Bridal Blog: A dress for every bride

NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

 

When I look at my own wedding pictures I get excited all over again. I can remember how important it was for me to find the perfect dress for my big day. As we prepare the wedding gowns for the Goodwill Wedding Gala I am so impressed with how beautiful each gown is and how beautiful our brides-to-be will look when the find the ONE!

There’s a dress for every bride, no matter what her style preference or size! We have strapless, A Line, ball gowns, destination dresses, gowns with tulle, gowns with a hint of color, and gowns ranging from size 2 to 32. We even have vintage gowns.

It is my hope that brides will find a gown they feel beautiful in while saving hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. So, brides gear up to attend the second annual Goodwill Wedding Gala! Arrive early and enjoy every moment of being a bride.

What’s your idea of a dream dress? And if you’re already married, what style dress did you wear at your wedding?

Bridal Blog: How will you spend your wedding gown savings?

NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

The Goodwill Wedding Gala is fast approaching. It will be so much fun to watch brides as they find their dream wedding gown. As I think back about my own special day, I can remember dreaming about my wedding, and how I wanted everything to be. For the most part everything turned out beautiful but I know there were so many ways that I could have saved.

As I talk to brides-to-be I enjoy giving tips and pointers on how to have a dream wedding for less. One of the most important, and possibly most expensive items a bride will purchase, is her wedding gown. Designer gowns can cost thousands of dollars. However, the Goodwill Wedding Gala allows brides a chance to find their bridal look for a lot less – $400 dollars or less!

Spending less for your dress means that you can use the money you save for other parts of the big day. Here are some things you can do with the money you save on your wedding gown if you purchase it at Goodwill.

• Add to your floral arrangements.

• Make your bouquet larger or beef up centerpieces.

• Purchase extras like personalized favors.

• Accessorize to compliment your bridal look, including your jewelry, veil or shoes.

• Search onlinegoodwill.com for your jewelry selection.

• Invest in bridal party gifts to show your appreciation to your wedding party.

• Treat yourself to luxury spa services. De-stress and pamper yourself before the big event.

As I prepare the wedding gowns for the sale I am so impressed with the tremendous inventory of designer wedding gowns. I am also thankful to our donors and all of the sponsors who have supported this event. It is my wish that brides who come to the gala leave with a wedding gown that makes them feel as beautiful as I felt on my wedding day without the large price tag. Brides who purchase their gowns at the gala can also be proud that their purchase will help Goodwill continue changing lives.

How will you spend your wedding gown savings?

Bridal Blog: Gaylord Opryland Hosts Goodwill Gala Shoot

By NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

Great talent and a beautiful location for our Goodwill photo shoot equals one fabulous Look Book. On January 28th, the Goodwill team and Goodwill employee models all met at the Gaylord Opryland Resort to create our 2011 Look Book. We had been planning this photo shoot for months. Model fittings and meetings with hair and makeup artists were just the beginning of the process that ended with selecting the perfect gown, hair and makeup for each model. Then came creating a comprehensive shoot schedule that included the time, location of the shoot, and outfit for each model, along with making flower arrangements and matching accessories to compliment each look.

We want to thank the marketing and wedding teams at Gaylord Opryland Resort for allowing us to use their beautiful newly remodeled facility. We really appreciate everything they did to help make the photo shoot a success. Gaylord Opryland Resort is the perfect location for a beautiful wedding or even special proposal. They have so many locations. Also, we want to thank Street Tuxedo for providing tuxedos for the photo shoot. Linda from Nicholson’s Cleaners was gracious to assist us by cleaning the wedding gowns modeled in the photo shoot. Thanks to all of the Goodwill employee models who agreed to participate and were so easy to work with.

All of the gowns featured in the Look Book will be available for sale at the Goodwill Wedding Gala which will be held on March 19th from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. I have personally prepared the wedding gowns for the sale and we have some beautiful designer gowns. Gowns by Alfred Angelo, Maggie Sottero, Casablanca, Allure, Forever Yours, Watters Brides and Mary’s, just to name a few. No wedding gown will be priced for more than $400 and that is a huge bargain because some of the original prices exceeded $4,000. So please take time to check out the 2011 Wedding Gala Look Book to see some of the beautiful gowns that will be available at the sale.

Bridal Blog: What does Goodwill have to do with wedding season?

NaTisha Moultry, Community Relations Manager

It’s that time of year around here. It’s my favorite time of year. What I like to call wedding season. When I mention this most people ask, “Don’t you work for Goodwill? What does Goodwill have to do with wedding season?” The answer is simple. “Everything.”

Once a year we host the Goodwill Wedding Gala. Area bridal stores donate wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses and wedding accessories to be sold at the gala to benefit the Goodwill mission. This years’ gala will be held on March 19th from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at our Rivergate Goodwill store located at 2101 Gallatin Pike N. in Madison, Tennessee.

Goodwill’s Wedding Gala reminds me of how excited I was to plan my own wedding. However, I remember that everything was so expensive. I really got carried away with spending. Now I have learned so much after helping many family members and friends plan weddings about how to save for their march down the aisle. Watching the ladies from last year try on gowns and walk away with their dream gown for less just made me so happy. Now those extra dollars saved can go towards other wedding expenses.

All gowns will be priced at $400 or less. That’s a huge savings because some of the original prices of the gowns were more than $3,000. Not to mention that Brides are not only getting a great deal on their wedding gown, but they are also contributing to great a cause. People often think of Goodwill as a place to shop. However, because of donations and events like the gala, we are providing jobs and training to people in the community.

The Brides Came, They Shopped, They Bought! View the video from the 2010 Bridal Gala!