affordable wedding dress

lotsoffireflies

I hate the idea of spending so much money on something that I will wear once and then donate; I'd way rather spend it on the band.  Is there ANYWHERE other than David's where you can get a dress that looks special enough to be a wedding dress that doesn't cost more than $800?

Mandafly84

Try sample sales or trunk shows.  Just call around to a couple salons and ask if they'll be having one any time soon.  My sister scored her $2,000 dress for $499 at a sample sale at the Bridal Mall in Niantic CT a few years ago.

shaina925

Helenes had very affordable dresses!  Mine was 998 and has swarovski crystals in it.  I tried one on there for 600 dollars.  They are so helpful and friendly, too.  I would give that a shot.

Island_Bride2011

Nordstrom has a bridal shop online that has some interesting options.

RoyalOrient

Another vote for Helene's bridal and tux in East Providence. I also suggest looking at Party Dress Express in Fall River. I easily found dresses under $1,000 and samples for a few hundred dollars. They also have a large selection and offer free alterations. Also, Vows in Watertown, MA has an amazing inventory of designer dresses with huge savings. They even have a dress finder service too. Usually 50%-75% off. There is also Filene's Running of the Brides. I found my $2000 Pronovias dress for $253. Another option is go the custom route if you know exactly what you want in a dress. Etsy has some amazing dress makers.

http://www.partydressexpress.com/

http://www.bridepower.com/

http://www.filenesbasement.com/running-of-the-brides/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bridalblissdesigns

Eyejewel

I liked looking at Party Dress express. Tried on alot around your budget. I also recommend. The Bridal Shoppe in warwick where I got my dress. She keeps an affordable selection of dresses. The owner is great. She ended up ordering my dress for me as she didnt have the casablanca sample but it was under $1k with lace and crystals on it.

BelleandIzzy

I got my dress at Party Dress Express and right around this time last year I received a $100 off coupon from the Knot.  I was floored when I found out that they include FREE ALTERATIONS on bridal gowns!  This is a huge savings as, even if you find a dress on the lower end and/or on sale, sometimes the alterations can add up to just as much.  

In my case I had found a dress I loved that happened to retail for only $399 at Party Dress Express and then with my coupon it came to $299; $308 and change after tax.  My future sister-in-law found a dress for $400 at a sample sale but then wound up spending $250 on alterations!  So I am pretty excited that I get as many alterations visits as needed (typically 2-3) for free included with my dress price.  

Good luck! 

HeatherR45

Not sure how far it is for you, but you could try Love Me Two Times in Taftville, CT. It's a consignment shop, but when I went, they had a bunch of dresses that were new. I paid $500 for my dress, originally priced at $1700. They get a lot of dresses from bridal shops that are going out of business.

lotsoffireflies

Thanks everyone!!

i2012do

I agree with Party Dress express.

And Also any bridal shop really, you can go into and tell them your budget is 800.

they usually have a selection of gowns around 1000 or less!

I tried one gown on and didn't even ask the price, at Bridal and Gift, I tought it was going to be so expensive. When I asked she told me it was $600.

It was a Mon Cheri- so I assuem those dresses are more affordable.

Sarah&Eric2012

I'm going to give another vote to Party Dress Express.  I bought my dress there off the clearance rack for $500 but they had a ton of other dresses (with alterations included) for less than $800.  They also had another dress I was considering for $200 less than another bridal shop I went to.  My mom found her MOB dress there for $50 too.  I highly recommend checking them out.  Good luck!