There are many different ways that can help you out when you are staying in a strict budget. With creativity and a plan, you will be able to find the perfect wedding dress of your dreams, without having to spend a fortune. I am going to give you some different options that should help you be able to find you a dress that is under or right at your budget that you had originally planned.
My first option that you could go with is that you wear a dress from your family heirloom. In some families, this has always been a tradition through the years and actually, you see this happen more and more these days. Brides are looking for vintage dresses and the one that they love the most may be their mothers dress! But, keep in mind that you could look into your aunts, cousins, and other family member’s dresses. You never know until you look into and try it on. Also, if you were to wear a dress from your families’ heirloom, it could be your “something old” on your wedding day. Many people that allow you to wear their dress for your wedding day will be so honored and thrilled to know that you are wearing a family heirloom, which will go on for many more years to come. Something else that you could do to the dress that you found from your family is making some alterations to it. Now, before you even start to think about changing it, ASK whomever you got the dress from if they wouldn’t mind if you could make alterations. This could be an awful situation if you cut it up and changed it without them knowing!
My next option for the brides to use when they are finding their wedding dress on a budget is for them to look at sale or discontinued dresses at bridal shops. Most bridal shops get wedding dresses in and use them as their sample dress for their customers to use for when they are trying on dresses. These dresses will eventually become discontinued, which means that they will no longer be able to order that dress from the designer because the designer doesn’t make that dress anymore. What will they do with this dress now? They are going to sell them!! If you don’t mind that your dress isn’t brand new from the magazine or trunk show, then this is perfect for brides on a budget. These dresses will be discounted at a lower price to make them fit in your budget, or even blow your mind away with how under your budget they end up being! Another thing to keep in mind though is that they dresses might have some flaws to them. Possibly a bead missing, dirty on the bottom, needs a new zipper, and etc. These things are not life or death situations though. When you are trying these on, ask the sales consultant if they can clean the dress for you, if the seamstress could add a bead where there is one missing and etc. These things that are from wear and tear are easy fixes if you can deal with what needs to be done with the dress.
The next option for brides is to do some online shopping. This can be very risky and time consuming, but if you know what you’re looking for, you can eventually find your perfect dress for a perfect price! Some of the online sellers don’t have to overhead price that you will see at the store and boutiques, which is why you can find dresses online for less expensive. A piece of advice that I feel could be very effective is that if you find the dress you want to buy at a store that you have tried on, why not look for it online for a cheaper price. More then likely, you will be able to find that dress somewhere online that will be discounted, so keep that in mind. It may be a new dress that is discounted or you could possibly find the dress you want and has been worn once before and the bride is trying to sell it. There are some brides that are looking for a distinct dress that will fit their needs, whether is be a modest dress, a dress for tall brides, or a specific dress that you know exactly what you want. There are many website that can help you; all you have to do is research a little. When you are purchasing a dress online, be sure to keep a couple things in mind. Find out what their return policy is, make sure that they are “fake” designer names, have they had any complaints (look for a comment box), and make sure what their shipping policy is.
The last option for brides on a budget is to completely get the “bridal gown” search out of your head. If you want a different dress then what most brides wear, then do whatever you want to do. Find a party dress that is appropriate at a local department store. Look at the bridesmaid dress and see what they have to offer, they might have a casual but elegant dress that could work for a wedding dress. Prom dresses can come in white also, and look just as amazing as wedding dresses and they could possibly be under your budget. These dress options can be up to half of the price that regular wedding dresses cost.
Finding a dress on a budget can be difficult and very time consuming like I have mentioned before. Just remember that once you finally find your dress that is in your budget, it will bring your wedding budget down which will end up making everyone happy.