A Sale to Benefit Charity and Thrifty Brides-to-Be

Ms. Brown managed to find a simple dress with a sash and lace on the top. “My dress looks just like the couture dresses I tried on in expensive shops,” she said.

One couple from Brazil bought 11 dresses to sell there, and another couple bought 7 dresses to sell in Africa, Mr. Harder said.

Shoppers learned about the Goodwill sale mostly from radio and newspaper advertisements and at Shecky’s Girls Night Out events, evenings of fashion and beauty product sales that offer to “cure your recession depression.”

Mr. Harder said all proceeds from the bridal sale would go toward Goodwill’s job training and other programs.

Joanne Hilferty, the chief executive of nine Goodwill stores in Massachusetts, said a goal was to bring in about $50,000 from the sale, which continues on Sunday.

Word about the sale reached not only brides.

One groom-to-be came alone, equipped with a cellphone headset through which he communicated with his fiancée in China. The man, Rui Si, 29, a doctor in Malden, bought one dress for $160 to “free his hands,” then made his way back to look for more options as he continued to chat away.