Dress Budgets?

meganmarie122 · June 2010

I hope this isn't overstepping my boundaries or too nosy-but I was just wondering what everyone is planning to spend or already spent on their wedding dress? My Mom and I had this idea that we'd try to find something right around $1000 but we're really starting to rethink that after watching shows like Say Yes to the Dress and attending bridal shows. Our entire wedding budget is around $35,000 so I'm just trying to figure out what a good price point for my dress should be around.

FYI, the gown I'd love to get is this one by Allure Bridals, priced around $1500.

opalsky007 · June 2010

I had planned to spend under $800 but spent $1300. It wasn't a big deal because I already had the money saved up. We paid for our attire outside the wedding budget because we did not want our decisions (if we went over budget) to affect the comfort of our guests by requiring us to scale back on catering or something to that effect.

A note about your own budget: there are tons of fabulous dresses out there for under $1K, and it's easy to forget that when you watch SYTTD. Every time a consultant shrugs and says, "That's just the cost of a white dress these days" on that show I cringe. You can get high quality for under $1K, you can get high quality above $1K, and even if you find yourself drawn to designer gowns, you can often find ways to get the dress you want for less (My own gown was a designer sample).

aerinpegadrak · June 2010

My budget was about $600. My gown was just under $500, and alterations were about $150, from David's Bridal.

mbcdefg · June 2010

Don't base your budget around what TV shows and Knotties tell you to spend. Base your budget on what you can afford.

Also, remember that the wedding industry (which bridal shows, television programs, magazines, wedding websites feed off of) WANTS you to spend more money. So of course they're going to make it seem like your only option is to spend $3K, $4K, $5K+. And remember that Say Yes To The Dress is shot at Kleinfeld's, which carries high-end gowns ... if it was shot at a more typical bridal salon, the girls featured on the show would be spending a lot less money. Those shows feature expensive gowns because they want you to drool over them and covet them ... it's not profitable for them to show gowns where you'd watch the show and say, "Oh! I could easily afford that with no problem." They want you to fall in love with stuff you can't afford.

I've seen tons of people here pay $1K or less. I've seen people here go way over $1K. My dress cost under $1K but the alterations and bustle put everything up to maybe $1200 total. I don't think I know anyone in real life who paid nearly as much as the Say Yes To The Dress customers did.

portialoveschris · June 2010

My limit was $1000, but I paid $800. Don't get caught up by the tv shows, and that's coming from a woman who's in tv news.

You CAN find a beautiful gown for under a grand. Besides, the way the economy is right now, I read a news article just this week that said most brides are now scaling back to around $1000 and many shops have taken notice, hence the new bridal boutiques at The Limited, White House Black Market, and J. Crew.

Remember, it's Hollywood. They WANT you to spend more.

Good luck!

jemali_2003 · June 2010

I completely agree with opalsky007. I really did not want to spend more than $1,000 on my dress and found my dream dress for a little over $600! It is also from Allure Bridals.

kristinanddan · June 2010

My goal was to also spend around 1000. My dress was 1250 or so.

snookums4clo · June 2010

Stick to your budget and see what happens. Your dress maybe a little more or a little less. I found my first dress it was 200 dollars more out of my budget it was for 800 my budget was around 400- 500 at the most. I didn't think I found anything I was going to stay with the first pick then I went to a few more places. I ended up getting a dress from David's Bridal for below my budget it turned out to be on sale and it is way more beautiful then the first dress that I picked out that was more expensive. That extra money I saved I spent on doing the alterations. So try to stay around your budget keep looking and try not to have your mind set on a particular kkind of dress either. Those TV shows those people have that type of money to spend on a like 2,000. I'm pretty sure you will find something you love for 800 dollars or less. Keep looking take your time. Good Luck but I know you will be fine.

Beth0413 · June 2010

I wouldn't judge anything with what you see on Say Yes To The Dress. I love the show but the budgets on there are crazy!

With that said - it's definitely possibly to find a beautiful dress around $1,000. I had a $1,500 budget & I found my dress for $700!

Good luck

Goldlie11 · June 2010

I'm lucky that my mom is buying my dress. She mentioned a cap of $1,000. I haven't gone dress shopping yet. Everything I've been interested from browsing online is under $600. I like dresses that are kind of simple, so it keeps the price down.

