Wedding Dress Expenses

[RUDisney]

Can someone please explain to me why some women feel the need to pay tons of $$$$ for a wedding dress? Why does it have to be designer?

I've been pondering this since my BIL's wedding this past weekend. My SIL kept announcing that she was wearing a Vera Wang. If she wanted everyone to know, why didn't she just wear the tag under her arm so everyone would know?

I found a beautiful gown for our wedding that was about $400 (too much IMO.) Once the dress is on, no one can really tell, except by the material, how much it cost... so why bother spending thousands for one day?

I just don't get it.

 

[tkyes]

sounds like a label snob. there is no good explanation for that.

if you find "the" dress, you shouldn't care who made it, just that you love it.



tamie

 

[elgerber]

I know someone who did the same thing, except she had to fly to San Francisco to buy it, because she knew none of the stores in the Twin Cities could possibly have a dress that was nice. She never even looked here.

Erika

 

[RUDisney]

My SIL went to NYC for hers. Again, never looked locally because it had to be a Vera...

 

[WDWLVR]

Some people just feel the need to have to have a designer or name. They don't care what it costs and they think it makes them better than everyone else. We have someone like that in our family who has to drop names of everything she owns (e.g. it's a coach bag you know).

Something my mother taught me long ago...you don't have to have money to have class, and just because you have money doesn't mean you have class.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

RUDisney, I am with you.

When I got married nearly 20 years ago, I could not see the point in so much money for a dress. (I am basically thrifty, read cheap.) I set a budget and kept to it. Whe I went into a store and said I wanted to spend less than $300 on a dress, some showed me the door but I kept looking and found a beautiful dress in a bridal shop that was $250. It can be done.

 

[gshoemate]

I spent about 900.00 on mine and as I was getting ready for the wedding, i wish I would of went less fancy. I didn't need all the pearls and special effects. To late now.....

 

[honeywolf7]

Mine was $425 plus alterations.

 

[ead79]

I think it all comes down to a bride's wedding priorities. Some people want to focus the most money on their dress, some on their food, some on their flowers, some on their photography, etc. For some people, the fabrics and designs available from "couture" designers are exactly what they had in mind. For others, the perfect gown is more simple or made of a more affordable fabric. That said, I think it's super tacky to walk around announcing who made your gown. It's like trying to walk around and impress people with how much money you spent, which is hugely rude. It shouldn't matter whether your dress was $50 on ebay or $5,000 from Vera, as long as you're happy with it. No one needs to know how much it cost but you.

 

[piratesmate]

Mine was $20 worth of material & $2 for the pattern. My entire wedding, reception & honeymoon cost $500 - of course that was back in the dark ages.

Deb

 

[iluvdisney]

My dd found a gorgeous dress for under $400 for her wedding and it was definitely a dress that was her! It was gorgeous and the guests thought it cost over a thousand! My dd knew what she was looking for - she got the first dress she tried on but did try on a few others.

 

[scarlett873]

my first wedding, my dress was $600. i wore it for about 6 to 7 hours and it's now hanging in my mother's closet...

my second wedding, my dress was about $50! my mom made it for me...and it was exactly what i wanted...and it's also something that i really could wear again if i wanted to...

my sister is getting married one week from this saturday...her dress was about $700...but it's perfect and it's totally her. she saw the picture in a magazine, found it in one of the stores, tried it on, and she was done. never even looked at another dress.

 

[CamColt]

For me, my dress was what I wanted. I knew in my mind exactly what I was looking for. I had a mental picture. When I came across a dress that was exactly as I had pictured it, I knew that was it. It ended up being 600.00, but I didnt think it was too much or too little for exactly what I wanted. To this day I couldnt tell you who designed it.

 

[skuttle]

When my mom and I went look for my dress, I knew the style I wanted so that's where we started. We bought the 3rd dress I tried on ( mom was probably disappointed that I didn't want to keep trying on dresses ). I'm an only child, my parents divorced when I was young so I'm very close to my mom...my dad paid for the wedding, but my mom wanted to pay for my dress. She probably would have paid almost anything to make me happy, even if she went into debt over it. But, when I found "the dress", the saleswoman said my mom would be very happy...and she was. I think my dress, alterations, shoes, and veil was all around $1000.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have to say that I have seen a few Vera Wang creations that have made me wish I was getting married all over again. Hey, as long as I don't have to pay for it I think the bride should get to wear whatever she wants.

I don't remember what my dress cost but it was definately in the hundreds and not thousands. Of course that was 16 years ago so maybe in today's dollars it is much more.

 

[laceemouse]

My dress was not designer. It cost 500$ and that was 15 years ago. I think people spend WAY too much on the whole wedding just trying to out do each other. And... half of them end up divorced! The marriage is the important thing, not the wedding! (Although, a Disney wedding would be pretty nice!)

 

[tkyes]

Toby's Friend - I think we all agree that the bride should wear whatever she wants, it's just the "look at "whos" dress I'm wearing". Every bride should feel like a princess on her wedding day and whether her dress was $50 or $5,000 shouldn't matter.

My dress was $400, veil $20, shoes on clearance for $15, and my alterations were $45. I was thrilled! But if I had found the dress of my dreams for more money, I would have tried to find a way to have it. No one knew on my wedding day how much my dress cost except myself, my parents, and dh.


tamie

 

[katerkat]

I think the birde can wear whatever she wants -- but announcing it is TACKY!

One of my bridesmaids wanted me to get Vera Wang bridesmaid dresses. Like all my girls could afford that!! (Someone remind me not to be in her wedding.)

Mine was $800, and that included the veil, shoes and shipping. (Found it in Florida.)

 

[gina2000]

Oh man......I read the title of this thread too fast and thought it said.....

Wedding Dress EXCHANGE!


I figured the CB had finally gone nuts!


I wore my mom's dress. Her mother designed and sewed the gown many moons ago. My mom made me go out and try on dresses to make sure it was what I wanted. I made fun of all the dresses I tried on and embarrassed the heck outta her.

I got my way!

 

[RUDisney]

Gina, my sister did the same thing... wore my Mom's dress! I wore her prom dress to my Sr. Prom. What can I say? My Mom still has great taste.

It makes the day that much more special.