Wedding Dress on a Budget

MaraMqz

Any ideas of designers or where to obtain a decent wedding dress on a budget?? ($800-$1500) I'm looking into lace 3/4 sleeves dresses, all seem to be way over my dress budget, can you please share your dress on a budget ideas, please and thank youuuuuuuu!

JasperandOpal

Davids Bridal has tons of dresses in your price range.  Be aware though, that you need to leave room for alterations in your budget so if your max is 1500 then don't buy a dress over 1200, just to be safe.  

For 3/4 sleeve lace dresses I found

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_all-over-lace-a-line-gown-with-3-4-sleeves-wg3670_wedding-dresses-all-wedding-dresses

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_3-4-sleeve-off-the-shoulder-trumpet-gown-wg3734_wedding-dresses-all-wedding-dresses

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_3-4-illusion-neckline-ball-gown-with-embellishment-mk3723_wedding-dresses-all-wedding-dresses

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_3-4-sleeve-all-over-lace-trumpet-gown-wg3684_wedding-dresses-all-wedding-dresses

You could also probably find a dress with longer sleeves and have them taken up to 3/4 length or find a strapless and wear something like this:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_tulle-topper-with-lace-appliques-wg150_accessories-jackets-and-wraps

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_tulle-topper-with-all-over-lace-appliques-wg144_accessories-jackets-and-wraps

On the higher end of your budget:

http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/Bridal-Collection/2491/?pg=0

Maggie0829

Also, remember that you can always have sleeves added to your dress or you could wear a lace bolero to get the 3/4 sleeve look.

Can you post pictures of dresses that you have seen that you really like?  It would be helpful for other posters to see what you are drawn to when searching for dresses.

Have you been to any bridal shops?  I think this may be your best bet.  A consultant can help you find a dress that you love or find a dress that you like and then suggest minor alterations to make it into exactly what you want.

atlastmrsg

Consider a consigned dress?  Even if it is listed on Tradesy, etc. for more than you want to spend, you can always make an offer.  If the seller is like me, they want to unload their dress quickly.

novella1186

You could get a wedding dress off the rack at a place like Macy's or Nordstrom's, check bhldn, and I don't have personal experience with David's Bridal but I've seen many ladies on these boards say that they got a great dress there for a really good price. 

I got a good deal on my dress by buying it at a trunk show. It was around $500 less than the normal retail price and the boutique was also offering another 10% off that weekend for every dress in their store. 

QueerFemme

You should have plenty of options at Davids Bridal, and some at Alfred Angelo, Bonny  and maybe Mori Lee.  Here are some examples, not exactly what you are looking for (as far as sleeve length), but gives you an idea that you do have options.

http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/Bridal-Collection/239/?pg=1

http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/Bridal-Collection/2439/?pg=1

http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/Bridal-Collection/2300/?pg=1

http://www.bestbridalprices.com/bonny-bliss-wedding-dresses-style-2421-p127186

http://www.bestbridalprices.com/bonny-wedding-dresses-style-315-p109315

hteverywhere15

You could also look into buying a sample dress. My dress was around $1,600 but I got it for $1,000 by buying the sample, which was in great condition. It also comes with a 3/4 sleeve lace balero. Like another poster mentioned, this could give you the 3/4 look you want for less money.

Also, you're not limited to David's bridal on that budget...I went to 2 bridal shops and almost all the dresses I tried on were 1,500 or less (although you should leave room in the budget for alterations).

buttercup1958

What you could do is try on dresses that you love but slightly too expensive. If you love it then you should go on websites like preownedweddingdresses.com and see if you could get it cheaper. The prices are usually really good on that website and it has a good reputation. Good luck!

julieanne912

My dress is a Sottero and Midgley and it's lace with cap sleeves (the "Jane" design).  It retails at about $1300 I believe.  They had lots of pretty lace dresses that all seemed reasonably priced.

http://www.sotteroandmidgley.com/collection.aspx

FWIW, I had an extremely hard time finding a lace dress on consignment.  I think it's a popular style right now.

HappyinLove56

I bought my dress at Alfred Angelo and it was $1100.  But alterations are costing me another $500 or so (for a hem, busstle and taking in).   Happy hunting!

[Deleted User]

I second preownedweddingdresses.com. I had success there! Some boutiques will even sell their old stock, new-with-tags, to clear out their inventory and make room for the new season. So if you look hard enough, you may find a great dress for a great price!

doeydo

$775 on Best Bridal Prices  http://www.venusbridal.com/bridals/angel-tradition/AT4598

$402  http://watters.com/Product/Encore/3218E/

$563  http://www.bestbridalprices.com/claudine-wedding-dresses-style-7021-p128053

$1198  http://www.sotteroandmidgley.com/dress.aspx?style=5SW074

$1398  http://www.sotteroandmidgley.com/dress.aspx?style=5SS067

$1350  http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_3-4-sleeve-lace-trumpet-gown-cwg638

$699  http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_3-4-sleeve-lace-trumpet-gown-with-godet-skirt-swg624

FutureMsNguyen

Maggie0829 said:

Also, remember that you can always have sleeves added to your dress or you could wear a lace bolero to get the 3/4 sleeve look.

Can you post pictures of dresses that you have seen that you really like?  It would be helpful for other posters to see what you are drawn to when searching for dresses.

Have you been to any bridal shops?  I think this may be your best bet.  A consultant can help you find a dress that you love or find a dress that you like and then suggest minor alterations to make it into exactly what you want.

I love this idea!

MandyMost

MrsKrisia said:

Maggie0829 said:

Also, remember that you can always have sleeves added to your dress or you could wear a lace bolero to get the 3/4 sleeve look.

Can you post pictures of dresses that you have seen that you really like?  It would be helpful for other posters to see what you are drawn to when searching for dresses.

Have you been to any bridal shops?  I think this may be your best bet.  A consultant can help you find a dress that you love or find a dress that you like and then suggest minor alterations to make it into exactly what you want.

I love this idea!

I did NOT want a strapless dress, and a bunch of dresses I showed my first sales consultant turned out to be strapless dresses with a topper like that added for sleeves. Too bad that sales consultant was a total bitch and instead of pointing that out nicely and showing me some options, she was just like "Ugh, these are strapless dresses" and treated me like an idiot.

But anyway, you can likely find a simple strapless dress for very cheap somewhere, and then get some kind of topper. You could even purchase some fancy lace and find a seamstress to make sleeves for your dress. If you find a strapless lace dress, some places will let you buy extra lace which you could then have turned into a topper or sleeves of some sort. 

laurieblp

Jcrew is 30% off right now. 

https://www.jcrew.com/wedding/Wedding_Bride.jsp

laurieblp

PS I got my dress from JCrew and love it.  Was just on the website getting a sash so I saw the sale.