Creative Places to Buy Your Wedding Dress!
So, he finally put a ring on it and now you get to live the fairytale moment and look and feel like a princess for a day! Almost every woman dreams of going to a bridal salon, sipping champagne with family and friends, and trying on the most gorgeous gowns while standing on a pedestal and finally say, “Yes to the dress!” Then you look at the price tag and cringe. The joy rushes out of you as you try to figure out how this will fit into your wedding budget!
To help keep you on the wedding planning high and feel as beautiful as you are on your big day we have come up with some creative places for any budget to purchase your wedding dress.
1.) Bridal Consignment Stores
There are so many amazing stores that have gently used dresses and sample dresses at very low cost. These dresses are cleaned and presented in very beautiful ways. Since some come from other local salons that unfortunately close down they will be in the designers sample size that is usually size 8-14. Going this route you will save a few thousands dollars but be prepared to spend money on alterations to ensure it is the perfect fit for you. Here in Arizona we have a few great stores that offer this service. Almond Tree in City North is a beautiful high end shop that offers the full boutique experience with great discounted prices.
2.) Online Sample Sales
Sample sales can be scary, intimidating, and sometime dangerous- I am sure we have all seen the Friends episode! But, this is made so much easier by websites such as Bride Power who do the sample sale shopping for you and organize them online by designer This is a very user friendly website and if the dress isn’t what you expected they do have a fairly decent return policy to make sure their brides are happy. All gowns listed on their website are up to 80% off retail price.
3.) Shop in the Prom Section
I know this may sound totally crazy- but, with the amazing designers and beautiful lines they carry some of the prom styles featured can also be worn on your big day! This brings the cost down thousands of dollars and no one but you would know! Even shopping for formal gowns that aren’t being sold as a wedding dress is a great option as well.
4.) Seek out Mass Retailers with Bridal Lines
J. Crew, Anthropology, and BCBG all have amazing wedding lines that offer white or ivory dresses that can be won as your bridal gown. These can still be high price points but not nearly as much as wedding designers lines. You love wearing these brands every other day, why not on your wedding day!
5.) Rent The Runway
We are obsessed with this dress service and it’s something we have used for events since college! They now have amazing couture gowns and bridesmaids dresses you can rent for your big day! They send you a few sizes so you can pick exactly what fits you best and can choose between 4-8 days of when you will be returning the dress. This option gives you the designer dress at a rental price point!
Whatever route you decide to take enjoy the process! There is always a way to make it best for you and your budget and not be stressed or overwhelmed. If you need any other pointers or some tips and tricks we would love to set up a complimentary consultation! Please contact us, we would love to help!
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