Dress dreaming....

carmen29

Am I naive to hope for a dress around $1000???

kelmcgee

It really depends on what are you looking for.  I know that there are some stores that have a $99 rack some times but you buy them as is... or if you are close to the US you can always go to Davids and find something for under that price.   My dress was around $900 CDN after the exchange and everything from David's.

kaesha

I don't think you're naive at all. Definitely doable!

ring_pop

Mine was $550 + tax + alterations, about $800 after all was said and done. It's definitely doable!Just don't try on anything over budget. If you're really adamant on capping it at $1000, I would suggest not trying anything on over $750, to leave yourself room for tax and alterations. Go for dresses that work well as they are, rather than needing lots of changes, to minimize alterations.Good luck!

Littlin

I was actually surprised how many gorgeous affordable dresses were out there - mine wasn't much over $1000 with tax, so it's definitely doable!

MissLeahM

Most of the dresses I tried on were under $750. Plus the aterations were included so double score! Except if the height needs to be changed I will pay $100. Just make sure you tell your sells lady your budget and she should be accomidating, if she isn't then go somewhere else.

raspberry_bride

I think it is definitely possible, but i agree with ring_pop not to try on anything over your budget, lest you fall in love with a pricey dress.Agreed about finding something that works as is, or with few alterations.

MeaghanG

Also, do research on what kind of dresses each store you are going to carries. Certain stores  carry only "high end" dresses and these tend to be more expensive. Smaller stores tend to carry less expensive (but not necessarily lower quality, there are some great stores and dresses out there).Mine was just under $1000, including alterations. I also went looking really early and waited until the store had a sale (taxes off) to actually purchase. By going early I was able to put off buying until there was a sale. In my experience they had a lot of sales around December because it is a slower time for them.

Littlin

Yes - I definitely agree with only trying on dresses in your price range. I didn't do this at first, and after a few dresses, found myself wearing a giant puffy princess dress that my mom LOVED, but wasn't for me (although it was very nice) and I caught a glimpse of the price tag, which was about $4000. Luckily the very first dress I tried on I loved - even though I tried on a ton after it just to make sure - and it was well in my price range. I guess I just got caught up in the dress excitement and didn't tell the sales girl this even after planning to do so right from the beginning. Luckily I didn't fall in love with the expensive one! I checked out a few bridal shop websites, and found a list of the designers they carried. I googled a few, browsed through websites, and found I could find rough prices for these dresses from dresses being sold by former brides or online stores. This gave me an idea of what price range the store accomodated to.

sugiepie

It's doable.I purchased a Pronovias sample for under $400. With alterations I am at about $600.00  Just remember alterations can be costly so try to stay around the $700-$800 mark.  There are a lot of dresses under your budget!

silversparks

It's totally possible. Like pps said, just remember to factor in taxes and alterations. And maybe think about your total budget for your complete ensemble - is that $1000 supposed to also cover shoes, veil, etc?

mcrotondo

Hey there I just bought my dress for $1100 taxes in.  You are not dreaming.  Try a few locations before you settle on your dress.  You might even be lucky and need little to no alterations.  I've been seeing discounts galore in the newspaper, midnight sales etc.  You will find it so no worres.As for shoes, make sure you get something comfortable because we all know what happens with new shoes...blister central with a pit stop at flip flop city.  I have a pair of virtually new pearl pink shoes which I plan on wearing because I know they are comfortable as I've worn them before.  If you are looking to save money and if your dress is long (thus hiding your feet), you might want to consider doing what I am doing.  Good luck and happy shopping.Monique

Nicole386

definitely doable!!  i live in a border town and totally plan to buy mine in the US.  check with the local boards for the closest US town to yours to get some recommendations on good bridal salons and pricing south of the border.

theredskittle

Hey!Like eveyone said, definitely doable, BUT! Be careful! My friend almost walked out of a store with a dress for 750, luckily I was there to point out that there was a pretty major snag in the material of her train. The sales woman said that they could cut it and mend it etc. etc. but it was pretty obvious that it could not be fixed. So just watch out for that.Also, be sure to check out the trunk shows and sample sales - they sell the dresses right from the rack.ALSO! Don't forget girls (because I know we are all watching say yes to the dress) in some cases, you CAN talk them down 10-12.5 % discount. ("Isn't there anything you can do?") Good advice from those who say don't try on anything that is too over budget (you don't want to fall in love with that dress and then be let down by everything you try on afterwards!)Good luck!!

suzie173

Regarding the shoes...heard it's bad luck to wear brand new shoes on the Big Day, so buy early, wear them out over the holidays to check out the comfort factor then put them away until the wedding. Any one know where I can get silver platform sandals in the Nova Scotia area?

angiemckinnon76

I think thats totally doable! I got my dress from San Jude's Bridal in Ajax and although mine cost a little more ($1300) They had many dresses there for around $1000 and under.  These were new dresses not samples and they could even order them for that price so I don't think they are discontinued or anything.  The service I got at San Jude's was so great I probably would have been willing to pay more than I did!  So I was really was surprised when I heard how much it was.  They also give you a deal when you order your dress from them the alterations are maximum $150 which is great because I know someone that spent big $$$ on their alterations so I was happy.  Shop around and see what the best balance of service and price works for you. Good Luck!