Making Memories Bridal Outlet/Brides Against Breast Cancer

I have been meaning to write a review for the past month however I have been swamped. Anyway here goes...I found making memories through my future mother-in-law and was less than convinced that I would be able to find what I was looking for being from NC and only knowing couture salons in my area, however I was willing to take a look. Out of college I worked at a very high end bridal boutique for 2 years selling all the big names, Vera Wang, Ulla-Maija, Carolina Herrera, etc., so I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in a quality wedding gown. To make a long story short, Making Memories has everything the high-end salons offer and more. I ended up finding a gorgeous blush colored Ulla-Maija gown and veil that was a fraction of the price I would have spent buying a sample at a boutique AND all proceeds go to breast cancer research!!! Barbara and the staff are amazing! Take it from me ladies...this place is a diamond in the rough!!!

My mom and I recently drove to the Santee Outlet from Columbia SC. It was well worth the 1hr 15min drive. The store is huge and has thousands of dresses. But the selection is best if you are a bridal size 6-12. The prices on the dresses are excellent compared to what they would be if you bought the dress in a boutique. I got my dress, veil, and crinoline for under $550. Betty and Barbara are very helpful and in no way pushy (which has turned me off about other dress shopping experiences I have had).
Unlike the travelling shows, the store in Santee does have private dressing rooms, although when there are several girls trying on dresses it can get pretty crowded.
Also they do take a lunch break from 12-1:30 and the last try on is at 4.

Another good thing to know is that they will let you exchange your dress if you change your mind as long as you haven't done alterations to it. This is excellent and very rare in the bridal industry.
I can honestly say that this was a fun and rewarding shopping experience.

Wow! Can I say that this wedding dress shop is the best kept secret in South Carolina? I didn't even know that it existed until a friend of a friend mentioned it to me one day. It is about an hour and a half from Charleston, but it is well worth the trip. There are literally thousands of dresses. Granted there's a larger selection if you are small, but even for a size 10 like me I had trouble narrowing down my selection. Once I picked out my couture wedding dress (originally priced at $2800) and paid $750 for it I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I have expensive taste, but I don't have the wallet to match so I was so happy when I could get the quality gown of my dreams at an affordable price. There are also less expensive dresses here. I think they start at $99. Plus, ALL of the proceeds go to breast cancer research, you can't beat that. The women who work (they are all volunteers) at the store are so nice and attentive as well. I had the best experience. Even though one of the ladies used to work for Brides Magazine she is not pretentious at all and made me feel like a million bucks. At all of the other wedding dress shops I visited the workers always made me feel like I was being a nuisance, but here they let me try on every dress I wanted and gave me all of the time I needed to make a final decision. I'm telling all of my friends about this place so they can have the same experience that I did.

I recommend every bride check out the traveling Brides Against Breast Cancer if/when it comes anywhere near your city. I found a gorgeous dress there and was happy to pay about $300 for it, as the profits go toward a great cause.

Brides Against Breast Cancer is an awesome organization. They were doing a tour locally and I had not purchased a dress yet so I figured I'd go and see what it was all about. It sounded great...cheaper wedding dresses and money donated to good cause. Why not? So, my best friend, mother and I went not knowing whether to expect a running with the brides scenario or what....but it was not bad....we picked out a bunch of dresses and finally found the one....it was an interesting experience and was much more organized and a lot less chaos than running with brides.

Brides Against Breast Cancer travels throughout the U.S. and sets up a large display of wedding gowns that have been donated from designers, stores, and brides. I found an extremely beautiful gown for only $600. The money goes to support a breast cancer foundation called Making Memories. I tried on as many gowns as I wanted to, until I found the perfect gown. I had my mom, my fiance's mom there, and my fiance's sister-in-law there with me, and an attendant for the event is also with every bride to help you with the process. It was really nice to have everyone there helping me find the right gown. The event is not chaotic, not at all like the running of the brides, and it's a really wonderful experience. Like I said, they travel all over the U.S., so check on their calendar for the next event near year, it's so worth it.

I got my dress at the tour from this shop in Greenville, SC. It was amazing. It took time to look through all the dresses but the volunteers were great they recommended the alterationist that I used and they donated all the money to a great cause. My dress was perfect and I was excited to support a great cause.

