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Attire & Accessories Forum
kmcconnell21
member
Say yes to the cheap dress?
Hello future Brides. My name is Kim, and I'm new to the message boards, but not new to theknot.com. My Fiance and I have been engaged for a while, and have a little over a year to go before the big day . . . so I have plenty of time to plan!
One dilemma-
I believe in splurging in some areas of my budget and saving in others.
I'm thinking about cutting back on my budget for wedding dresses by purchasing a gown for under $2,000. My Mom thinks I shouldn't skimp on the dress, because "it's one of the most important elements of the wedding," and that this is one area in my budget to splurge.
With a dress under $2000 I will probably have to forgo the fancy beading, designer label, and high quality fabric. But, I think there are some pretty good options out there, especially over at J. Crew. Plus, I believe you can always jazz up a plain dress with the right accessories.
So what does everyone think? Save or Splurge on the dress?
Oh, and I posted my 3 top picks for gowns under $2000 from J. Crew here:
http://kimsharper.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to your thoughts . . .
One dilemma-
I believe in splurging in some areas of my budget and saving in others.
I'm thinking about cutting back on my budget for wedding dresses by purchasing a gown for under $2,000. My Mom thinks I shouldn't skimp on the dress, because "it's one of the most important elements of the wedding," and that this is one area in my budget to splurge.
With a dress under $2000 I will probably have to forgo the fancy beading, designer label, and high quality fabric. But, I think there are some pretty good options out there, especially over at J. Crew. Plus, I believe you can always jazz up a plain dress with the right accessories.
So what does everyone think? Save or Splurge on the dress?
Oh, and I posted my 3 top picks for gowns under $2000 from J. Crew here:
http://kimsharper.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to your thoughts . . .
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Say yes to the cheap dress?
I personally am going to set my dress budget at $800 total.
And thanks everyone for the Pronovias and Demetrios link. I'm checking that out right now!
I think JCrew's dresses are absolutely fabulous. Their bridesmaid dress are beautiful, too.
I think you just need to find something you love & feel your best in. You will probably find just that for less than $2000.
Good Luck!
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My advice would be to set a budget - but if you find something you love for under that number than get it! There are other areas where the money could be used like caterering, photography, or flowers. Plus in the end none of your guests are going to be like "beautiful dress, but she should have spent more"...Just a thought.
If you have the money to have a GREAT reception and still have some leftover, get an expensive dress, too.
ETA: There are pics of my dress (which was under $1,000) in my bio. It does not have a lot of beading and it doesn't have any lace. If you like a more simple dress, that's perfect! Sometimes very inexpensive dresses with lots of lace or beading can look cheap because the lace and beading isn't as high quality as it would be on a $15,000 dress. But I think you'll find something you love!
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[QUOTE]I would also try Maggie Sottero. I've seen some dresses that are very beautiful and under 2000 dollars.
Posted by NCLatina[/QUOTE]
I 2nd this! I got mine for $800. PIB.
2011-2012 Races
10/29/11 LA RockNRoll Min Half (5K) 42:58
12/4/11 Vegas RockNRoll Half 3:14:53
1/7/12 WDW Half 3:13:42
1/15/12 RnR AZ 2:55:27 (PR!!)
1/29/12 Tinkerbell 1/2 3:22:37 (To many picture stops!lol)
Me:32 DH:33
IFV w/ DE Only Option (On Hold For Now)
When I got the dress from JCrew in, it was more beautiful and flattering on me that anything else I had tried. My mom wanted to shop around some more, to give me more of the "expereince" but I have found my perfect dress. The silk is beautiful quality, and the construction and attention to details are wonderful.
Oh! And if you do decide to order a dress from JCrew, sign up for their emails. About every 3-4 weeks I get coupons offering an extra 20% off, and they are actually good on the wedding dresses too!
My Planning Bio
I think you are equating expense with good and that's just not the case. There are nice dresses that you'd be surprised fall well under $2k and there are those that are well above $2k. And all dresses are designed by someone, not wearing Vera Wang or a Priscilla of Boston doesn't make a dress any less special.
Decide what style you want, color, fit, etc., and go into a few salons and try on dresses and see what you like. If your dress is under $2k, great, if not and your agree with your mom that your dress should require a little spluring, then go for it.
I kept within my budget because to me spending anything over $2k (I can't imagine those that spend $5k+) just wasn't going to happen. I happen to think I can look good in a $1 dress and while I want to rock it for my wedding, going into debt for a one day wearing a dress for 10 hours wasn't worth it.
I researched and looked until I found the one and it's better than many of the pricey dresses I've seen on the knot or magazines or what friends have worn. And most importantly, it's still me.
Do what makes you happen but don't feel you have to spend more to achieve that, or that you can't spend less.
If you have fallen in love with a designer dress, (vera, monique, etc.) and you only want to spend 2k you could even buy it second hand, but there are many other designer options that aren't "cheap" but will run you less then 2k.
Good luck finding your dress! AND yes, SYTTD is redic., they give people the side eye when they say they want to stay under 3k. The stores I went to, maybe had like 5 dresses over 2k..... and that place can't find anything under it, so don't go off what Klienfelds has.
Good luck finding a dress, but I think I'd want to spend that extra money on the HM.
[QUOTE]OMG! Say Yes to the Dress is insane if you have a lower budget. I get cracked up watching it. That is not reality for a lot of brides.
Posted by fairy_diva[/QUOTE]
<div>I don't know how many times I've watched that show and seen a dress similar to mine for at least 3 times the price. it's a fun show to watch but I would never go there to buy a dress....it's just too unrealistic. </div><div>
</div><div>My dress is from Davids Bridal by Oleg Cassini style number CT258 and cost about $1000. this is the higher end of DB but it's still affordable. </div><div>
</div><div>if you go the DB route just make sure you don't get pulled in to buying anything extra that you aren't 100% positive on from them. It happened to me and I ended up getting a LONG veil I later changed my mind on and couldn't return it unless I got something else *thankfully my one of my BM and FG hadn't gotten there dresses yet so I put the credit towards their dresses and they paid me back. </div><div>
</div><div>but yeah "Say yes to the dress" is VERY high end</div>
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love it.
went WAY over budget on it too...
don't forget how much alterations will cost too...
You should have no problem finding THE dress on less than $2000
best of luck!
Needless to say, I was sold and I'm super happy with the cheap dress. You will only wear it once anyway...and i've been thinking about doing a Trash the Dress photo session once I'm done with it. That is something I would have never thought of doing if i had spent a great deal.