Wedding dress under $500.

Knottie43634435

Any suggestions? David's bridal has some great options, but I haven't found "the one" so far. Has anyone ordered from Milanoo? My mom found it and they look like they have some pretty dresses, but I have no idea what the qualify may or may not be. I also would probably end up ordering more than one and returning what I didn't like. Does anyone know what their return policy is like? Any suggestions would be great! 

Butterflyz419

I don't have any personal experience with Milanoo but just a quick google search gives more than enough reason to believe it is not as advertised and probably a scam. I'd stay away.

I'd check out Alfred Angelo as they have some dresses in that range, and I'd very much recommend finding a sample sale at a boutique near you. You can find an incredible value. The dress I got is an Alfred Angelo dress regularly sold for $500, got it for $250. Good luck!

blabla89

What style do you like? Have you tried on dresses in person? David's Bridal has some great options, and if you order online you can return within 15 days. You can also try looking for shops in your area that sell sample or consignment dresses.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

CMGragain

Milanoo is a Chinese website.  You get what you pay for.  Don't do it!

Some designers who make budget friendly gowns are Alfred Angelo, Morilee, and DaVinci.  If you are looking for a budget gown, don't expect a lot of lace or look for a ballgown.  Those are expensive styles.

I bought my gown, years ago, as a sample from a bridal shop.  I could never have afforded it new.

If you find a gown that is not DB or Maggie Sottero, and it is slightly above your budget, you might be able to order it from one of the reputable discounters, like Pearl's Place in Louisiana.  They only sell authentic dresses, but they don't like to sell you a dress that you have not actually tried on in person somewhere, since all sales are final.  My daughter bought her dress from PP.

WildMagelet

I don't personally have experience with Milanoo but I know people that do.  They steal images from legitimate companies and then try to copy the dress in the photo.  You will not get the same quality fabrics, notions, embellishments or craftsmanship that you will purchasing a dress from the original manufacturer.  The photo on their website is a photo of the item that they're trying to copy, not a photo of an actual product produced by them.

kvruns

Alfred Angelo has affordsble ones. I'd shop the sale rack at places too. Or if you find one you like see if you can find it cheaper online. I got my DB dress for $75 on preownedweddingdresses.com

Knottie24438948

I found my dress at David's Bridal during their $99 sale, they actually have some different ones for $99 now and the one I purchased is no longer $99.

doeydo

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/sweeten-the-occasion-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/belle-in-love-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/sight-to-bedazzle-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/exquisite-occasion-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/sunrise-ceremony-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/i-bid-you-i-do-dress

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/i-now-pronounce-you-dress

http://www.bhldn.com/shop-the-bride-wedding-dresses/halcyon-gown/productoptionids/fbcaeb8b-b90b-4e9a-9313-32da085940dd

http://www.bhldn.com/shop-the-bride-wedding-dresses/annabelle-dress-ivory/productoptionids/fbcaeb8b-b90b-4e9a-9313-32da085940dd

http://www.bhldn.com/shop-the-bride-wedding-dresses/faye-gown/productoptionids/fbcaeb8b-b90b-4e9a-9313-32da085940dd

http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-formal-dresses?origin=leftnav#category=b60139442&type=category&marketingslots=2&currency=CAD&page=1&defaultsize3=&size=&width=&color=offwhite_white&price=100-150_150-200_200-300_300-500&brand=&stores=&instoreavailability=false&lastfilter=price&sizeFinderId=2&resultsmode=&segmentId=0&partial=1&pagesize=100&contextualsortcategoryid=0&shopperSegment=

http://www.sears.com/ever-pretty-ever-pretty-chiffon-sexy-v-neck/p-000000000000000190820000000000000HE09672P?selectedFilters=Color|White^Occasion|Wedding&prdNo=1

http://www.sears.com/ever-pretty-ever-pretty-elegant-v-neck-long/p-000000000000000190820000000000000HE09016P?selectedFilters=Color|White^Occasion|Wedding&prdNo=2

http://www.sears.com/ever-pretty-ever-pretty-charming-empire-waist-bowtie/p-000000000000000190820000000000000HE09060P?selectedFilters=Color|White^Occasion|Wedding&prdNo=3

http://www1.macys.com/shop/womens-clothing/wedding-day-dresses?id=68262&edge=hybrid

Kate71421

One thing I plan on checking before any purchases is the once worn wedding dress sites AFTER I try on styles in a salon. For example, I fell in love with two dresses, checked them out on the site and found the exact same dress for a fraction of the price! Obviously you'd still have to get them altered, but if you find a dress slightly over budget that looks great, it may not be out of the picture! But definitely try on the exact dress ahead of time because most of the sites have a 'no return' policy. 

