156 |OxfordshireLimitedEdition|June 2019It’stimetosay“Ido”tosustainableweddinggownsbythelikesofVeraWang.
SamanthaHarmanmeetstheBicesterVillagebossmakingithappenGOWNS GIVING BACK
I
t’sthemostimportantdressofyour
life.Yetsomuchtime,effortand
moneyisspentonagownyou’ll
wearjustonce.
Whatif,aswellasmakingyou
feelasbeautifulasyoudeserveon
yourspecialday,yourweddingdressdoes
goodforothers,too?
Seeingtheuntappedpotentialof
weddingdresses,BicesterVillage’schief
cultureofficerChantalKhoueiryhada
lightbulbmoment.
“Afewyearsago,myfriendsandIwere
discussingweddinggowns.Everyonehad
spentthousandsofpoundsontheirdream
weddingdressbutonlyworeitonce,and
nowitwassittinginacupboardcollecting
dustsomewhere.
“Istartedthinkingaboutthemillionsof
beautifulweddinggownsthatwereboxed
upinstorage,whentheycouldbeenjoyed
byanotherbride.Mymindthenwenttothe
millionsofgirlsthatareforcedintoearly
marriageandalifewithouteducationeach
year–andinspirationstruck!”Fast-forwardto 2019 ,andBridesdoGood
isabletoofferdesignergownsbythelikesof
VivienneWestwoodandVeraWang,insizes 4
to 30 ,forupto 70 percentofftheretailprice- allwhilehelpingeradicatechildmarriage.
Eachyear, 12 milliongirlsaroundthe
worldaremarriedbeforetheyreachtheage
of 18 .Nearlyoneeverytwoseconds.
Uptotwothirdsoffundsraisedfrom
BridesdoGoodsalesareinvestedincharity
programmesthatempoweryounggirlsand
educatecommunities–helpingtoaddressthe
globalchallengeoferadicatingchildmarriage
by 2030 (oneoftheUnitedNations’long-
termsustainablegoals).
Partneringwithwell-knownbridalbrands
anddesignersfrom 13 countries,aswellas
realbrides,tocurateauniqueandhigh-
endcollectionforcustomers,Bridesdo
Goodoffersforwardthinkingbridesthe
opportunitytopurchasetheirdreamdress,
withthepowertodogood,atapricethey
canafford.
NotonlydoestheBridesdoGood
modelbenefitmodernbrideslookingfor
asustainablesolutionfortheircherished
weddingdress,butitalsooffersethically-
mindedbridaldesignersandretailersa
solutiontocombatthecycleofconsumption.
Coincidingwiththebeginningofthepeak
weddingseasonintheUK,BridesdoGood
willbeopeninganewboutiquepop-upat
BicesterVillageuntilMay 28.
Burstingwithexclusivebridalgown
collections,theBridesdoGoodpop-upwill
offerluxurioushospitalityandthefinest
servicesforbrides-to-bewhoareshopping
fortheirbigdayatBicesterVillage.Aswell
asshowcasingstunningcollectionsfromthe
most-covetedbridaldesigners,Bridesdo
Goodarealsocallingonpreviousbridesto
bringalongtheirpre-loveddressessothat
theycangoontobesoldandre-worn.
“Wearelookingtobreakthesadcycleof
forgottenweddingdresseswhich,moreoften
thannot,spendmostoftheirlivesturning
yellowintheattic,”saysChantal.“These
dresseshavethepowertobepartofamuch
largerlovestoryanddosomerealgoodin
theworld,tobothwomenlookingfortheir