When I was engaged, one area of our budget that I really wanted to keep under control was the wedding dress. It’s so easy to spend thousands of dollars on a dress, but if you can find an affordable, beautiful dress, then it can really go a long way keeping the overall wedding budget under control. If your wedding dress has a little wiggle room making you feel exposed or unconfutable, you might want to check this post on the Best Boob Tape.
Here’s my wedding dress (taken from my bridal portraits):
I bought my dress at David’s Bridal and it cost about $500. That’s pretty cheap for a wedding dress, but looking back I should have done a little more research on used dresses rather than just looking at wedding boutique shops. But when I thought of used dresses, I pictured cheap 1990s yellowed poofy-sleeved dresses sitting in a thrift shop. However, it turns out there are some pretty nice used wedding dresses that actually don’t look used at all.
For all the brides out there (or those who just love to browse wedding dresses!), check out PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com for over 10,000 wedding dresses by more than 300 different designers. You can browse by designer, size, location, price, silhouette, neckline, etc. I would also check out their pages on Inspiration, Most Viewed Dresses, Best Deals or New Listing of the Week to find the most popular dresses.
Another interesting element of the site is that you can sell your dress after your wedding. Would you ever consider doing that? I am not yet ready to part with mine, but then again I guess it has been sitting in my closet since April 2011. It’s an option for some who are looking to make some cash on an item they likely won’t wear again. Also, for those searching for a wedding photographer, check out this link for more information on finding the perfect fit.
If you’re in search of a wedding videographer, you can check out best San Antonio videographer near me to hire one.
Would you ever consider buying a used wedding dress? Or if you got married, was your dress new or used? Would you ever consider selling your wedding dress?
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PS – This post is sponsored by PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com. I only write sponsored posts for products and services that I personally would use and or believe in. Check out my sponsored post policy here.
I wanted to buy a used dress but couldn’t find the one I loved to purchase used anywhere! Then I planned on selling it to recoup part of the cost but found that I got all kinds of sentimental and wanted to save it :) So it’s preserved in my MIL’s extra closet.. Maybe I’ll play dress up with it one day!
I just bought my wedding dress last month for my wedding next March! :) I bought it used from a charity bridal show called “Brides against Breast Cancer.” All the gowns are donated and the proceeds go to helping breast cancer patients. I intend to donate it back when my wedding is over.
Being in the alterations business I have had numerous brides bring in dresses they purchased second hand. I seriously could not tell the difference. One of the girls purchased a dress that had been in a ‘trash the dress’ and worn in the ocean, it was drycleaned and it looked brand new! I sewed my own dress so I would never be able to sell it.
I bought mine used from co-worker’s wife for my upcoming wedding. I even went and tried on other dresses but that was still the one that called out to me. So I’m glad I went with the used dress. It was only $45 so I think I got a great bargain!
Wow, $45? That’s such a bargain!
I bought my dress on Recycled Bride – http://www.recycledbride.com
I bought my dress at a bridal consignment shop, but it was brand spankin’ new. Because I bought it at the consignment store, it was discounted though. I could have gotten a much cheaper dress there, but I had that “That’s the one!” moment, so I couldn’t pass it up.
Your dress is gorgeous and a bargain! My wife had hers custom made but it was done by a friend and she did a great job and didn’t charge us too much. The only thing I would’ve changed from our wedding day was to have gotten cake insurance. Our cake was a disaster! But, saving in other areas leads to much less stress on you and your spouse. Thanks for sharing. Really lovely.
Wow, what a great charity, I love it! Good luck planning your wedding. It’s such an exciting time!
That’s my thinking too — I just couldn’t part with such a sentimental dress. Maybe if I have a daughter she’ll want to wear it or use a portion of it for her wedding. But maybe a lacy dress will be out of style then? Ha, it’s hard to think of it now but I guess it’s possible.
Thank you! :) Do they even have cake insurance? What a bummer that it didn’t turn out — the cake is one of my favorite parts of weddings!
Wow, you sewed your own dress? That’s impressive! I’ve also heard of the trash-the-dress idea. I could go in the ocean, but maybe not a muddy photo shoot. That just seems wrong!