Wedding dresses are notoriously expensive. They are generally the most expensive garment that any woman buys in her lifetime, and the prices are highly affected by the emotional nature of the purchase. Pair the emotions with the group activity and peer pressure that is wedding dress shopping, and you’ve got one expensive garment.
I’m wedding dress shopping at the end of the month, and I’m hoping to be able to save money in a few ways.
Because we are paying for our wedding almost exclusively, I don’t want to go overboard and end up having a $20,000 wedding. So far our wedding costs are around $1000, with deposits and decor, and I hope to keep the entire ordeal under $6K.
What I Want in a Wedding Dress
I have a vision in my mind as to what type of dress I want, but because I’ve never been married, I have never tried on wedding dresses. I don’t know what will look good on me, but I do have a couple of standards:
1. No Satin Dresses
I’m not a huge fan of satin as a fabric to begin with. It can make many otherwise beautiful pieces look gaudy, and the shininess of the material just isn’t that flattering on many people.
Aside from this, I’m getting married in what is essentially the desert in the dead of summer. It will be upward of 30 degrees (86 in fahrenheit) and satin is a fabric that just doesn’t breath. I prefer organza or tulle.
2. A Flowy Skirt
I’m really not a mermaid type of girl, and while I do think fit-n-flare is pretty (and would likely flatter my somewhat hourglass shape), my venue is a-typical and will require something that is easy to move in.
Also, I’m wearing flowers in my hair and am probably going to look a bit like a hippie so a flowy skirt will go best.
3. Not Strapless
It seems as though every single wedding dress on the face of the earth is strapless these days, and I just don’t want to be tugging at my dress all evening. Plus, I don’t like arm cleavage and want something different for my wedding.
Here is a montage of my favorites (but please, ignore the see-through bodice on the one and the straplessness of the other)
These dresses range from $400-$6,000 (guess which one I like the best?)
How I Plan on Saving on My Wedding Dress
I do plan on saving on my wedding dress, one way or another. I don’t want to spend more than $1000 on it. I know everyone says that the wedding dress is the most important dress you’ll ever buy, but the very last thing I ever want is to spend thousands of dollars on something I’ll wear once.
Give the Bridal Consultant a Low Budget
I have booked appointments at several stores and have given them a budget of less than $1200.
I don’t even want to LOOK at more expensive dresses, because I know I’ll fall in love with an insanely expensive one and I won’t be able to afford it. Like with houses, you don’t want to give a higher budget than you can afford.
Shop Over the Border for the Dress
In Canada, we tend to have much higher prices on.. well, everything. Many people shop for groceries and gas over the border, but I only shop for big ticket items in the big US of A.
There’s a town just across the border from us (about 30 minutes away) that has a David’s bridal and other bridal stores that I know I could save a ton of money at, compared to buying my dress here.
Basic Dress, Embellished?
I haven’t thought this one through enough to actually assess whether it’s feasible, but I’ve heard of some brides buying a basic dress that they like for much cheaper, and then having it altered and changed. An example of this is if I bought a basic, empire waisted dress and got tulle added and straps and maybe some bling.
This can save a lot because the expensive designer isn’t altering your dress, you are.
These are just the options that I’ve been able to brainstorm. My father has told me that he’d pitch in (a couple hundred dollars) for the dress if I fall in love with one over my $1000 budget, but I think I’d rather stick to my budget and have my dad pay for the beer.
I’m curious to know how much you spent on your wedding dress and whether I’ve missed any saving methods. Thoughts?
(Update: LOL yeah, my dress fit pretty much NONE of this criteria except the no-satin thing. The heart wants what the heart wants!)
I got married back in the 90s. I was in University and didn’t know how I was going to save for the dress. The loonie had just started coming out so I decided to put all the loonies I got for change in a jar. I saved up just over $1000 and with it I bought my dress, veil, shoes, and my unmentionables. Boy was my purse heavy going into the bank to take that all in LOL
That’s a great story, and WOW at saving up over $1K with loonies. That’s amazing!
Have you considered looking at consignment shops? Some of the most beautiful dresses are like new, or, if the marriage was cancelled, brand new! You an never know….you might be able to score something good. I made my own wedding dress, but I got married on a beach in Mexico so it was appropriate.
I’ve never wanted to look at consignment shops just out of principle. I know it’s silly but I always thought that I didn’t want a dress that another bride or bride-to-be picked out or altered or anything.
I am totally with ya on the strapless stuff – it’s so hard to find a dress that isn’t strapless!! I ended up spending about $800 on my dress – it was one of the Vera Wang ones from David’s Bridal – but I wish I had done a little better on the price. I would definitely suggest shopping around as much as you can and consider places you wouldn’t immediately thing of as stores that sell wedding dresses. J Crew has a pretty line of dresses and I know Target now sells wedding dresses.
