The Brides’ Project

I just got my dress here today and I could not be happier with the quality or the service. I came in looking for a tea length dress and they didn’t have many. Almost all are full length and most are pouffy ball gowns but there are a lot of dresses to choose from. The fitting rooms are big and clean (no need to worry about stepping on a pin here). I really liked the self serve concept as I am a confident shopper and knew what I was looking for. Even though it is mostly self serve, I had a fantastic experience with the staff. A volunteer was available to help with any little thing I needed like zippers and veils etc. I would highly highly recommend this place. The experience is so fun and positive and the prices are so fantastic, you’d be foolish not to at least check it out.
PS, my dress in the photos came to $ 508 with tax and all. It has been well taken care of and is in perfect condition. The quality is so exquisite, it is clearly worth a lot more.

The Brides’ Project was the final of four stores that I visited this past week for my gown hunting adventure with my family (who flew in specifically for the purpose of helping me find the dress I will get married in).
I don’t think it’s fair to write a review on a bridal store based on whether or not it is the location where I will purchase my bridal gown, so I am going to focus on the dresses themselves, the service, the prices, and any other tidbits that may be interesting for brides-​to-​be (and in some cases, members of the bridal party as well). My hope is that my review will help you make an informed decision about whether or not this store is worth visiting during your own bridal gown adventure.
PRO:
The store is really quaint. Set in an old home on Broadview Avenue, I didn’t even know this place existed before I started my wedding dress research even though I’ve probably passed it on the streetcar 100+ times. The setting just adds to the overall charm of the project, creaky floors and all.
CON:
Old and quaint also equals cramped. They ask that you bring a maximum of two additional people with you to help with your decision. I had three that had been shopping with me, so I had to make a cut in order to look around. Don’t forget to bring indoor shoes or you will have to wear a pair of borrowed crocs. Socked/​bare feet are a no-​no.
PRO:
You really can’t beat the prices. At one point I tried on a gown that would have originally cost $ 3000 in stores. The Brides’ Project was asking for $ 800. If your budget for the dress isn’t huge, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how far your money will go for a beautiful gown AND accessories. The store also had a selection of veils, shoes, headpieces, and sashes.
CON:
You do have to be creative when it comes to alterations and dry cleaning. Some dresses were better cared for then others prior to ending up at The Brides’ Project. While some gowns could get away with a simple dry clean, other gowns would need to have smudged and blackened trains shortened back to their original glory. Great for shorter brides, but taller brides might have trouble if their dream dress needs to be shortened any further.
PRO:
You can wander around the shop and pick dresses to your hearts content! The whole process is basically 100% self-​serve, so you don’t have to feel bad about trying on a wide variety of styles, shapes, and textures to get an idea of what works best for you. You might end up surprised to see what looks best on your body! The incredibly lovely volunteers popped their head in from time to time to make sure that I was doing well and offered suggestions for alterations, some of which I wouldn’t have though of myself.
CON:
Since the dresses are pre-​loved, they have often been altered to fit the previous bride’s measurements and height precisely. This meant that after I picked all my favourites from the 4 – 8 rack, only about 50% of them fit properly (without having to be taken out). So although I am a size 4 or 6, I ended up taking a trip to the 10 – 12 rack to see if any of the larger sized gowns had actually been taken in to fit a smaller bride. It’s not a big deal, it just means you have to have a sharp eye and be willing to try something that may not be size you are used to. Don’t forget — size is just a number, and the important thing is how the dress feels and looks.
PRO:
The money raised goes to various cancer charities. The volunteer that helped us mentioned that they’ve topped out at $ 100,000 for the past few years, which is so awesome to hear. The change rooms are sizeable, and there are hundreds of dresses to choose from. Sweet touch — I noticed that some of the gowns had sealed cards attached to them that were labeled «to the bride.» The idea of the previous bride writing a note to the next bride warmed my heart like you wouldn’t believe. I’m a little jealous of those brides that get to experience what is contained within those envelopes. What a sweet thing to include with a wedding dress donation.
tl;dr conclusion: I didn’t find «my» dress at The Brides’s Project, but many brides will, and at a steal of a price. Keep an open mind and be willing to try anything. And come back at a later date if you don’t find your dress because the stock is constantly changing. And even if you don’t find your gown, you can still support the project!

