• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, June 26, 2024

What do pre-worn wedding dresses have to do with used cars? Plenty, according to Kleinfeld Bridal, which just launched KleinfeldAgain, a website selling previously owned wedding dresses verified and authenticated by the venerable retailer.

And while the retailer is most famous for the in-store experience showcased in “Say Yes to the Dress,” the resale site will appeal to a very different kind of bride, says Ronnie Rothstein, co-owner of the New York-based Kleinfeld Bridal.

“There are two kinds of brides,” he says, “just like there are two kinds of car buyers. There’s the person who will buy or lease a new car every three years, no matter what. And then there's the customer who wants a certified, pre-owned car with a warranty, knowing that they’ll save some money.”

He says research convinced him that the launch of the resale site won’t cut into store sales but will expand the company’s audience. “Those 21,000 families will still come to the store each year—giving honor to the mother of the bride, the sisters, the bridesmaids,” he says. “It’s organized chaos, and they come for that whole experience.”

That bride, he tells Marketing Daily, has been thinking about buying a wedding dress her whole life.

KleinfeldAgain is targeting a different shopper. “She is thinking about her budget and may be paying for the wedding herself with her fiancé. Maybe she’d like a designer dress, maybe not. Maybe they’re saving for a house. Maybe she plans on buying multiple dresses,” he adds. This bride wants to say yes to a deal.

Credibility is vital to the launch. “The brand itself has tremendous awareness,” says Jennifer Shipe, Kleinfeld Bridal’s consulting chief marketing officer. Kleinfeld’s allure is in no small part due to the TLC reality show, now with 23 seasons and shown in 150 countries.

In addition to an earned media strategy, Kleinfeld is leaning into influencers, including Lindsay (“Summer House”) Hubbard. Last year, the reality show star’s wedding fizzled. “We’ve been working with her a long time, and when the wedding was called off, we decided to help her finish this chapter of her story,” Shipe says. “She’s selling all three dresses to benefit the Chick Mission, a charity for women with fertility challenges.”

A group of Columbia Business School students first pitched the basic concept of KleinfeldAgain in 2004. “We thought it was a great idea but had zero interest,” Rothstein says. “We tend to think of ourselves as a five-star hotel and that we’re a customer-centric business, rather than tech-focused.”

But in the years since, the company noticed a telling trend, with fewer and fewer brides interested in “preserving” their dresses after the Big Day.

“Women just aren’t as emotionally invested in the gown as much as a bride was 20 or 30 years ago,” says the 81-year-old Rothstein. “And if she can recoup some of her money, she may want to do that.”

The bridal business continues to be in a lull, because the pandemic slowed down the dating world. And with 90% of engaged couples now living together before the big day, there is sometimes less urgency. “It will pick up again,” he says. “I just can’t tell you when.”

Still, business at Kleinfeld’s and other higher-end retailers remains healthy while others are struggling. David’s Bridal, for example, filed for bankruptcy last year. And any slowdown will pick up eventually, Rothstein says. “Right now, though, there are just too many brides who haven’t set a date.”