QueerFemme

If you try any of the older Davids Bridal styles on (like, not this current season, but anything more than a year old), and it's more than $500,  look for it used on Tradesy or preownedweddingdresses.  Because DB dresses are mass produced, you can often find them used for less than $300 or so.

bridefor2015

Have you checked to see if a 'Brides for Breast Cancer' event is happening in your area? Both my sister and I got our dresses there and they have a lot under the $500 mark, and you don't pay taxes, and it goes to a good cause!

If you don't have the money upfront they also do layaway.

MrsN2015

Ill be honest.. I wasn't thrilled with my Davids Bridal experience.. probably because I watch too much Say yes to the Dress ... I needed a Randy.. any whoooo. I went there a couple different times with my girls and got a feel for my budget ( 0-1000) and wasn't thrilled but wasn't about to loosen the purse strings.. So i gave it some time and went back and asked for different stylist to get different opinions.. and it wasn't until I was browsing online that I found the one. My point being don't let your budget .. or lack of enthusiasm from your stylist get you down... there are tons of gowns there and a ton more than they led me to believe were in my price range! look online and if you find one you want ask them to have it sent to your store if you don't like it you don't have to purchase it and they have a 14 day return/ exchange policy !  Good luck 

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_strapless-tulle-ball-gown-with-ruffle-skirt-pk3357

badbnagdway

Check out retailers that do bridal like JCrew, BHLDN, and Ann Taylor (Ann Taylor has very frequent sales, and wedding stuff is sometimes included in the sales). 

I bought my Badgley Mischka gown on Zappos. It was a little more than you want to spend but there were other dresses on there that were wedding-ish for less than $500. Zappos has free shipping, free returns, and you generally have 360 days to make a return. 

It depends on what you want though too, for me I just didn't feel like myself in the gowns I tried on in the bridal salon. They had too much puff, but it just all depends on what you envision for yourself. 

maxy2013

I paid $200 for a David's Bridal gown. It was simple, yet really gorgeous! I don't understand spending thousands of dollars on a dress. But if you have the money, why not I guess.

nikkilovesjoel

I went with a Mori Lee Voyage dress, and the quality is incredible.  The fabric is a million times nicer than anything that I tried on at DB. 

Here is the link to it: http://www.rkbridal.com/voyage-by-mori-lee-bridal-spring-2013-style-67421.html

I think it might have been discontinued, but some places still offer it.  Anyway, Mori Lee makes many budget-friendly but quality designs.  They were comparable to the $2,000 dresses that I was trying on and loving.  I hope that helps!

Knottie80113285

We are having a small wedding on a budget in early Feb ( been engaged since Thanksgiving) and I bought from one of the Chinese sites because I got fed up with bridal boutiques saying there was no way to get a dress in 3 months...which I still say is just silly. So I ordered a custom sized knock off from China. 10 days and it shipped. It's supposed to arrive today and I'll let you know how it goes. If it's a disaster then I've wasted $100 on worse things in life.

Knottie80113285

Ok because I had such a hard time finding info on buying a Chinese knock off I want to post a detailed review. This dress is gorgeous. Really well made. Great details, there are little beading details that are very well done. The ruching is lovely. The fabric is really soft and pretty. I paid $200 including rush shipping and processing for a custom made wedding dress. There's a ribbed bodice, nice satin inner lining, beautiful chiffon outer layer. And it's exactly what I ordered. The waist could be taken in a bit but that's because I mismeasured my natural waist (took it too low and therefore the number was larger) and I meant to tell them to remove the train but I forgot. But they made exactly what I ordered and did an excellent job of copying the original. Honestly, it fits wonderfully and really doesn't need any alterations just that one little 1/2 inch or so! Best purchase I've ever made! Couldn't love it more.

They were super responsive when I asked them to remove the sequins, always answering my emails promptly. I could not recommend dressilyme.com more for a wedding dress.  Not sure about bigger poofy ones but for this fairly simple sheath one I couldn't have done better. The quality is way better than most of the dresses I tried on at David's Bridal.

http://youtu.be/d2P-XpT_ZOU

atlastmrsg

Definitely consider Tradesy or another source for preowned wedding dresses.  You could end up with a $2,000 dress for $500 if you're looking for a pretty common size or color.  Now, if you're looking for blush, silver, etc. the pickings might be more slim...

