Where to find an inexpensive wedding dress?

natalie0131

Hi ladies! 

I just posted this on the DFW board, but wanted to check here as well. 

I'm going wedding dress shopping the first weekend of April, and I have no idea where to go. 

Originally I fell in love with Lazaro and Jim Hjelm dresses, but now my budget is a little more limited. I was thinking of trying Davids Bridal..any others in the area that might be good? 

Thanks in advance for your help.

suzannepdc

I found some good stuff at Davids Bridal (but opted to get something somewhere else).  I think it can be hit and miss there depending on how busy it is, etc.  We went on a Friday evening and had a fanatastic person helping us and had her complete and undivided attention (this was in Norfolk VA).   I believe that if you go on a Saturday, they might have two brides for each consultant, so I would go off hours if you can. 

They had a pretty good gamut of prices too and the person was really good about telling me how much the dresses were when I put them on.

bean0408

After much searching around town I found mine as a sample dress at a local boutique in town. It is a Reem Acra that I love and it was actually very budget friendly

Leigh617

I found my dress yesterday at David's Bridal for a great price.  We also found my mother's dress, my rehearsal dinner dress & my bridesmaids' dresses there.  I made an appointment & although it was crowded I had the saleswoman's undivided attention for 2.5 hours.  I looked online ahead of time & had some ideas of which ones I would try on.  In fact, my favorite one online turned out to be the one I bought.

natalie0131

Leigh-- which dress did you buy, if you don't mind me asking? (And congratulations on getting the dress!)

FutureMrs.McC

Do you have an Alfred Angelo near you?  They have reasonable dresses.  I don't know what your budget looks like but Maggie Sottero has a lot in the $800 range.  Most bridal shops will have a sample section where you can get nice dresses for a great price.

Personally, I hate David's Bridal and would rather stab myself in the eyes than walk in that place.  Of course, this is just from my personal experiences.  And I truely believe you can find much better quality dresses for the same price.

natalie0131

I've looked on the Alfred Angelo site but I never seem to find anything that catches my eye. Thank you for the suggestions, though! I guess I should specify that my budget is probably around 1500-2000 in case that sparks anything. 

FutureMrs.McC

In Response to <a href="http://destination.weddings.com/main.aspx/wedding-theme-boards_destination-weddings_inexpensive-wedding-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Theme%20BoardsForum:54Discussion:0ba4eb84-72f0-44fc-88a1-92b56d23ed46Post:4ab524d3-41e7-4ad8-8705-e2d5f431ba0d">Re: Where to find an inexpensive wedding dress?</a>:
[QUOTE]I've looked on the Alfred Angelo site but I never seem to find anything that catches my eye. Thank you for the suggestions, though! I guess I should specify that my budget is probably around 1500-2000 in case that sparks anything. 
Posted by natalie0131[/QUOTE]

I was wondering if you still had a pretty big budget due to the designers you mentioned.  Any bridal shop you go to will have plenty in that range.  My dress was a Tara Keely.  It's a division of Jim Hjelm you might want to look into.  Her dresses are similar and less expensive.

ETA:  I also love Enzoni, Casablanca and Maggie (as I already mentioned) when I was shopping.

caymans_christy

I would suggest going into a smaller, local bridal shop and telling them your price range.  I went to a shop here in Columbus, told the consultant what I wanted to spend and had pictures of dresses that I liked.  She did not show me anything over my price range.  Your range is actually a lot higher than mine was and I pretty much had my pick of the store.  My dress is Casablanca.

nubiannqween

If there is a Group USA by you, they would be a good option for you to check out. I got my dress there. They have a selection of gowns at alot of different price points.

Leigh617

Natalie - You can see my dress at David Bridal's website by entering item #: WG9828

You're budget is pretty big though.  I wouldn't think you would have much trouble finding something in that range.  I was able to get my dress, my mother's dress (+ alterations for her dress), my tiara, my veil, my petticoat, my rehearsal dinner dress & new bras for both me & my mother all for just under the amount of the low end of your dress budget.

chichick00

I bought mine at davids while they were having a huge sale and got it for $250...which made me fall in love with my dress even more

gabi829

You could always check preownedweddingdresses.com for Lazaro or Jim Hjelm designs!

clairesharood

Gilt Group recently did a designer wedding dress sale. I'm not sure when they will do one again but I am happy to forward an invite along if anyone is interested. Gilt is an online designer outlet, usually I think the clothes are still overpriced but the wedding dress sale was suprising good. The web address is www.Gilt.com.

natalie0131

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! I can't believe I'm going wedding dress shopping in like two weeks. Seriously blows my mind a little. 

beachbum1285

Natalie - 

I bought my dress at Lewisville Bridal Boutique. TONS... literally like 500+ dresses to choose from within your price range. I highly suggest you check them out and the girls in the shop are so nice considering I had just came from a horrible experience at Terry Costa and a so-so one at Mockingbird Bridal. 

They have all kinds of designers... Maggie Sottero, Sophia Tolli, Essence of Australia, Casablanca, Allure, Mori Lee, Watters, just to name a few. 

beachbum1285

OH but make an appointment if you decide to go there!

I went to pick my dress up as soon as the store opened a couple Saturdays ago and the store was already filled with brides. They get VERY busy!