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Sabrina Covington is now a wife, but just last year she was a fiancée looking for her dream dress. 

“Of course, every girl wants that amazing, beautiful dress because it’s your one special day, but I couldn’t afford it,” Covington explained.  

According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, which surveyed nearly 10,000 U.S. couples who got married in 2022, the average wedding dress cost in 2023 was about $2,000. 

Lucky for Sabrina, she scored a dress retailing for more than $3000, for just $500 at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont’s annual Bridal Pop-Up Sale. 

“I feel like that dress was made for me and it was just perfect,” Covington shared. 

Despite having never tried on any wedding dresses, Sabrina at least knew what style of dress she was looking for, and that helped her and her entourage find her wedding gown. 

Covington learned about the sale through her mom, who saw an ad on social media just over a week before the event. With her “I do” crew in tow, they traveled an hour from Mockville, North Carolina to Charlotte. 

“Everything was so nice, even in line, you got snacks. You had food. You had music. Everyone was excited,” Covington added. 

Although Goodwill is not a bridal boutique, the nonprofit works to make the event feel special for brides.  

“I think it was also like the fact that you get to share a dressing room with other brides that are going through the same thing as you. So, it’s kind of fun getting to share that experience, and then at the same time, having your main people there,” she said.  

Brides who attend this year’s event can expect flower walls with props to take photos, refreshments, shared dressing rooms and even giveaways.  

While brides save money for the big day, they also are doing good for the community. Sales from the Bridal Pop-Up event help to support Goodwill’s mission of providing tuition-free job training and career services to community members in the Charlotte region.

“I’m happy I can give back in some way, and I gave back to me at the same time,” Covington said when learning her purchase helped Goodwill support people in the Charlotte region.  

For brides who plan to attend this year’s event, Covington has a few suggestions for you. She says, “Make sure the girls you bring with you know your style.” 

The bridal sale returns for its sixth annual event Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, located at 5301 Wilkinson Boulevard in west Charlotte. Bridal gowns will be priced from $99 – $499, and select designer dresses that are new with the original tags still on will be priced up to $999. Special occasion, prom, and bridesmaid dresses will be priced $49 each, or 3 for $100. Shoes will start at $9.99. For more information, click here.

Yes, to the dress! It’s the words brides are hoping to say when they find their dream dress. But for many brides, the thought of finding a bridal gown without breaking the bank, can seem nearly impossible.

“No, I didn’t have $2000 to spend on a dress,” said Cynthia Pettyjohn Jones.  

Jones found her dress at a fraction of the cost at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont’s annual Bridal Pop-Up Sale. 

She heard about the event through her niece, who saw it promoted on social media. Not long after, she heard the event mentioned on the news.  

Without even going to a boutique to try on dresses, she rallied her “I do” crew to attend the event with her, hoping to find the dress of her dreams. 

“The last dress that I tried on, which was at the top of my budget is the one that I purchased,” Cynthia explained.  

She paid $500. Her dress was brand new with tags on it and retailed for $1,200. 

“It was very exciting, you know, to find a brand-new dress at a fraction of the cost,” Cynthia exclaimed. 

According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, which surveyed nearly 10,000 U.S. couples who got married in 2022, the average wedding dress cost in 2023 was about $2,000. 

In addition to the cost of the dress, there’s other costs for brides to consider – veils, alterations, shoes, jewelry and more. Cynthia was lucky enough to find her veil and a belt to accessorize her dress at the pop-up at reduced prices.  

While brides save money for the big day, they also are doing good for the community. Sales from the Bridal Pop-Up event help to support Goodwill’s mission of providing tuition-free job training and career services to members in the Charlotte region.

While Goodwill is not a bridal boutique, the nonprofit works to make the event feel special for brides.  

“I thought it was just such a nice event. I thought it was just going to be go stand in line, hope you get in, hope you find something. But they made the event really nice,” Cynthia explained of her experience as she waited in line the morning of the event. “They had a DJ out there. They had coffee, hot cocoa, chocolate covered strawberries and pastries,” she added. 

Brides who attend this year’s event can expect flower walls with props to take photos, refreshments, shared dressing rooms and even giveaways.  

