Anyone ever been to one of the Oxfam bridal shops?

No but looks like there are some real bargains to be had - why not email/phone the ones near you and see what they say?

I went to the one in Bracknell, I didn't have an appointment so had to make do with nosing around the curtain. I think they had quite a few dresses, maybe the amount a small dress shop would have. My friend (who's getting married on Saturday) got her dress from the Oxfam Wedding shop in Leatherhead. I've not seen the dress but she said it was lovely, just not as modern as some dresses, plus she got the dress, shoes, bolero and veil for £350! Bargain!

Wow, that's good. Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit budget is an issue, and although ebay and the internet places have good prices, it is just not the same as being able to try something on!

You have nothing to lose and may get a designer sample

I've heard good things bout the quality and price of the dresses, but I wouldn't buy from Oxfam on principle. Worth a look if you morals allow.

Morals allow?! Moving on....

I haven't been to one of their specialist bridal shops, but our local Oxfam had a gorgeous vintage lace wedding dress in before xmas and it was a snip at £99! If it had fit (and I hadn't already been married!) I would have snapped it up! I've heard most of their bits are sample sale dresses from bridal shops, so some real bargains to be had.

At the same time, don't discount bridal shops either - a lot of them have sample sales throughout the year where you can get discontinued dresses at a bargain price - I got mine from a local bridal shop for just £349 and it'd never been worn! There are definitely bargains to be had out there - one of the dresses I saw was only £49!

Good luck! Make sure you report back! xx

What's wrong with Oxfam morally? I thought they did excellent work in third world countries???

These exist?

Maybe Jude Clarke hates their charity muggers

And me....wish people would keep their thoughts on this kind of thing to themselves and stick to the question in hand! If you don't morally agree, don't bother saying anything....a wedding forum is not the place to preach about your things such as this!

I'm intrigued as well by what Judy Clarke said, I've even had a quick google about the evilness of Oxfam and can't find anything...

Oxfam are immensely politicised, immensely corporate and immensely biased. A little power hungry, IMO, where that power would be better in the hands of the people they are trying to help. I'm not convinced a charity that claims to help the world's poor should be supporting boyotts on Israeli trade, for example. I wouldn't formally object to them (they aren't on my list of charity favours that would make me silently grrr ) but I would rather give to other charities involed in the third world, with no political agenda or bias.

Not the best of sources, but I found this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfam

Hmm....not overly convinced but hey ho, each to their own...

Back to the OPs question me thinks....this is not the place for a debate on the politics of charity!

Certainly:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/content/secondhandstore/bridal/default.html

There's also a Red Cross bridal shop in Surrey:

http://www.redcross.org.uk/Get-involved/Our-shops/Our-specialist-shops/Bridal-charity-shop

I'm not sure of the tone of your comment? If it makes you feel better we're not skimping on the photographer, or the rings, the things which will last. The dress, well I'm really not a dressy girl, and it is to be worn for just a few hours on one day. As long as I look ok, feel ok, and the photos will look ok, no-one needs to know the price tag, although if they ask I won't lie!!

I've booked an appointment next week (you have to book just like a "real" bridal shop) so I'll let you all know how it goes.

?

I didn't know either, a friend sent me the link, knowing I've just had a pretty massive vet bill and that OH's car is off the road being fixed. ?

FWIW, my friend bought her wedding dress from Oxfam and is over the moon with it (I will get to see it in a month).

I bought vintage, but if not, I would not hesitate from getting a dress from Oxfam- I was looking for second hand dresses anyway. It will have only been once (if at all)...

don't forget to flash if you find one you love :-)

Well, I thought I would update this topic, in case anyone reads it wondering about Oxfam bridal shops. I went this morning, and I had a mixed experience. They certainly had a LOT of dresses for a charity shop, and I recognised several designers and names off various websites - lots of "labels". Also some older/unidentifiable styles. Most of the dresses were in excellent condition and didn't look worn. A couple had marks or minor problems (e.g. detatched strap) but these were heavily discounted!

The lady was friendly enough, but didn't really help guide me towards what would suit me, and clearly didn't expect me to actually buy anything - I think a lot of people must turn up to browse styles.

I didn't find my dress. In fact I didn't find a single thing I liked, as most of the dresses were big big big dresses which is just not my style. I tried on EVERYTHING within my size and the size above. I think if you know what you want, and you get lucky finding it, then the bargains are definitely there, but for me, it was disappointing. ☹️

The good news is, I then went to a proper bridal shop at the other end of town, with an amazing lady who did everything right, and within half an hour had me my perfect dress, which is now on order. So happy! ?

Well, actually I haven't been but my close friend was! She is an essays-writer.