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What do we offer? We offer FREE USE of fashionable and contemporary wedding gowns in all sizes (many just donated from area bridal shops and recent brides with designer labels such as Pronovias, Demetrios, Mori Lee, Monique, Santa Monica, Eve of Milady, Justina McCaffrey, Alfred Angelo, etc.), tuxes, bridesmaids gowns, silk flower bouquets and arrangements, centerpieces, tablecloths and table skirts, garters, flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillows, veils, slips, tiaras, plates, silverware, glasses, serving dishes, wedding cake display, and many other bridal related items. You pay nothing to use these items and we only ask that you return them, clean, the first Saturday after your wedding.
Who qualifies? We are here to serve you so please do not be shy about contacting us!
1. Are you a bride of limited means? People with modest-paying jobs or no jobs, students, and people with large debts/bills (i.e. student loans, medical bills, tuition, child care, etc.) are all welcome. We ask no income questions.
2. Are you going it alone without the help of a wedding planner? We do not offer our help to brides who have employed wedding planners. Please respect this.
3. Will your officiant give us a letter on his or her stationary confirming your ceremony and date? Please fax us the letter from your officiant to 301-916-3181 before you intend to visit the Bridal Center. We reserve the right to contact the officiant and confirm the ceremony. Contact us, however, as soon as possible so we can reserve a place for you on our calendar.
4. Do you need to use one of our wedding gowns? Brides must be using one of our bridal gowns in order to use our other bridal goods, including our tablecloths! . Why? We have found that generally (but not always) the brides on the tightest budgets are the ones who will not go to a bridal shop and pay hundreds of dollars for a gown. They simply don't have that kind on money. These are the brides we are here to help.
Simply, if you answered "yes" to each of these four questions, then you qualify.
What will it cost to use the bridal garments and goods? Nothing at all. We do not even accept monetary donations from our brides because we know they can not afford it. Our brides are welcome, however, to donate bridal goods, such as flower girl baskets, etc., if they desire. There is a deposit. You will be asked for a $100 timelieness deposit in the form of a postal money order made payable to St. Anthony's Bridal. This deposit is our guarantee that that you will return the items on time. You will get your deposit back if you bring everything back on time and clean on the day and at the time promised. We depend upon this because the next bride depends upon us. If you fail to return our garments and/or goods, you will also be responsible for their full replacement value. We also ask our brides to volunteer for 2 to 4 hours at the Bridal Center before their wedding; however this may be considered optional.
You do not have to bring your Deposit when you first visit our Bridal Center in order to try on our gowns and view our bridal goods! Also, you can always ask us to hold your gown for several weeks until you get back to us with your Deposit. Please, do not put off visiting us because you do not have the Deposit!
Is St. Anthony's a business or a non-profit? We are a local non-profit qualified with the I.R.S. as a 501-C-3 (this means we are a recognized non-profit and donations to us are tax deductable). Our mission is to help brides on tight budgets achieve beautiful and affordable weddings. We are all volunteers. Our tax ID number is 52-2191053. St. Anthony's Bridal is a legal trade name for St. Anthonys Bread, Inc.
Do we want donations of wedding gowns? Yes, we do! Thank you! We buy some of our gowns and rely on donations too.This dress is Maggie Sottero's "Bonnie" in a size 12 which we recently purchased on ebay. Our brides are almost exclusively looking for contemporary gowns. If you have one of these gowns to donate, please do so! We need them and appreciate them! Please note that we accept no vintage gowns at this time. Our last donation came in on April 14th, 2008 and it is a brand new gorgeous deep ivory gown which you can see at: http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=2660&prodgroup=92.
Do we accept donations of maids' gowns, prom gowns, tuxes, other bridal goods and monetary donations? Yes, we do. As far as donations of bridal goods, we will always be in need of veils, tiaras, sets of bridesmaid gowns, prom gowns, tuxes, children's' formalwear, toasting glasses, and flower girl baskets, slips, wine glasses, white tablecloths, white plates, silverware, cake knives, guest books, aisle runners, hoopas, decorative bridal brooms, centerpieces, and silk flower arrangements. We would also appreciate a donation of white chair covers.
Where do I bring donations? Look under "Contact Us". Thank you.
Do we need volunteers and are we qualified to give Student Learning Service Hours? Yes to both questions. You can help us organize and maintain our bridal center. Let us know if you have special talents or interests such as photography, graphic arts, singing or musical instrument which you are willing to share at a wedding reception.
Can you buy one of our gowns if you don't quality for our services? Sorry, no. After some internal debate on this, we have finally decided that we will not sell gowns directly to the public. Our first priority must always be our own qualified brides and direct sales would interfere with our mission. We will continue to offer about 10% of our gowns for sale by consignment only, using retail consignment shops and people who sell gowns on a consignment basis for us on EBAY or CRAIGSLIST. Consignment sale proceeds are used exclusively to help pay our rent ($500 per month) and buy tablecloths, silk flower arrangements, plus size bridal gowns, and other bridal goods.
Why are we located in a doggy daycare? The rent is comparatively inexpensive and our spacious room is lovely. By the way, if you decide to use this wonderful doggy day care for your dog, please mention St. Anthony's, and we will get a $5 discount on our rent the next month. Pass the word....
Our gowns are lovely so don't be afraid. You will find a beautiful gown with us if you can not afford to buy one somewhere else. St. Anthony is the patron of finding things and it is very clear that he makes sure, from above, that every bride who walks in St. Anthony's Bridal looking for the right dress, will find it. :) He is not our patron for nothing.