For brides who plan to attend this year’s event Jones has a few suggestions for you. She says, “Bring some people with you, because you’re going to need help grabbing dresses. And wear comfortable shoes.” 

The bridal sale returns for its sixth annual event Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, located at 5301 Wilkinson Boulevard in west Charlotte. Most bridal gowns will be priced from $99 – $499, and select designer dresses that are new with the original tags still on will be priced up to $999. Special occasion, prom, and bridesmaid dresses will be priced $49 each, or 3 for $100. Shoes will start at $9.99. For more information, click here.

Calling all brides! You don’t want to miss our sixth annual, one-day-only Bridal Pop-Up Sale! We’ll be selling hundreds of designer gowns – many with the original tags still on them – at drastically reduced prices.

SAVE THE DATE

Goodwill’s sixth annual Bridal Pop-Up Sale is taking place Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, located at 5301 Wilkinson Boulevard in west Charlotte. We’ll be selling hundreds of bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, special occasion dresses, and shoes in new or gently used condition.

PRICING

FAQs

  1. Are there fitting rooms?
    • Yes, there are fitting rooms on site so that shoppers can try on dresses. Please note that these fitting rooms are large and often times shared, so you may be in a fitting room with other brides.
  2. Are there restrooms?
    • Yes, there are restrooms on site.
  3.  What methods of payment will be accespted at the sale?
    • We will accept cash and major credit cards.
  4. Can I return items I purchase from the Bridal Pop-Up Sale?
    • No, you cannot return items purchased from the Bridal Pop-Up Sale. All sales are final.
  5. Is there a limit to the number of people I can bring with me?
    • No, there is no limit to the number of people you can bring with you. Bring the whole squad! The more, the merrier.
  6. Is there a limit to the number of people who can shop at one time?
    • Yes, to stay in alignment with fire codes, we can only allow a certain number of people in the showroom at a time. We will have someone stationed at the door counting people in and out to make sure everyone stays safe.

LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD

The revenue we generate from selling dresses at our Bridal Pop-Up Sale funds tuition-free job training programs, job search support and more that we offer absolutely free of charge to people in our community. You can rest easy knowing your purchases will help people right here in the greater Charlotte area pursue the life they want to achieve. Check out a few of our recent success stories to see your support in action!

PHOTO GALLERY

Check out these pictures from previous sales!

BLACK FRIDAY DEALS

This Black Friday, November 29, stop by The GRID’s flagship location in Charlotte or one of its mini-stores inside our Shelby and Rockingham retail locations to shop these great deals:

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Not only is shopping at The GRID good for your budget, it’s good for the environment too! The GRID helps keep used electronics out of landfills by refurbishing them and giving them a second chance. Plus, if we’re unable to refurbish and sell something that was donated to The GRID, we make sure it’s recycled responsibly through our partnership with Dell Reconnect.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

You can also feel good about your purchases because they do good for our community! The revenue we generate from selling items at The GRID funds career training programs, job search support, family stability services and more – all of which we offer free of charge to thousands of people in our community each year, including our very own team members.

ABOUT THE CENTER

We’re opening a new Career & Employment Center in Gastonia! The new center, which is located at 359 W. Main Avenue, will open to the public on Monday, November 4.

Goodwill’s new Gastonia Career & Employment Center not only supports economic growth detailed in Gaston County’s 2040 vision, but the new and larger space will allow us to expand our program and service offerings. Here are just a few things job seekers can expect when visiting the new center:

If you need help finding a job, learning new skills or figuring out your next career move, we hope you’ll stop by our new location! Our former Gastonia Career & Employment Center, located at 116 Armstrong Street, closed permanently on Thursday, October 31.

SNEAK PEEK

CELEBRATE AUGUST 17 & 18

Here at Goodwill, National Thrift Shop Day is one of our favorite holidays! This year, we want to celebrate with our loyal shoppers to show our appreciation. On Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18:

From all of us at Goodwill, thank you for your continued support. Because of you, we’re able to help people in our community get the job training and job search support they need to be able to land a good job and support themselves and their families.