I would give 10 stars for this reason:
— booking was so easy. Booked online, got reply within 24 hours.
— service was fantastic, cannot ask for more. I like doing this by myself, and we had the whole room to ourselves. The room was filled with wedding dresses! I can try anything without feeling bad!
— location is great. I live in downtown, so this was only 20 minutes street car travel for me.
— found my dress! The dress! I love it!!!
— help. I don’t remember her name I am so sorry!!! She gave me just the information I need. Seriously. I really appreciated her. Wedding dress can be overwhelming and she understands from her experience.
— same sex couple. I asked for lgbt friendly, as I wanted to be comfortable with my partner. It was such a nice experience. I had to tell her that it’s bride to bride, and she was totally supportive.
Tips.
— go with 1 or 2 friends. You need one person to help you with dress, one more for taking all the pictures.
— wear something simple so you can change easy.
— please wear a pretty bra that can go with your dress
— trust me. Bring your shoes to try the dresses
Overall, I cannot ask for more. Thank you bridal project!

I had a great experience at The Bride’s Project.
It’s tucked into a house on Broadview, north of Gerrard. There’s plenty of street parking around there, which is very convenient.
The volunteers that work there are very friendly and helpful, giving you the rundown of how things work when you first come in, and checking in with you throughout your appointment.
There’s a varied selection of dresses, most tend to be popular cuts and designs, like satiny A-​line dresses, lace dresses, chiffon dresses. the prices seemed to be between $ 300 to $ 1000.
The rooms are laid out by sizes and you just pick out your dress and try it on right there in the room. I recommend bringing someone with you to help get into the dress and to help get the dress back onto the hanger!
Because a lot of the dresses are used, they have been hemmed/​altered so you might have difficulty especially if you’re taller. Also, some of the used dresses have not been dry cleaned, so you have to factor that into your budget!

Sadly — I came here looking for a Qua, which wasn’t meant to be as they only had a limited selection of ethnic bridal wear to choose from. So you may need to call them and check just in case and probably give them a good visual as to what exactly you are looking for. They only take a few appointments at a time and they are the house at the corner just past the Church on Broadview on the east side.
From what I did see — the selection was decent, however when I was talking to another prospective bride friend — she mentioned that the savings wasn’t that great in comparison after you add in the dry cleaning and other incidentals.
I do like the idea that all proceeds from the sale do go to cancer research and the staff are amiable enough and they are fairly easy to get a hold off.
One more note — you don’t get a tax receipt with your dress donation.

I came across Bride’s Project from an article I read. I love the idea of being able to get a dress at a bargain PLUS be able to contribute towards cancer research!
Bride’s Project was the first place I made an appointment with, but because they only open three days a week it was the second shop I’ve visited.
I am super glad that I came to check out Bride’s Project! The volunteers (Tory, Robin and Helen) was super nice and helpful. I love the idea of the volunteers doing a simple meet and greet, and giving you a quick rundown of the space. Then you’re assigned to a room, and you pull your own dresses, and puts it on yourself. It’s definitely not your typical salon experience, but definitely something I personally prefer. I love that I’m able to look through all the racks according to sizes and pull whatever I want, and try on the dresses leisurely without feeling rushed or pressured for time. The volunteers will politely knock on the door here and there to make sure you’re ok or if you need any help.
I found some new dresses like Mori Lee, Madison and a used gorgeous full lace gown by La Sposa for phenomenal prices. There are definitely great finds if you enjoy looking through the racks and not feel overwhelmed: p
I was glad that I came on a Saturday and found myself torn between two dresses. Luckily there was a last minute cancel on the following morning. And yes, I came here twice in one weekend, BUT I got my wedding gown: D so worth the drive and time!

