About us

Our Story

Carter & Hayes was founded in Northern California with a familiar frustration: finding the right dress to wear to someone else's wedding.

The search is one many guests know. Floor-length gowns felt like eveningwear for a gala. Everyday sundresses felt too casual for a ceremony. Somewhere between the two was the dress the occasion actually called for: polished enough for the vows, comfortable enough for dinner and dancing, and versatile enough to be worn again.

That gap became the idea behind Carter & Hayes: a focused collection of wedding guest and cocktail dresses made for real occasions - ceremonies, rehearsal dinners, cocktail parties and the celebrations in between.

Today, that focus still shapes the collection: a small, deliberate range of dresses for the occasions our customers are actually invited to, rather than a catalog that tries to cover everything.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make dressing for special occasions uncomplicated. We want the search that once took a frustrating afternoon to take a few relaxed minutes instead: a clear selection rather than endless scrolling, accurate descriptions and clear photos, and policies that give you room to decide - free US shipping on every order and 30 days to return anything that does not work out. When dressing for an occasion feels simple, you can spend the day thinking about the celebration instead of the outfit.

Our Vision

We are building Carter & Hayes into the place guests think of first when an invitation arrives. As we grow, we plan to broaden our range of silhouettes, sizes, colors and fabrics so that more occasions and more people find their dress with us - while keeping the collection curated, the details accurate and the shopping experience calm and personal.