Reasonable Dress Shopping in Maine

blueeyes8403

Hello all-

The hunt for the perfect dress continues...wondering if anyone knows of same great places that are inexpensive in maine. In NH there is a place called Modern Bride where they have designer gowns for way cheaper then normal. I didn't know if anyone had heard of such a place in maine. I've checked out David's Bridal which seems the most reasonable at this time. I'm a true believer in not spending hundreds of dollars on a dress i'll only likely wear once, but i do want an elegant and simple bridal dress (train and all).

Also wondering if anyone around has ordered a dress online? I was thinking of that too but I'm kinda nervous about it. anyone have pictures of their dress they ordred online (from a knockoff shop?)

staceymhanson

Andreas Bridal in Portland but they run on the more expensive side! But the girls there are great!

amshaw1

What is your budget?

michelly73

You should look into bridesmaid dresses that can come in white (or a shade of.) I have a cousin who did this for her wedding and it cost her about $200 and you couldn't tell one bit.

jessicabessica

I second the recc for Andreas.  I don't know what your budget is, but I think they're not as cheap as David's, but the price ranges definitely overlap.  There's also Eco Elegance in Portland, which is a consignment shop.  Their selection is variable, but you could potentially get a gown that was never worn (like if someone purchased 2 dresses and didn't wear one).  

House of Brides and Henry's in Bangor seemed to have a broad range of prices, too, including sale racks.  I think there's also a budget bridal place in Bangor, but I don't know the name and haven't been there.  

fickrj5

There is a woman in Pittsfield who runs a shop out of her house, I know of four brides who have gotten thier dresses there in the last year.  One of them negotiated with her to get her dress for 50% off if all the bridemaids got thier dresses there!  The lady doesn't have a website, and she's kinda quirky, but really nice.

It's called Lawrence's Bridal Shop and she also does alterations, she carries a lot of different designers.  Her number is 487-5995.  She is an older lady, and have been in business for something like 30 years.  She's definately worth a look if you are willing to travel.  Pittsfield is about 15 minutes north of Waterville.

schadbourne

"pittsfield is 15 minutes norht of waterville" --if your going 90 on the interstate haha, its about a half an hour

but i seccond Lawrence's bridal, i also know someone who got her dress there and my mom knows her personally.

blueeyes8403

i'd like to spend under $500 with alterations if possible

littlefieldmj

I'm not sure where in Maine you are - but I got my dress from Bridal's by Sandy in Alfred, it's off Route 111 near the Biddeford turnpike exit.  She has a Facebook page, but not a real website.  The main floor has regularly priced dresses (still very reasonable), but she also has a room of off-price dresses.  The owner is super-nice, I would definitely check it out if it's not too far of a drive.  Here's the link to her FB page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bridals-by-Sandy/177855444671

jelenybeany

I second Bridals by Sandy. She's amazing. She has full price dresses that are still reasonable, and she always has TONS of clearance dresses. That's where I found my dress. Most of her clearance gowns are $100-$200 and they come in a variety of sizes. I actually just modeled wedding dresses for her at the Freeport bridal show last week because I just adore her that much.She's a lot of fun to work with.

ivyrose13

Formal Image in Lewiston has Alfred Angelo and Maggie dresses and they can work within every budget.

KatieArdie20

I got my wedding dress at Terry's Bridal in Lewiston, I haven't been there yet, I ordered over the phone, but they seem reasonably priced and really nice. I got the dress there for $125 to $300 cheaper then any other place I could find in Maine or New Hampshire quoted me.

My bridesmaids got their dresses from Lawrence Bridal in Pittsfield. One of them got her wedding dress there a few years ago, and one of my friends got her bridesmaids dresses there a few years ago. She is also really nice, if you buy through her she does alterations for free.  Her price for the Alfred Angelo dresses was also lower than the other places I checked and most of them didn't do free alterations.

teagan1985

Crazy as it sounds Hussey's General Store in Windsor is a nice place with good prices.  As a bonus, you have a unique story when people say "I love your dress, where is it from?"  And while you're there feel free to stock up on redneck provisions like 30 racks of cheep beer and shotgun shells.  Don't expect the "Say Yes to the Dress" treatment, but the staff here are all good, kind, knowledgeable people.  My mother bought her wedding dress here in 2000 for $110.  I am having her dress altered for my wedding by the best dressmaker in the world, but I like where it came from too.