Making a Big Difference with Brides' Big Day

How do you make your big day make a big difference for others? An innovative new social enterprise called The Brides Project  attempts to do just that – by connecting wedding gown shopping with cancer support. Improbable as it may seem, pairing one of the most exciting times in life with one of the most difficult  makes both more special than you might think.  

 

"I love the juxtaposition of this really happy time in a bride's life going to support an awful time for families," says Barb Hiltz, who is executive director of the Cancer Support Community (CSC) of Greater Ann Arbor, which is the home and benefactor of The Brides Project. "I think brides love it too. This adds an extra element of depth to people's weddings." 

 

It works like this: Brides-to-be purchase dresses at The Brides Project boutique that have been donated by others. All of the proceeds generated by the volunteer-driven enterprise go to support the CSC, which provides counseling, education and resources for local families dealing with cancer. 

 

Perhaps the key to success for the two-year-old venture has been that while The Brides Project relies on donated dresses, the appointment-only bridal boutique is no thrift store. 

 

"We want brides to feel as special as they should feel when shopping for their dress," says Hiltz. "It really feels like a bridal boutique."

 

The donation of once-worn gowns, adds Hiltz, actually makes for a wider variety of dresses then most shops carry at any given time. 

 

"Sometimes when you go to a bridal salon, it looks like everything is a slightly different version of the same thing," she says. "Brides are telling us we have a better selection of gowns."

 

As CSC offers their services to families for free, Hiltz had long thought the organization was well positioned for the social enterprise model with its continual fundraising from a revenue source - she just hadn't thought of the right venture yet. As it so happened, Ann Arborite Monique Sluymers had the opposite problem: a great idea for a fundraising wedding dress boutique without the right cause to support. When luck sat the two women next to each other at their children's soccer game, it all started to fall into place. Sluymers had learned about a similar concept in Toronto, and she was hoping to recreate it here. She felt Ann Arbor's penchant for giving, as well as recycling made it a great fit for the concept. Hiltz loved the idea of bridal gown sales funding cancer support. Both women's ideas were perfectly matched. 

 

The first location of The Brides Project opened on Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor in 2011. The space was donated by Mark Hodesh and quickly attracted enthusiastic support. So much so that they needed to find a larger shop. 

 

"We had about a 100 dresses when we first opened," Hiltz says. "We grew out of the space in about six months - even though we stayed for nine."

 

Now, with more than 1,100 dresses donated and more than 80 volunteers, The Brides Project is located in donated space at The Courtyard Shoppes on Plymouth Rd., and is supporting a quarter of CSC's operating budget - all of which goes to helping local families.

 

"That is astounding after two years," says Hiltz. "It has allowed us to grow with the needs of our families. More young families with children have been coming to us, and they have needs for more services. It's because of The Brides Project that we've been able to grow."

 

Demand for The Brides Project outside of Ann Arbor has the organization looking to take their show on the road, bringing their inventory of gowns to bridal events around the state. Of course, while helping families in need is a terrific incentive for brides, getting a chance to shop for designer dresses at discounted prices is no small factor in the boutique's appeal. 

 

"The word is getting out," Hiltz says. "We have a beautiful trend of people sharing their stores on Facebook and sending us wedding pictures. The number of folks calling us has increased."

 

As the number of shoppers has increased so has the need for volunteers. The Brides Project is always looking for new volunteer bridal consultants, who help brides-to-be try on and purchase their dresses. 

 

"Our volunteers have so much fun," says Hiltz. "They love doing this."

 

As it turns out, the thrill of wedding dress shopping - for the brides and the volunteers - is as common as dealing with cancer. For better or for worse, most people have been through both. Supporting The Brides Project has been as much about their own journeys with the disease as it has been about the fun of bridal dress-up.  

 

And that, of course, is what forges the connection between weddings and cancer. If celebrating one can help make suffering through the other easier for local families, it should be no surprise that The Brides Project is succeeding one gorgeous gown at a time. 

 

"People who come to shop are touched by our mission," Hiltz says. "There aren't very many people who aren't touched by cancer in some way."


Natalie Burg is a freelance writer, the development news editor for Concentrate and Capital Gains, and a regular contributor to Metromode.

All photos by Doug Coombe

Hey! Like this story? Then you should "LIKE" Concentrate on our Facebook page.  Click here to show us a little like and... we'll like you back.