I accidentally found "Beloved Couture Bridal" on the internet, because my wedding venue happened to be in Redlands (the Mitten Building, just down the street). I wanted to see what... was available in the area--- when I ran across their website, I was psyched! Jennifer at Beloved is a godsend.
They are a non-profit that sells sample wedding gowns (yep, designer gowns) at lowered prices (yipee!). If that's not reason enough to check them out, here's the cherry on top: the proceeds of the sale of your wedding dress will go to financially support families facing end-of-life care for a member with cancer!
I knew that if they had anything remotely in my style/size/price range, I wanted them to have my business. I adore the fact that the ca$h I'm spending on a piece of clothing for a day CAN go towards something other than myself! <3
Lucky for me, I found a **gorgeous** maggie sottero wedding gown within my price range ($600, what a steal!). Everyone loved my gorgeous dress (and the story behind it only makes it more worthwhile). I've been telling everyone about this shop since my visit with them.
Final note, the store is open by appointment only... so guess what? you get the entire store to yourself!! You get to look through their selection (what's in store is always changing) and Jennifer (owner) works with you one-on-one. She is patient, not pushy, and totally understands what's involved in purchasing a gown (having worked many years in the wedding gown industry with many brides-to-be)... She is professional and has such a heart for the cause of her non-profit, it's great to work with her.
Finally, Beloved offer returns on dresses (unheard of!). you basically buy the dress and take it home that same day (also unheard of! perfect for me, because of our short engagement this option worked perfectly for me = no antsy-wondering when my dress will come in and if it will look the same as what i remembered it to look like in the store :P it's right there in my closet!)
drawbacks: sample dresses only (no made-to-order dresses, so if you really want a brand new dress, this shop is not for you). no tailoring services (i just took mine to a tailor = 50% off tailoring costs of a bridal shop, that worked out well too).
A very neat/worthwhile wedding gown shopping experience! A+