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When you are planning a wedding, one thing that cannot be overlooked is the wedding dress. This is usually near the top of the list of priorities for most brides. You will have hundreds of pictures taken of you in this dress so you want it to be perfect but also affordable. Thankfully, there are ways to get the dress of your dreams and stay in budget. Here are my best options for how to save on wedding dresses.
Frugal Wedding Planning | How to Save on Wedding Dresses
Ask yourself what matters to you
While many brides do consider the dress to be one of the biggest decisions in wedding planning, that may not be true for you. If you don’t have strong preferences, be honest with yourself and others about that.
State your budget
Before you ever look at a dress, set your budget. What is considered a reasonable amount for a dress will vary for everyone, so look at your wedding budget as a whole and then decide how much you can spend on your dress. You will also need to subtract the money needed for alterations if that is not a separate category in your wedding budget.
Word of caution: As soon as you put on a dress that you absolutely love that is way over budget, you will either swipe that card or cry. Neither is a good solution, so avoid the problem beforehand by setting a limit. Tell your bridal attendant your budget and make sure she knows you are sticking to it.
Try David’s Bridal
David’s Bridal gets a bad rap. No, it isn’t a fancy boutique, but you’re going to be able to try on 50 dresses (or more) that are all less than $500. In most of those wedding boutiques, you’ll get to try on one dress that is less than $500. It’ll be on the clearance rack and 10 sizes too big. Before you shun David’s Bridal as the Walmart of wedding dresses, go in with an open mind and see what you find. They even carry some designer brands.
Inside secret: All dresses at David’s Bridal will go on sale. Seriously. If you go in and find a dress you love but it’s full price, wait a week and it’ll be $50-$200 off. They’ll try to tell you to buy it that day, but just wait. It’ll still be there when the sale starts.
Buy last season’s dress
No one at your wedding will know that your dress was from last season unless you tell them. I promise. This will most likely require buying a dress off the rack that may need minor cleaning and some alterations.
If you end up buying a dress too large, call around for price estimates before selecting your seamstress. If you can find a good deal on alterations, you’ve just saved that much more.
Shop off the rack & sample sales
Those fancy boutiques will run fun sample sales where they sell significantly discounted dresses. It’s like the Black Friday for wedding dresses. You’ll have to buy the dress that day and will definitely need alterations. You also will want to bring dress appropriate undergarments with you.
Never underestimate the power of a good seamstress
A seamstress can do amazing things with a dress. Do not let a dress being one or two sizes too big deter you from a great deal.
Also, if you’ve found a dress you love but you want the skirt to be more or less full, you don’t have to buy a whole new dress. Alterations can either add or take away to the crinoline under the dress very inexpensively.
Buy used
Craigslist, Ebay, and thrift stores all sell wedding dresses. Many of them have never even been worn. A bride will buy a dress and decide she doesn’t like it, but she can’t return it (most wedding boutiques do not accept returns). She spent $1,000 on it, but you get to buy it for $300-$500. You just got your brand new wedding dress half off.
If you want to go this route, be sure to go to a bridal boutique and try on a variety of dresses and know exactly what you are looking for before searching online. Take pictures. You can even write down the name and information of specific dresses you love and then go home and search for those used. Be sure to check if any alterations that have been made to the dress. You’ll also want to look for stains, missing buttons, and check zippers.
You can also check online stores specializing in used wedding dresses such as OnceWed and NearlyNewlywed.
Shop local
Some small bridal boutiques have affordable dresses. This works even better if you are open to samples and shopping discounted dresses. Call around and see what the price range of the dresses at the stores are. You can tell them the style you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. If they don’t have much in your price range, you can skip making an appointment at that store.
Don’t buy it unless you love it
One of the best ways to save on your dress is to only buy one. Unless you absolutely love the dress, do not buy it. If you for any reason doubt your decision, don’t buy it. The most expensive dresses will be the ones you don’t even wear because a week after buying it you decide you hate it. Remember that girl who sold her brand new dress on Craigslist for $300? Don’t be that girl.
Ready to shop? Here are some stores to help you get started:
Local boutiques (call & ask for their price range)
Ebay & Craigslist
Etsy
Borrowing Magnolia
David’s Bridal
Once Wed
Nearly Newlywed
Fabulous Frocks Bridal
Still White
Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses
