieces the last time I was working in the shop. The cap sleeves really do it for me — they’re feminine, classic, and a refreshing alternative to the sea of sleeveless/strapless. I’ve been telling brides about cap sleeves for ages, but didn’t have any examples on hand to show how wonderful they can be. You can buy a strapless dress at The Brides’ Project and have cap sleeves added by one of our talented seamstresses for flair. A light, semi-opaque sleeve material such as you see here is paired well with a soft hair accent such as a flower or feathers. Get creative with your dress, there are many options available to suit your personal style!