Dress Shops?

elidellio

Hey girls,

My family and bridesmaids all live near Austin so I'm going to head down to them when it comes time for dress shopping.

My budget is pretty limited (I'm hoping to stay around $1,000) so I don't want to waste everyone's time looking at a lot of dresses I can't afford. Do any of you have suggestions on some stores that have a good selection for a tighter budget?

Thanks so much!!

classykat22

I bought my dress at Signature Bridal and they have a lot of selection to choose from.  They are in the Lakeway area...GL

kayla8558

I originally started with a budget of $1,500 then started thinking about how I was only going to wear the dress for a few hours. I went to melange bridal in north austin and they had two that I liked but didn't love for around $1,000. I ended up purchasing my dress for $450 from alfred angelo. By the time I was done purchasing jewelry, a veil, shoes, and alterations I ended up spending close to $1,000. The website does the dress no justice. I also recommend when it comes time for alterations to take it to a seamstress that is not part of the bridal shop. A girlfriend of mine got the same amount of alterations done on her dress for $360 and had to wait three weeks for a fitting while I paid $140 for taking it in, hemming, and a bussle. Good luck with dress shopping!

http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/productdisplay.aspx?productID=bd0455d0-b381-4af5-99f8-9088a9d8a71f&categoryID=32e5a88c-cbf1-498f-afcf-dbfca138c5d3&pg=0&colorId1=

elidellio

Kayla, that's so encouraging that you were able to get a great dress there for only $450. $1,000 is really the top I want to spend and I'm hoping to come in well below that. I just want to make sure that I have some options available (and don't get laughed out of the store, lol).

Unless the alterations are included or discounted, I'm planning to bring the dress up to Dallas for that since it will be easier for me to go to fittings. 

I appreciate the advice! I'll be sure to check out both of those stores.

erollis

I hear there are several nice shops in Austin. I went to Alfred Angelo, off of Mopac, to get my dress. Mine was pricier then $400 but I that was the only dress I wanted. The dress itself was still easily under $1000.  I have had great customer service there so far. Hope your search goes well!

LadyRusa

I was also going to suggest Alfred Angelo, they have some goregous gowns-thats where we got my MoH dress from.

I've also read that Austin Bridal and Formal is pretty good, and I saw a place just the other day that looks interesting but they may be a bit more pricey-it was called Blush Bridal Lounge. They are on West 35 Street.   http://www.blushbridallounge.com/gowns.html

elidellio

I found Austin Bridal & Formal online and they do look great. I will definitely make an appointment at Alfred Angelo. I'm so glad to hear that so many people have had good experiences there. I can't wait to do some dress shopping!!

mybestfriend4eva

I went to Signature Bridals. They are super easy to work with, are great in communicating with you, have gorgeous dresses, and the prices are great! Lauren was my consultant and she is amazing!

mrshall1027

Signature Bridal is great.  They do carry higher end dresses, so make sure you tell them your budget so that they don't show you a dress you can't afford and fall in love with it.  Check their website too - they have a sample sale page that shows you which ones they have with pricing.

Austin Bridal and Formal has a ton of options for your price point.  The most expensive one I tried was $1200 but they had one I really liked for $700 I think.

elidellio

Oh, great, thanks!!! I'm thinking of going to Austin Bridal and Formal first.

Gabby0819

I got my dress at the bridesmaid store off 183 and oak knoll, They were very friendly and my dress was super affordable ($600) They have a $99 rack and tons of options under $1000, and they have a huge selection of bridesmaids as well (hints the name) Good luck

courtneyabliss

I suggest buying a preowned wedding dress from somewhere like preownedweddingdress.com or bravobride.com. I bought a $4,000 Marissa french lace alencon dress for $1,000 and it was only worn once! The girl happened to be exactly my height and size (just a larger bust..dangit) and so it saved me hundreds on alteration costs as well! Some girls think that going to find Sample gowns is a bargain, however, they have been tried on hundreds of times. The samples I tried on were in horrible condition.This dress was in prestine condition and already pressed for me.

If you buy pre-owned, you can still buy a dress that is in the store. So what you can do is go try on the dress at the salon with the girls, and search for it online preowned. That's what I did and it worked out great!

At first, I wasn't sure about the idea of buying a gown that someone else wore at their wedding. But when I realized I could have a designer gown that was only worn one time, by one person, and was in PRESTINE condition, I got over it very quickly. When I got my dress in the mail, it was MY dress. I am so happy I did it because I felt beautiful and I saved a ton of money! 

And guess what - I'm selling it for what I bought it for!! 

Also, I bought my veil from a lady on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/65698940/40-inches-veil-with-4-inch-alencon-lac. It was custom made and it matched my dress PERFECTLY! It was only $109.00 vs. $700 at the store.

Another idea, if you are on a budget for your wedding:

Try send and seal invitations. www.paperandlaceofaustin.com. I make custom invitations. Send and Seal invitations do not require any envelopes and they fold up into a self mailing card. The RSVP is post card style and tears off from the invitaiton for your guests to send back in. You can have them COMPLETELY custom designed and printed from me for just $3.50 each!