Gently Used Wedding Dresses...worth the risk?

Knottie33668729

As a bride working on a budget, I'm doing my best to save money whenever possible.  I'm toying with the idea of buying a gently used wedding dress online.  Thoughts?  Experiences?  It makes me a little nervous...

Thank you!

RebeccaFlower

I think it could totally work, but I think you're working backwards. I would pick a budget and go to a normal bridal shop. If you find something, great... if not, I would up the in-store budget slightly and if you find something, then you can try to find that dress used. I think you're better off just trying to stick to your budget.

Blergbot

Another option is to first go to a bridal shop just to see what shapes look good on you. David's Bridal is good for this (and you might even find something within your budget that you love). The next step would be to find some similar styles for sale used online. Then go see if you can track them down and try them on. THEN go back and see if you can purchase one online. It's a longer, more complicated process, but it's better than buying something sight unseen that may not work for you in person.

Ndelible

Agree with PPs. Try on dresses first. You may be surprised with what you actually fall in love with.

denitagsu

I agree with everything that was said. Sometimes the prices on David's Bridals website are cheaper than what they are in store. I just posted about this yesterday. Plus with buying online at DB you can return your dress within 14 days of receipt (only for online and of course the dress has to be in perfect condition upon return with tags still attached. see there website for conditions.) That is a really good option. Also there is a retailmenot coupon code for DB (SHOP10) that gives you an extra 10% off through June I believe. Also shipping is free on orders above 150.00. So you have options! I tried on the dress I loved at DB that cost 1028.00 and bought it for 240.00 plus tax online. Good luck.   

ElcaB

I was actively searching for a used dress on Preowned and Tradesy. While I didn't end up purchasing from either place (I found a sample dress in my budget), I had a great experience. I think the key is to ask lots of questions. The women I communicated with were very honest about the state of their dresses (many were even unaltered, NWT). There was only one I checked out that had a dirty hem (which the owner was very honest and upfront about --- she even sent me photos of it so I could decide for myself). 

I'd give it a try. There's no harm in shopping around, and you might find something you love. 

TeacherJM

I guess I'm going to take the opposite opinion on this.  There are literally hundreds of dresses on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar.  If you are uncomortable with a dress that has been worn, I can't tell you how many I found that the people bought two and now had an UNWORN one to sell cheaper than they bought it ("no returns at David's" was repeated over and over).  I myself bought the most PERFECT dress that a girl paid $1K for and wore for pics for an hour.  She included the skirt and the cathedral veil. I paid a couple hundred and it is the most beautiful thing on the planet.

You do what YOU want to do.  Don't let others make your final decision for you!

hyechica81

you can find a designer gown for under 500 you just have to search a great place is to call bridal salons in your area and ask them if they have any gowns that they are discontinuing for sale and go from there

or you could call them up and say this is my budget do you have anything in my price range

rooz103

I did both of these--I tried on a lot of dresses at DB and Alfred Angelo, which was really helpful since what looked good on me and what I thought would look good on me differed drastically. The dress I got was about $600 in stores, but thanks to an online sample sale and a coupon, I was able to snag it for about $250.