Vinnies has launched its first ever bridal exhibition after receiving a huge donation of wedding dresses, with unworn designer gowns available for a maximum of $300.
Vinnies Waverley, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, announced the expo after it received a mammoth donation from a bridal shop that was closing down. The op shop chain collected all of its donated bridal gowns to exhibit them at one store.
Many of the dresses are brand new but, even for the preloved options, you can almost guarantee it has only been worn once.
The glitzy exhibition opened at 9:30am on Friday and will continue through the weekend or until stocks sell out. Vinnies hasn’t yet indicated whether the bridal sale will become a yearly event.
Brand new dresses are on sale for $300 each, while preloved gowns start at just $50. None of the hundreds of gowns on offer costs more than $300, Vinnies NSW said in a social media comment.
Clips from Vinnies NSW social media showed racks and racks of glittering white dresses, including rhinestone embellished princess gowns, slinky mermaid cuts and even Vera Wang numbers.
The recommended retail prices of the dresses range between $1700 and $4500, meaning there are some stellar bargains on offer. For the latter RRP, that’s a discount of more than 93 per cent.
A host of other wedding accessories are also available at the store, including shoes, bridesmaids dresses and suits for grooms and groomsmen.
The charity said the exhibition was a “one-stop shop” for couples planning a wedding on a budget.
All profits will go back into the charity, which helps disadvantaged people in the community.