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After Jaisa Zuraff got married last year, she and her husband put a long list of items from their wedding for sale on Craigslist, including her dress. She found the process tedious and less than successful.
"No one likes to go to someone else's house to try on a dress," she said.
Knowing that brides on a budget today aren't holding on to all of their keepsakes, she opened a wedding consignment store, Bride to Be Consignment (1133 E. Cliff Rd., Burnsville, 612-267-4004, www.bridetobeconsignment.com).
"Most bridal consignment stores will only accept wedding gowns to sell," Zuraff said. "I sell it all," including reception decorations, toasting flutes, cake serving sets, tiaras, ring-bearer pillows and flower-girl baskets.
Zuroff describes her store, which opened last month, as a safer alternative to Craigslist and a lot cheaper than paying full retail.
She stocks about 150 wedding dresses, most of them new, for $300 to $450. Bridesmaids' and prom dresses, about 500 in total, are $65. Sizes range from 0 to 26. Wedding decorations are sold at about half of retail price.
Other bridal consignment shops in the Twin Cities, Classy Consignments in Anoka (www. classyconsignmentsbridal. com) and Brides of France in Edina, Minneapolis and Richfield (www. bridesoffrance.com), consign only bridal gowns.
Opitz holds first bridal event
Opitz Outlet has sold a select number of bridal gowns before but never enough to hold a bridal event. From 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, Opitz (4320 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-922-2435, www.opitzoutlet.com) will have about 400 gowns in sizes 4 to 18 for $50 to $1,500, regularly $500 to $5,000.
Gowns in perfect condition will be discounted 70 percent, but gowns with a broken zipper, spots or other marked damage will be 80 or 90 percent off. Brands include Jovani, Sue Wong, Donna Ricco, Nicole Miller and Jenny Lee.
Bridesmaid dresses (about 500) with lots of duplicates in various sizes will be $7.50 to $75, regularly $75 to $250. Mothers-of-the-bride dresses (about 300) will be $30 to $600 on sale. Shoes, jewelry, clutches and wraps also will be available. The sale continues the rest of the week.
About 800 prom dresses, short and long, will be sold starting at noon Wednesday, including Sequin Hearts, XOXO, B. Darlin, Xscape and BCBG. Most dresses will be $30 to $105 on sale. More will be added each day.
John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. If you spot a deal, share it at www.startribune.com/dealspotter.
