Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Imagine a wedding gown sample sale that’s open to all, no matter where you live or who you know. Dresses by big-name designers including Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lhuillier wait at your fingertips at half their original price, and you can browse the inventory at any hour of the day. Purchase your dream dress and you automatically trigger a charitable donation to a worthy cause.

Meet The Aisle New York, a members-only wedding website launched earlier this month to heaps of buzz in the wedding world. Founded by a crew of bridal bigwigs – David Yassky, the former bridal editor at Women’s Wear Daily, and Deborah Moses, Vera Wang’s onetime creative director, among others – the site offers flash sales of deeply discounted bridal gowns and accessories. Think Rue La La or Gilt Groupe for brides.

Inventory tends to run a season or two behind, with most prices slashed by 50%. You won’t find bargain basement prices — gowns at half off still run in the thousands of dollars — but the list of featured designers goes on and on: Angel Sanchez, Elizabeth Fillmore, Alberta Ferretti, Lela Rose, Jenny Packham, and more. Full-price items from the current season are also available for fashionistas with bigger budgets.

Just as exciting as the top-tier designers: A portion of the proceeds from every sale (2%, which can add up for a $3,000 gown) goes to a charity of the designer’s choice. The site also offers a unique return policy – for $200, you can purchase dress insurance that covers a full refund and return shipping, instead of receiving store credit.

It’s free to sign up, so check out those designer deals. Among the first sales: an Elizabeth Fillmore lace gown with lilac rosettes for $2,290.