If you have recently decided that you want to get married or have accepted a proposal then you may still be thinking about that dream wedding with a big white dress and a horse drawn carriage. In reality it can be hard to have all of it when you don’t have a budget to match. Well we have decided that we are going to try and help you get your ideal wedding dress that will fit into your budget and still look amazing. You will find hints and tips on how to pick the right dress and have an amazing wedding day.
When it comes to paying for a wedding, it can seem like there is no end to the things that you have to pay out for. You have to think about flowers, venues, outfits, favors and most importantly your wedding dress. But how much of your budget do you dedicate to your wedding dress and how much do you get for your money? Sticking to your budget is something that is really important when planning a wedding so here are a few tips on how to get your perfect dress for the right budget for you. So if you know what your wedding budget is already then lets find you the perfect wedding dress that will make you look stunning!
When finding your perfect dress, its all about your body shape, what suits you and what ties in with your wedding theme. If you know exactly what you want from a wedding dress then you can start looking for a good deal straight away. If you don’t know what you want then take a look in some wedding magazines, online and even at some wedding fares so that you can see what grabs your eye and what takes your fancy. By knowing what you want in a wedding dress, you will save both time and money when buying it. Just think about the cost involved if you have to alter or return the dress that you bought in a rush, it could cost you more than the dress to have additions, alterations or even to buy a whole new dress.
When you have a good idea of what you want from your dress, you can then start looking. When you want the right dress but you don’t want to compromise on quality then there are several options. The first is to look out for sales and wholesale fares in your local area. There are often places that will have huge factory sales and little boutiques that want to make way for new stock so be sure to check these on a regular basis (every two weeks or so) so that you can be the first in line for a god deal. The wedding fares themselves will also have some good deals on their stock so take a look at the accessories as well as the dresses and remember that you can barter the price with them at these fares too.
Finally take a look online. There are millions of websites out there that will sell wedding dresses and other additional accessories, old and new, different styles and themes to suit your every need. You may have to pay extra for postage and what you see in the picture may not always be what the dress looks like in reality so be careful. Online prices are often much cheaper than in stores because of the lack of overhead costs and advertising. So find a website, find a dress you like and stick to your budget easily!
Great article! Loved the bit about checking online. I got my dress online – tried it on in a store, then jumped on the net and found it wholesale for less than half price! No hassles with delivery or fit – didn’t need any alterations except putting on a hook to hold the dress up for dancing at the reception. A new site i’ve been shown is http://www.tidebuy.com – wedding dresses for less than $200!!
A great point made by Sinead about bridesmaids dresses. So often these can become a very expensive item as well. A very thrifty idea to also get measurements and look at buying these online.
Great suggestion Sinead!
Thanks for the feedback Cat. The internet is proving to be more of a great place to find the exact articles at a much more affordable cost. It is a shame that people decide to exploit wedding days (and especially the dress) by marking up their prices.
Some people worry that buying online opens themselves up to “bad fits” and not a lot that can be done to correct this. Unfortunately I have heard just as many horror stories from people that have bought their gowns from local shops and have had a stressful time trying to get them corrected before the wedding day.
A combination of planning and careful research seems like the best solution to the important topic of getting the perfect wedding dress.
There’s nothing that says “you must buy your wedding dress from a wedding dress shop.” And we must all remember that the mark up is so massive on wedding dresses anyhow. There are really nice dresses out there in dress shops and they don’t cost the earth! Also the bridesmaids dresses can be bought on ebay, no problem. They often show you how they want the measurements taken etc, they are affordable and don’t take long to get made up and mailed out to you.