Beverly Yip had always envisioned getting married in a gown from a bridal line like Monique Lhuillier, Berta or Casablanca. The former owner of a rental business that provided linens, glassware and other supplies for weddings, Yip, who sold that company in 2017, had identified favorite designers by taking note of what other brides were wearing.
By the time she became engaged in February 2021, "I never thought I’d be the bride,” Yip, 44, says. Another scenario she had never imagined? Purchasing a gown secondhand.
Her hunt for a wedding dress began at a Monique Lhuillier store near her home in San Francisco, where she found the experience somewhat intimidating. "It was like that ‘Pretty Woman’ scene — no one even offered to let me try on a dress,” she says. "I guess I didn’t look like I could afford it.”