What’s better than one bridal shop hosting a sample sale? How about eight of them?
On Tuesday, August 2, eight bridal salons from around the country will bring hundreds of high-end gowns to Georgetown’s own Carine’s Bridal Atelier for a pop-up sample sale lasting through the end of August. The dresses will come from a range of big-name bridal designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Amsale, Berta, and Naeem Khan. Along with Carine’s Bridal Atelier, the gowns will be sourced from New York City’s Mark Ingram Atelier, Chicago’s Ultimate Bride, Dallas’ Warren Barrón, Miami’s Chic Parisien, Minneapolis’ L’Atelier Couture, Atlanta and Houston’s Joan Pillow, and Philadelphia’s The Wedding Shoppe.
The sample sale will represent a pretty spectacular opportunity to shop designer wedding dresses at insane discounts, which will be in the range of 40 to 90 percent off. Though Carine’s Bridal Atelier typically runs on scheduled appointments, the sale will be first-come, first-serve, with a line at the front door to manage the number of people in the showroom at any given time. The sale also will keep to a “no holds policy.”
In order to accommodate the greatest number of shoppers, the bridal salon will turn its entire lower level into a fitting room, which means no men will be permitted at the sale. Women are encouraged to bring a strapless bra and a friend to help them in getting in and out of the gowns.
“The National Bridal Sample Sale is truly a one-of-a kind event that brides won’t want to miss,” says Carine’s Bridal Atelier owner Carine Krawiec in a press release. “I am excited to help make this happen for our local brides, and excited to share the many extraordinary pieces coming from across the country.”
The sale will run August 2 through August 31. Carine’s Bridal Atelier, 1623 Wisconsin Ave., NW, will be open for the sale 11 AM to 7 PM Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 AM to 6 PM on Saturdays.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
