Budget Dress Without Budget Experience

Re: Budget Dress Without Budget Experience

• maine7mob member

  

  September 2020

  Lots of brides, regardless of budget, try on dresses in a salon without buying, simply because they don't find one they like. But if you know for a fact that you will not be buying from a brick and mortar shop, don't book an appointment at a boutique and waste someone's time. Those places usually have a sole proprietor and run on very slim margins. It would be better to go to a chain store. 
  
  And it can't hurt to ask about re-sale dresses.
  

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• charlotte989875 member

  

  September 2020

  evillenomore said:

  Hi there, I'm new here and just recently engaged. My fiance and I are paying for our wedding ourselves and one budget conscious decision made was for me to buy a dress online. I've seen lots of great options on Preowned Wedding Dresses. That includes, new un-altered dresses, some of which include a return window. While I am looking for the budget dress I still want to have to that salon experience with my parents there. I figure this will help me figure out my bridal size and silhouette. 
  Where I was looking for help is when it comes to holding the appointment. How to explain to a salon my intention and budget without being written off as not being able to afford it plan to purchase a dress from them? 
  Anyone with a similar experience?

  If you’re going with a budget and have them pull dresses within that I see no problem. However every store will ask your budget so they don’t pull anything for you that exceeds it; if you’re giving them a fake budget or if you have zero intention of buying anything there at all I think that’s wrong. They’re running a business to sell dresses not give people an experience of dressing up. If you’re just there to try on and won’t buy anything under any circumstances you’re taking up time that salesperson could spend with someone who is actually searching for a dress to purchase. 

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• MesmrEwe member

  

  September 2020

  First - purchasing online may NOT actually save you money nor time.  Go someplace like David's Bridal where they have the option of clearance dresses and online shopping along with budget friendly dresses.  They also have in-house alterations so you can have your dress altered if necessary without having to find a place to deal with that and at least for me, I found the cost of their alterations fair and well done compared to taking it to a local shop (their staff are trained specifically on THEIR dresses.  There are also consignment dress shops which are an option.  Do not cheap out on your undergarments and order a metal busk if you are going to wear a strapless (metal vs. plastic, plastic are good for one to two wears and often give out)..  Also, do not purchase your crinoline nor veil from a bridal shop as the markup is huge!
  
  While I have purchased formalwear from online (JJshouse and Lightinthebox) because I can't purchase in-store because of sizing, I'd exhaust your in-person options first because there are additional costs no one thinks of to ordering online that can make any cost "savings" null and void (first - vet the source you're even thinking of purchasing from - some places are better than others!  Some places are just a scam, and we're not talking a small one..  I've used the above sites and had a few orders that didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped so out the $$$).  You'll need to realize that this is coming off a slow boat from Shanghai, likely in a ziplock bag inside out, so you'll need to find a way to press/steam the dress and its under layers out while learning the reason dry cleaners use specific hangers for formalwear (it can cost around $100 just to have a dress steamed out!).  Yes, you can DIY this, but it takes time/skill (yes, you'll want to youtube the how-to!).  Also, the dress will have not been tried on by anyone else so the fabric hasn't had a chance to "relax" so will be tighter initially but with steaming out and wearing the fabric will relax with time.    

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• short+sassy member

  

  September 2020

  Don't necessarily rule out bridal stores.  I agree you shouldn't shop for dresses if you have no intention of buying one, but there can be some good deals out there, especially at David's Bridal.  Some other lower cost ways of finding a wedding dress are buying used locally or even buying a bridesmaid dress in white. Or going to a department store for a pretty dress in white, even if it isn't a wedding gown.  And all of that is only if you want white.  You can open things up even more if you don't mind a dress in other colors.
  
  I want to "second" @MesmrEwe's advice!  I ordered a custom made wedding gown from Hong Kong on Ebay.  They had 1,000+ good reviews.  Custom made only in that I sent them my measurements.  This was HUGE for me.  I'm only 5' tall so, even buying off the rack, would have been a $100+ alteration just to shorten a full length gown.
  
  I am SO glad people from this site warned me about a dry clean "pressing".  I LOVED my dress!  Huge savings.  Was shocked it fit me perfectly, without any alterations.  I was expecting to have to do alterations but, as long as they got the length right, that still would have been a major win.  But they sent my full-length, big poofy gown in a large padded envelope.
  
  I was puzzled when I received my envelope.  Surely there was no way this dress would have fit in an envelope.  Oh, but it did, lmao.  The entire dress was badly, badly wrinkled.  The gown cost me about $220.  Having it pressed by a dry cleaners cost me almost as much as the dress did, lol.  Another $130 (plus $20 tip) and they probably wish they'd charged more.
  
  I was really glad my mom had been a regular customer for years with her dry cleaner.  They told her when she picked it up that it had been substantially more difficult than they were expecting and took them hours to get all the wrinkles out.  Whatever process they do had to be done multiple times.  But their hard work paid off and they saved the day.  My dress was perfect, after they were done.  
  
  I also bought a new veil on Ebay for about $15.  It was from a company, not a person, so I know it was new.  I'd seen a similar one, sparsely dotted throughout with rhinestones, at David's Bridal for $250.  I had originally been planning to buy one of their $50 veils and dot it with rhinestones myself.  But, no need!  Thanks Ebay, lol.

  

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• knottie8a8d6789dc6c6ccf member

  

  January 2021 edited January 2021

  You can follow the discount days on the internet, this will give comfort to your budget.
  

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• Casadena member

  

  January 2021

  I'm going to disagree with most PP's in that I don't think there's anything wrong with going to a store to try on dresses.  How will you know what you like?  Maybe you'll find a good deal and end up buying from a store (which i would highly recommend over online, but that's just my preference).  Whatever your budget is just tell the store, they are used to working with all kinds of ranges.  I would not explain anything - just make an appointment, give your budget, and go try on dresses. 

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• karenburton1305 member

  

  March 2021

  Depends what level you're looking for I suppose - e.g. are you looking for a traditional wedding dress or would a more contemporary white dress work for you? I also agree about still trying things on - you need to know what you're looking for first. Once you find a style you like, then you can narrow your search!
  

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• geebee908 member

  

  March 2021

  Don't rule out consignment shops either. You can have a great experience there and find very affordable dresses. Many may be former sample dresses that haven't actually been worn for someone's wedding.

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