The Brides’ Project sells donated dresses and then donates the proceeds from sales to both research charities that fight cancer and support charities that help individuals with cancer as well as their families.
I had an AMAZING experience donating my wedding dress to The Brides’ Project. I originally went there to find my dress, but didn’t, so I knew when I found it at another salon that I wanted to donate it afterwards.
They encourage you to write a note to the next bride and then they attach your (sealed) note to the dress itself. I prepared a pretty personal card and included my email address, hoping that the new bride would email me. A few months later, she did! It was more of a touching experience than many elements of my wedding. We had both lost close relatives to cancer — my reason for donating and her reason for shopping there — and it was emotionally powerful and moving to connect through even just a couple of emails. Especially because the family who couldn’t be at my wedding due to cancer was impossible to get off my mind through the whole process of getting married… this place gave me some comfort and peace through my experience as a donor.
I highly recommend The Brides’ Project both as a place to look for your dress and as a place to donate afterwards. Especially if you don’t find your dress there, that means they could really use something that represents your taste for someone else who wants the same!
One tip: if your want to donate, don’t hold on to your dress for years. First of all, I was so relieved to have my closet space back and I bet you will be too. Secondly, the project only takes dresses that are less than five years old because they want a more up to date /​in-​style inventory. I bet the sooner you donate your dress the more likely it is they’ll be able to find a home for it.
Their website has a pretty detailed FAQ about both donations and making appointments to try on dresses that are accurate to my experiences with them.
I kinda can’t believe there are any negative reviews about this place considering what they do. Even if you don’t personally like the dresses, this organization is doing a great thing!

All of the dresses and accessories are donated by brides and proceeds go to cancer research. I just love this concept! Prices are great, everything is under $ 1000 with most dresses well under. I came here twice, first to find a dress and second for accessories. Both times I didn’t have any luck but I was very happy with the experience.
They have a great online appointment booking system. When I arrived, I was met with friendly volunteers who quickly explained what to expect. There are a few different rooms with dresses. One rack had used ‘higher end’ dresses in garment bags. I was looking forward to this rack the most, but the selection was small (~30 dresses)
They said to factor in ~ $ 300 for dry cleaning. The also have some preferred seamstresses for alterations, I ended up going with the seamstress they recommended (Pearl Seto who was great!).
I was happy to try on dresses that were already altered for my height (unlike the bridal shops which are always too long), this gave me a more realistic idea of what different styles looked like on me. It was an eye opener.

I know some wonderful people who work here. It is such a lovely cause.
Get a dress for cheap.
Proceeds go to charity.
Volunteer run.

I would have loved to find a dress here because I’d like the expense of a wedding dress to support the fight against cancer, but sadly was unable to find anything I liked… even remotely.
The ladies working there are fantastic, the house definitely is interesting and you’re given the freedom to roam and try on anything you see, which is great. While I understand that inventory is constantly in flux and what’s available always depends on what’s donated, but the selection was quite poor when my friend and I search through sizes 12 – 18. Overall, the dresses are far more damaged/​stained than I thought, and the prices are much higher than I was expecting. Most of the dresses I saw were around $ 700 which is actually more than the approx $ 650 dresses I’ve been looking at in stores that would be made-​to-​order and brand new.
Basically, you would have to be prepared to spend the extra money to get your dress here and pay to repair and clean it. I’d love to provide my support, but it doesn’t seem financially practical when my budget is so tight to begin with. I came in thinking I may potentially find a steal of a dress here and support a good cause… and came out thinking the value for money kind of sucks.
I should add… there was a girl kind of close to us and it sounded like she was buying or about to buy the dress she had on. It was a satin or charmeuse simple, fitted sheath dress and it fit her like a glove. I don’t know how much it was, but it looked amazing (the style as well as the condition).
I would recommend trying it out, with caution… maybe if you go in there not expecting much, you may find something by chance.