This was an amazing event. It was the first place that I went to look for my dress. I heard about the cause and I loved the Idea that spending so much money on a dress could actually make a difference. The staff was great to work with. They helped me find my perfect dress! They also had a seamstress there that could fit you for alterations. They were wonderful to work with and it felt good knowing that I was supporting a wonderful cause.

My experience picking out a dress was wonderful thanks to Betty and her mom! She was patient, resourceful, honest, and so knowledgeable of the thousands of wedding dresses the location, I was blown away. I drove all the way from Winston-Salem, NC (about three hours away) after meeting her on one of their traveling tours in my area. I found the perfect dress to suit my petite frame, and she even redesigned a veil to compliment my dress. The price I paid was a steal, and it's so refreshing that in the wedding industry someone is honest and generally wants to help a bride find the perfect dress. Not only would I recommend Brides Against Breast Cancer, they have a lifetime of donations coming from my family and me! I cannot say enough good things, I looked wonderful on my wedding day and I feel like I really received outstanding service and value.

I found my wedding dress when the Brides Against Breast Cancer trunk show was touring the country. I could not have been happier with my gorgeous, one of a kind, never been worn bridal gown that I purchased for WAY under retail value. It was the best dress I ever could have found for myself - made even better by knowing that my money was supporting such an important cause (rather than fueling the wedding industry)!

I went to the Brides Against Breast Cancer event that was held in Atlanta, GA in March of 2007. The prices are low, and the event was well-organized. However, I had the following complaints about the event:

1) While there are a LOT of dresses there, the selection for those of us women who have, well curves was SMALL. There were probably 20 racks of dresses between the sizes of 0 and 12, and only about 4 racks of dresses ranging in size from 14-28. Remember that wedding dresses run small, so for someone like myself, I had to search in the 4 racks of bigger dresses for the dress I ended up purchasing -- which was REALLY lucky since I didn't like most of the plus-sized dresses they had there.

2) They don't tell you this, but you don't have a private dressing room. I got used to showing off my boobs after awhile, but if you're overly modest, this is NOT an event for you.

3) As much as they try to keep the racks organized, sometimes dresses don't get put back in the right size-region, so I kept finding dresses I liked to find that they were two or three sizes too small.

Other than that, I was pleased with the event and was happy to be able to come away from the 3 hour drive with a dress (and a bra) I really loved.

I had a great time buying my dress from Brides Against Breast Cancer. For those who don't know, BABC is a charity organization that collects previously worn or designer sample wedding dresses, then sells them and uses the proceeds to fight breast cancer. They sell their dresses at a series of road show sample sales - typically in hotels.

I went to two dress sales, the first just to get an idea of the selection and the other to shop. The first time was intimidating - there was only a small selection of plus-size dresses (defined here as wedding dress sizes 10+), I wasn't wearing the right undergarments and the changing area was chaotic. I ended up standing in a huge weird room in a jogbra and panties while a stranger tried to squeeze me into a too-tight dress. Basically, if you have ever been to a sample sale you might know the feeling.

The second time, though, was really great and the reason why I give BABC such high marks. I prepared by wearing a proper slip and corset and flat shoes that seemed like what I would want to wear to the wedding. When I got to the sale, I was greeted by friendly volunteers and was blown away by the selection of dresses in all sizes and styles. It's pretty amazing to see such a range of dresses and to think that every one was someone's perfect idea of a wedding dress. In the dressing room, which was a well-lighted space with tons of petticoats and accesories available to try with the dresses, the atmosphere was fun and friendly. There were so many volunteers there, ready to help out. I found a few good options, and the second-to-last dress I tried on was absolutely right - I couldn't believe my luck. The dress was about 1/4 what I would have paid for it at a regular bridal store, and it felt great to give the money to charity. There was even a local photographer there taking sample pictures to drum up business, so I have this great picture of myself, all aglow and wearing my dress for the very first time. What a great experience. I would encourage all brides to consider BABC.

Absolutely a must for every bride to be. What better way to celebrate your wedding than wearing a dress with a cause behind it- you're making someone's last dreams come true. Dresses are donated and sold at significantly marked down prices... all the money made goes to help breast cancer victims dreams come true :)

This is an awesome place to find your gown. Great service and affordable gowns. Barbara really knows her stuff and can help you find a perfect wedding gown.

Incredible organization. The gowns are amazing and priced so low! There are literally thousands of gowns to choose from. The proceeds go to such a good cause. I never miss a show when it comes to Portland Oregon. I love volunteering for set up and to work the gown sale.