Behind the scenes of Portlaoise charity shop’s bridal boutique

​Tucked away off Portlaoise’s Main Street is a wonderful cavern of ladies wedding and occasion fashions, at even more wonderful prices.

A year ago, the local Vincent’s charity shop took the plunge and opened an exclusive bridal floor.

Since then, over a dozen brides have said yes to the dress, while countless mothers of the bride, wedding guests, bridesmaids and debutantes have snapped up designer bargains and accessories too, all for a good cause.

Shop manager Mary Ryan welcomed the Leinster Express/Laois Live on a visit.

“As more people get to know we are here, the donations are flowing in. They give us really good clothes that they wore once for weddings, because they know we’ll respect them.

“We have a Vivienne Westwood jumpsuit at the moment, a Heidi Higgins coat, a new Jacques Vert dress, and items from Karen Millen, LK Bennett, Joseph Ribkoff, Folkster and Ted Baker. We have shoes by Dune and Nine West,” she said.

There is also a wide range of wedding dresses and debs dresses, some donated unworn by boutiques. Items are steamed or laundered if required.

One vintage wedding dress has its own glass display cabinet, including its beehive style veiled hat.

“A lady sent it on the train to us from Dublin, it came in the original box with a newspaper dated 1967. It’s hand-embroidered and it’s lovely. We bring it to wedding fairs as a conversation starter,” Mary said.

The stylishly decorated department is separate from the busy main shop floor, and clients book private visits for an exclusive experience.

One of their highest profile shoppers is former Rose of Tralee, Clare Kambamettu, who tried on wedding gowns ahead of her marriage to Ryan Tubridy in 2025.

“She was really nice, we didn’t realise who she was at first. She bought dresses to wear at the Rose of Tralee where she was a judge. She’s very into recycling,” Mary said.

Sustainability is a big plus for their shoppers, along with the keen prices.

“People can’t see the point in spending a lot of money to wear something once. They get the special treatment here, without the fee that some wedding shops charge to try on dresses,” the manager said.

“The wedding dresses are priced up to €150, but if we feel the customer hasn’t deep pockets, we adjust the price accordingly.

“We mostly sell mother of the bride outfits and occasion wear. The accessories fly out, especially now in wedding season,” she said.

The wedding department was her idea and it was warmly received by the committee.

“We were lucky to have the space for it. We had no room before to safely display our really nice items . This was a kitchen above the main shop. We pulled out the units, and used pieces from our furniture store and decorated it ourselves,” she said.

Mary manages a team of volunteers and Community Employment Scheme workers.

“It’s a dream job - I've a great team. I love chatting to the customers and helping them pick out dresses to suit them,” she said.

“We are hoping to open a men’s wedding section in another part of the property. We have so much men’s stock, and men are starting to donate more,” Mary said.

All the proceeds of sales go into the local community to people feeling the pinch, helping with education, travel, heating and food bills.

Vincent’s in Portlaoise is at 1 Dublin Road, with parking beside it in the carpark of St Peter & Paul’s church.