Personally I think you should find a price you are comfortable with. The recommended percentage to spend on attire for you and your FI is 10% (this includes all accessories and alterations).

jagore08 · June 2010

I honestly didn't have a set budget for my dress but I knew I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars on it. I ended up getting a Casablanca gown from Jay's Bridal for $670. Well within what I thought I'd spend.

gottahavashorti · June 2010

There are dresses in all budgets and less expensive versions of many dresses, so just ask to look at dresses within your budget.

I knew I wanted lace which tends to up the price a little, but my dress budget was $700 and I spent a little under $600 including tax. With alterations it was under $700.

amylo84 · June 2010

Don't judge anything based on those shows. You can get dresses that are just as beautiful for a lot less. I guarantee when FI sees you at the end of the aisle he won't be thinking "is that a Vera Wang?" I spent 650 on my dress (alfred angelo), 150 on the veil, and 70 on the headpiece, and to me it is just as beautiful as the others.

sexymander · June 2010

My budget is under $600 for my dress. I checked all over the internet and found one I love. I'd checked the retail price on the designer's web site (almost $600) and when I went to the shop the other day they said it would be even cheaper!
I watch that show all the time with my sister and mom, but I've never felt the need to spend that much. In most of the episodes I've seen many of the girls are obviously very well off and if you can afford it it's great. I see no reason to pay that much though when I can find something just as great for half the price.

kristinanddan · June 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-budgets?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:d3ae0877-283e-483d-8dd7-c5c5fba087b0Post:fde51cf2-74d7-4e09-a777-246004ff8ed4">Re: Dress Budgets?</a>:
[QUOTE]I can see how shows like that would give you a false sense of what most brides really spend. My MOH thought that $2K+ was normal because she starting watching Say Yes To The Dress after I got engaged. T<strong>hose consultants act like they can't find you a dress when you cap your budget at around $2,500!</strong> I limited myself to around $1K and ended up buying a Maggie Sottero dress for $1,100. There are lots of dresses that are gorgeous and reasonably priced. Check out Maggie, Alfred Angelo, or Sincerity.
Posted by MSSJF[/QUOTE]

They can't at Kleinfeld because I believe (aside from samples) their dresses start at 2k.

chrisandjordan · June 2010

When I went dress shopping I had a budget in mind of $400-$500 and ended up spending just over $800 for both dress and veil.

My mom gave me the best advice about dress shopping though. She told me not to look at any of the price tags while I was trying on the dresses. It helped me narrow things down way quicker than if I had been focused on how much something cost. Instead I looked at how I hate the feel of taffeta and how while my mother loves ballgowns I would not be caught dead in one.

At the end of the day I bought the dress I fell in love with and after seeing the price realized it was worth it for me to spend more. Just imagine your dream dress and think how much you would be willing (and could afford) to pay for it. Go with that number when you walk into a store ask to see anything that number and below and then never look at another price tag until you have found THE dress.

jenn.daniel · June 2010

I'd budgeted $600 for just the dress. Spent $321. Including alterations, veil, crinny, steaming, and undergarments, the grand total for my attire will be about $660.

veritasatori · June 2010

I won't go over $1500, and I'm hoping to keep it to more like $1000 (before alterations).
As for PP's advice to not look at price tags until after you've already fallen in love with a dress, that sounds like a surefire way to blow your wedding budget -- but to each her own.
I'm considering trying on gowns at bridal boutiques but ultimately ordering my dress from an online discounter (e.g., Netbride.com). I plan to dress shop in the fall, so we'll see if I end up having the guts to do that!

futuremrshoff · June 2010

there is a shop, the Papillon Botique, in Findlay Ohio that has designer Gown's at a serious mark down I found a $1000 gown for $200. they are new, but not this years gowns, but the selection is nice and the women at the shop are sooooo wonderful.

lanyemichelle · June 2010

Try sample sales. I got my gown (originally priced at $13,000) for $2,000 just for asking if they had any samples for sale at the salon.

jenn.daniel · June 2010

There's a poll on the WP board about dress cost. It's called "this is the real one" or something like that. Somewhere around 60% of thr ladies bought a dress for less than $1000.

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