Photo by This Modern Romance
Envision the back of your closet. There’s at least one once-worn bridesmaids get-up hanging toward the back: nonreturnable, nonrefundable, and nonexchangeable. It’s like 27 Dresses, only worse, because there’s no James Marsden cameo. Why can’t women rent bridesmaids dresses the same way groomsmen rent tuxes?
Kelsey Doorey had the same question. “I had to ship bridesmaids dresses to my parents’ house because they were taking up too much room in my closet,” she says. So she decided to come up with a solution to the problem.
Enter: Vow To Be Chic, a recently launched service that allows bridesmaids to browse a wide selection of designers, colors, and styles of dresses—all available to rent online.
Brides or bridal parties can consult a complimentary stylist to help coordinate a vision, and the company even offers a $19.95 commitment-free try-on service. “Long before the wedding we send each bridesmaid two sizes of the dress they chose based on their measurements entered online,” says Amy Walker, cofounder and CMO. “The bridesmaid tries them on to find the best fit, and returns both dresses. One week before the wedding, the perfect dress arrives at her doorstep.”
After the wedding, she can return the dress in the prepaid packaging—no dry cleaning necessary. Rentals range from $95 to $125, with brands like Jenny Yoo, Watters, Jim Hjelm, and Nicole Miller on board. vowtobechic.com