Fairyjen1

I got mine on Ebay for $160. It fit perfectly. Ebay isn't for everyone, but if you have experience buying there you could try it. 

I especially like the back and chose to not wear a veil to show it off!

badbnagdway

Knottie80113285 said:

Ok because I had such a hard time finding info on buying a Chinese knock off I want to post a detailed review. This dress is gorgeous. Really well made. Great details, there are little beading details that are very well done. The ruching is lovely. The fabric is really soft and pretty. I paid $200 including rush shipping and processing for a custom made wedding dress. There's a ribbed bodice, nice satin inner lining, beautiful chiffon outer layer. And it's exactly what I ordered. The waist could be taken in a bit but that's because I mismeasured my natural waist (took it too low and therefore the number was larger) and I meant to tell them to remove the train but I forgot. But they made exactly what I ordered and did an excellent job of copying the original. Honestly, it fits wonderfully and really doesn't need any alterations just that one little 1/2 inch or so! Best purchase I've ever made! Couldn't love it more.

They were super responsive when I asked them to remove the sequins, always answering my emails promptly. I could not recommend dressilyme.com more for a wedding dress.  Not sure about bigger poofy ones but for this fairly simple sheath one I couldn't have done better. The quality is way better than most of the dresses I tried on at David's Bridal.

http://youtu.be/d2P-XpT_ZOU

It's great that it worked out so well for you. But others should still beware, your results are not typical. If you can afford to potentially waste a couple hundred bucks, have time to wait and see whether it works out, and know exactly what gown you want, it's one of those risks you can take. For people who have a dress budget of $500 or so to start with, spending $200 to be disappointed is not necessarily a great plan, imho. 

laurenr819

BHLDN has gorgeous dresses!

1

2

3

4

5

David's Bridal options I really like (I agree you should go and try the dresses on!)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

classicalandedgy

I would try thinking outside the box.  Many major department stores carry bridal wear and they go on sale often.  Also, consider gowns that are not necessarily wedding dresses but could be used for that purpose.  I recently bought my dress it was not a wedding dress but it is a beautiful tulle embroidered dress from net-a-porter.com's sale from $1000 to $500. It is perfect for my wedding.  They also have free shipping and returns right now during their sale. 

joneka

I had a very bad experience with an overseas Chinese company...thankfully I went through paypal...and started a claim within the 45 day limit..the company wouldn't return my emails except to continually push the date back.....they were attempting to get past the 45 day limit and then I would have no recourse...found reviews online that it was a scam! for those brides that received their gown, the quality was so utterly poor and they still had to buy another gown.

I just purchased my $700 Zac Posen gown from Davids Bridal  for $349 during a 50% off sale

Esther Morales

macys.com

jcp.com

nydress.com

anntaylor.com

faviana.com

bridalreflections.com

bestbridalprices.com

rkbridal.com

These are probably the only sites that are tried and true, provide authentic designer dresses and have plenty of sales.  Keep in mind that you may have to pay additional for alterations if you order on-line.  You may want to try preownedweddingdresses.com that has used, sample and new bridal fashions for sale and great details/information on each dress.  It's free to join and look for dresses according to designers and silhouettes.

[Deleted User]

I found my dress new with tags on preownedweddingdresses.com for $600, originally $1600. I think a lot of boutiques or lesser-known designers will sell their "older" designs and floor models like that to make room for this season's dresses. It's worth a look! Good luck!

Knottie45950481

Sundays Bridal got my dress, veil and hair piece for about $600

weddingcactus

JCrew has some really lovely dresses and some for under $500. (Images below should be clickable links)

These JCrew dresses are just a little more, but under $700. The first two were really gorgeous when I tried them on a few months back.

noodles84

I got my dress at David's Bridal for $99. It was originally $549. I am going to add a different belt and a long veil but I love it.

le2103

Thanks for mentioning brides against breast cancer! I checked and there is an event not 15 minutes from me the weekend of my birthday what a great cause and with layaway! fingers crossed!

jkbrownstein

I bought mine at Nordstroms for less than $400. Tried on in store then ordered using ebates to get $ back. I found some beautiful ones at BCBG as well. 

Look for white in evening gown sections, not being labelled a wedding dress dramatically cuts the price.