I had a really great experience here from beginning to end. The staff was very friendly and Helen gave me a lot of useful advice. It’s definitely worth stopping by as I found the dress of my dreams during my appointment. It’s a gorgeous, brand new, Alfred Sung dress that I purchased for a fraction of the original cost. Many of the dresses there are actually brand new and yes, some are second-​hand and you really never know what you’ll find there as I’m sure they constantly receive new inventory. And the money from your dress goes to The Cancer Society.
If the dresses are not brand new then they won’t be cleaned and that’s because the Bride’s Project doesn’t want new brides having to pay for a cleaning to donate the dress — it’s up to the buyer to pay for the cleaning but they recommend a place that has very reasonable prices. If you’re saving hundreds or thousands of dollars (like in my case) on a dress, then an extra $ 50 to clean your dress is really not a big deal at all.
Extremely happy I found this place :)

I’m not sure if I should cut this place some slack since they are registered as a charity, but I’d rather be honest and say this place was among the more disappointing visits along the wedding-​dress quest. After all, for most shoppers, this isn’t quite the same as scoring some secondhand jeans at a thrift shop.
I set up an appointment without incident and I was excited to see this place; I’d heard through word of mouth that it was friendly and the prices were reasonable… PLUS the price I pay goes toward a good cause, no?
The reality was quite disappointing. Not only was the selection of dresses old — many of these were quite dirty, which made the high prices all the more unreasonable. I realize they charge approximately half the original value of used dresses, but by the time you factor in the often VERY outdated styles, the cleaning (which most of these will most certainly need) and alterations (which you will also likely need), you are probably not saving anything, especially considering that you could make a donation to the same charity and get a tax receipt and then RENT a dress for less than what they charge here.
I know the people who work here are volunteers (unpaid I assume), but the person supposedly helping me quickly dashed off to catch up on her homework (which she proudly admitted), assuming that I knew how to handle everything on my own, even though I told her it was only the second place I’d been to try on dresses. Staff are friendly but they really can’t replace the qualified expertise of the dress fitters you’ll find in most boutiques. Good intentions aside, the staff seems defensive of the value of their outdated styles and older dresses, which should really be marked down by another 50%. While there are a few «current» styles heavily promoted on their website, these seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Bottom line: if you want to contribute to a good cause AND save money, you’re better off donating directly to a charity of your choice (and receiving a tax receipt) and renting a dress.

I fortuitously stumbled upon The Brides’ Project while randomly surfing. As anyone about to partake on the wedding march knows, attached the word ‘bridal’ in front of anything and the associated price shoots up exponentially. Then, after spending loads of hard-​earned cash on items for one of the most beautiful days of your life, what do you do with all that stuff after? Would your future, still to be conceived daughter, *really* want to wear the same dress that her mama wore ages ago? Would you?
The Brides’ Project is a socially minded project founded by the owner of the house that the store is located in. They take wedding gowns and accessories that have all been donated by brides and corporate donors, and sell them to budget-​minded future brides with all the proceeds going to cancer charities and so forth — that’s what it says on their website. The idea appealed to me for several reasons: reasonably priced pre-​worn gowns (many of which I can only assume already has work done on them that one would otherwise have to pay a seamstress to add on, like the bustle), the social-​hippie aspect of contributing for the betterment of society, and the ‘green’ part of reclaiming and reusing pre-​existing goods.
I ended up with a beautiful hair piece for my special day that I discovered had a bonus smattering of pearls after the fact. It was probably about two-​thirds of the price I would have paid for it new. Since I was only looking at accessories, I didn’t have to book an appointment but I also didn’t have a good look around the place or for the selection of gowns. From what I did see though, the selection does deserve a good look-​through. While poking around the place, I did see some for around $ 750ish.
The Brides’ Project looks to be volunteer run, and everyone I spoke to was very nice. It’s only open during three days of the week — Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.