That’s a great price for your dress, Kali. I love the Vera ones from David’s Bridal, they are so reasonably priced. There is one that I’ve been eyeing online from there.
I bought my dress on eBay. I paid about a $100 and got exactly what I wanted. My dress was strapless. I did have it tailored which cost another $80. My dress never moved all night. Consignment and thrift shops are great places. A little money on tailoring and you can have the perfect dress.
You’re lucky that you had a good experience on Ebay. From what I hear from other people’s stories it’s rare to have a good one!
My wife got a simple traditional dress, but we have several friends who got a regular white dress and “fancied it up” a bit. They saved a lot of money that way. I’m no expert, but I’d vote to go basic. A relative once told me something that helped my wife keep it simple. And it was so true:
It’s the bride that makes the dress look good. Not the other way around. 🙂
Good luck!
So true! And really, it the bride should be the center of the show (and the groom), not the dress.
I ALSO wanted no strapless dresses! I totally agree that it seems like every dress is strapless these days. I wanted to spend $1100, but spent slightly more than that, but not so much that it felt ridiculous. I will most likely sell my dress afterwards. I am keeping my shoes though!
When will you be getting married, Sally? $1100 isn’t bad. I am always horrified on Say Yes to the Dress when people have like $10,000 dress budgets.
My wife tried to save money by buying the dress online and that was a total fiasco. Don’t do that! She ended up paying around $600 from a local store and it looked great! I am sure you will be able to find a beautiful dress for $1,200 or less.
Oh man, I’ve heard of some horror stories. My cousin had a good experience with that but most people don’t.
I wish you lots of luck finding a non-strapless dress, or one that you like adding straps to. The prices of wedding dresses totally grossed me out!
The prices make my skin crawl! Hoping I can find one I love for cheap.
I can’t wait to see which dress you choose. My favorite is the one on the top right. I am amazed at how expensive weddings are-I’m sure that you’ll be able to have a beautiful day and ceremony.
I love that one too. It’s one of my favorites but is WELL over my price point, haha.
I bet you want to stay near the $400 range…just an educated guess. Anyway, I have no idea about other tips, but I’m going to need to start thinking. My fiance is going to need a dress!
Man, $400 would be amazing! I don’t think I could find a dress that is suitable for that price, haha.
I love love love the dress on the top right and 100% agree with going for something that isn’t strapless.
When I do get married I think I’d like to keep my dress budget on the low end and spend more money on decorations or food.
Have you considered renting a dress?
I haven’t considered renting. I just want one that is mine, nobody else has worn, etc.
I am not a huge decorations person but we have a venue that is decoration in and of it self. So we are spending more on photographers, I guess.
My wife was in the same boat – she wasn’t spending thousands on a dress she will only wear once. She ended up going to a consignment shop and bought a used dress for $600. When I saw her in it, I was stunned with how beautiful she looked. And she was the only one that knew it wasn’t a brand new dress and only cost $600. I bet most would think it costs a lot more.
It is the most important dress you’ll ever wear but one you’ll only ever wear once so I can see why she went to the consignment store. I’m glad it worked out for her!
Here is my wedding dress that I purchased… Still haven’t worn it yet. In the picture it looks like it’s much bigger at the bottom than it really is in person. I got it from $1200 down to $400, because it was a sample sale, and it just so happened to be my size. I took my two friends who work part-time in bridal, and they think it was someone who put a deposit down and never picked it up because it hadn’t looked like it had been tried on before.
Also, I am with you on the straps thing. I feel like it makes me look like a linebacker on my body type (I call myself a cylinder).
When are you getting married? and, WOW that’s a pretty amazing price!
My dress cost about $350… I’m not sure what I would have done if I’d fallen in love with one more expensive! Do you plan to resell it afterwards?
Wow that’s a pretty good price. I think I’ll probably re-sell or alter in some way so I can wear it after.
My eldest daughter got married in July of this year and her wedding dress budget dictated that she opt for the simplest, cheapest she could find. She bought something really plain and being the female McGyver that she is, she managed to turn the gown into something fabulous by adding some accents, a little light fabric here and there that she bought separately in a cheap store. You won’t believe it is the same inexpensive dress!
I am a little late to the game here with this suggestion but, if you can buy a dress off the rack (their sample model) they will often give you a discount. You would want to make sure you check it over well since it has been tried on before but that was how I got a good deal on my wedding gown (which was originally strapless and which I had a seamstress add straps to, ask the consultant if they think this would be possible if you find a strapless you like). Don’t forget to budget in alterations if you need them! I found these to be shockingly expensive. Weddings in general are a racket!