Wedding Dress Help!!!!

[BatgirlBride]

So I've been browsing online catalogs for the past month and a few caught my eye but one thing has been holding me up. Just how much should I spend for this dress that I'll only wear for a few hours at the most?

Our estimated cost as of now for the wedding/honeymoon is around $8-10,000 (We're having an Escape wedding). Now this is not including however much I end up spending on my dress. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

The rule is, typically, you should plan on allocating 10% of your budget to your dress. Personally, I was willing to spend up to $2500 on my dress--- but, thankfully, my dress only cost $950! (woo!) However, don't forget to factor in all of your accessories--- mine have ended up costing almost as much as the dress itself. HTH.

 

[MrsDuck]

I think it really comes down to prioritizing.. do you want a very nice, expensive dress or would you rather having a more inexpensive dress (still beautiful) and allocate that money elsewhere in the wedding budget?

My dress is very important to me. I believe we spent $1,500 on my dress; it was a gift from my grandmother. I wouldn't have spent that much if I was paying for it myself. That said, I budgeted about $1,000 for my dress before I knew of my grandma's gift. (Our budget is 10k-12k).

My advice: shop around. There are plenty of places where you can find beautiful, inexpensive dresses (David's Bridal, Alfred Angelo). But, go to the boutique shops to just to see what it is there (this could be dangerous though! ). Go to sales, trunk shows, running of the bride events, etc.

 

[jshora]

I bought my dress off the rack. Ordering it would have cost me $1500, but I found it at a bridal shop that was relocating and selling off their merchandise. So, I got my dress, crinoline slip, jewelry, tiara, and shoes for a total of $650. Alterations cost me around $200.

Another option is: http://bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/ . They sell gently used bridal gowns for reasonable prices and the money goes to breast cancer research.

 

[Jilian]

I think it really varies from person to person. I didn't want to spend a fortune so I went to David's bridal and was willing to spend up to $750. I lucked out and spent $450. Then alterations were another $200 (I had a sash removed and another attached, a french bustle & a hem) and I bought a custom made beaded sash w/matching hair flowers for another $200. Add in undergarments and accessories and I spent about $1,000 total.

If you wanna go really inexpensive (under $300) you can try ebay and craigslist for a used dress or you can opt for a bridesmaid's dress. Many bridesmaid's dresses now come in white and ivory.

 

[SusieQ79]

I agree with folks....one thing I've found is that everyone has different priorities. Things that are their "thing" that they get hung up on and want to put a chunk of budget towards. I had planned on spending about $1k on a dress, because while it was important to me, I felt I could get something I'd be perfectly happy with that wouldn't cost more than that....I wound up finding one for $550 and was able to get all the accessories and still stay under the $1k mark. Based on what I read here, I think most people seem to spend from $500-1500 most commonly.

I know where my personal hang up is, and it's more on decor. I'll wind up splurging on things like upgraded linens and chiavari chairs. So, I know I'll feel the hit there, instead of on a dress, but it's different for everyone.

I will say, reading around on this board actually really helped me figure out what I did and didn't notice in people's photos. It went a long way towards helping me prioritize, and I got a much better idea of where I wanted the money to go.

 

[Pinkgirl]

I tried a few different styles and prices on. Then set my heart on the Ronald Joyce Linette at £1250 ($1875). Totally out of the question for a quiet Escape wedding with just the three of us! So, Ebay it was and my luck was in, I got my dream dress in my size for £405 ($608). Its probably going to cost another £100 ($150) to have it shortened.

So, it really does pay to shop around.

 

[leonix8238]

So I've been browsing online catalogs for the past month and a few caught my eye but one thing has been holding me up. Just how much should I spend for this dress that I'll only wear for a few hours at the most?

Our estimated cost as of now for the wedding/honeymoon is around $8-10,000 (We're having an Escape wedding). Now this is not including however much I end up spending on my dress. Can anyone shed some light on this?

It's a very personal choice.

For me, my dress was on the least important list in terms of how much I wanted to throw at it. We wanted to spend more money on our wedding bands, which we designed and had custom made. The decision for me was very easy as I'll be wearing my wedding band for the rest of my life, but I only wore my wedding dress for around 12 hours.