On your wedding day, you want to look your absolute best. It’s probably the
one day in your life that you will have the most photos taken of you ever. Not
only do you (usually) hire a person (or two) specifically for the job of taking
photo records of the day but your guests will be clicking away too. For this
reason, it’s easy to justify spending WAY too much on a dress you will wear for
one day (albeit, a very special day) and shoes that you will end up taking off
after an hour or two. The following are my suggestions to look your very best
and save as many budget dollars as possible.
The
Groom
I think I only need a few sentences about the Groom, really. And I’m not
going to go into the personal style of it – wear a top hat, chain, penguin
suit, etc if you so choose. As far as the budget goes, I obviously advocate
wearing a suit/tux you already own if you have one. Take it to the tailor to
get fine-tuning if you need it and buy a new tie or vest if you need to spice
it up or match wedding colors.
My handsome Groom in his rental and Chucks (looking a little too serious).
A fitting gift from his best friend.
If you don’t already own a suitable… err, suit, then renting is probably the
way to go for you. My Groom rented his from Mens Wearhouse (cute play on words
there that I didn’t realize until wedding planning). The total for everything –
including tie, jacket, vest, and pants – was $154.94. The Groom bought a brand
new pair of Chuck Taylors that he needed anyways to feel comfortable and match
his style.
Taken in Mens Wearhouse.
The
Bride
To read about my wedding dress saga, see this post. However, since then, I
have discovered that the awesome shop has closed down! Sad sad me. That shop
was a treasure chest of awesome vintage wedding gowns at Budget Bride prices.
After you take your moment of silence for the loss of a bridal gem, join me in
exploring these other budget-friendly options.
That's me! The Bride!
David’s Bridal
I’ve said it once (or twice) and I’ll say it again: David’s Bridal is your
friend. For some reason unbeknownst to me, DB has gotten a bad reputation in
the wedding world. It’s synonymous with “cheap” or somehow “not chic”. Well, my
DB naysayers, I couldn’t disagree with you more.
In the beginning stages of dress hunting, David’s Bridal is your best
friend. Make an appointment well before you intend to buy just to try on
different styles to see what looks good on your body. Is it strapless?
Cap-sleeved? Long-sleeved (a la Kate Middleton)? Sweetheart? Empire waist? Grecian?
So many styles to choose from!! You may think you know what looks best, but
wait until you try on others before you settle on a style. David’s Bridal is
the best place to do this, in my opinion. I definitely prefer them to the stuffy,
pressure-filled high-end boutiques.
Look familiar? The Kate Middleton replica at DB for $849.00.
Once you’ve narrowed down your styles, you can either take that information
to the web (outlined below), to other boutiques, OR you might find that you
absolutely love one of the DB dresses you tried on. Their new Vera Wang line is
absolutely gorgeous and I am still grieving their poor timing on its release (that
is, AFTER I purchased my own wedding gown). Warning: Most of the Vera dresses are still
pricey according to my standards. But boy oh boy, how prettiful. See some of the less costly ones...
Vera Wang at David's Bridal. $400.00
Another Vera at DB. $500.00. Swoon.
The Web Simplybridal.com - After you’ve chosen the best dress style for you (and
reviewed the photos of yourself in it 100 times), one amazingly affordable
option is to take that information straight over to simplybridal.com. This
website allows you to choose the elements that look best on you and get a gown
CUSTOM made for you. Browse through the A-line gowns to find your favorite or
check out the organza options then take your measurements and find the right
size for you. The prices on these dresses are seriously jaw-droppingly
reasonable. They make the gown AFTER you purchase it (so it’s not just a stock
dress), they ship it for free, and I couldn’t even find one for over $400.00.
Most are in the $200 and $300 range and not pre-worn, pre-owned or even
pre-made.
The Penelope Gown at simplybridal.com - $379.99
So, before I decided to recommend them on my blog, I thought what you’re
thinking, “...but what if I don’t like it ON and it’s not THE DRESS?” A little
digging showed that the dresses are 100% refundable within 10 days. If you try
it on and don’t love it, return it! And get this, they will even reimburse up
to $75 worth of alterations if they didn’t get it quite right. How is it that I
find out about these things AFTER my wedding? ::sigh::
The Charlotte Gown at simplybridal.com - $279.99
Etsy.com – I’m an Etsy fan. I totally dig trying to support the individual
artists in their crafts and Etsy is one of the easiest places to do so. They
are generally a little pricier than the options above but I still found plenty
of drool-worthy options for under $800. And if you don’t find your gown here,
check back for accessories and even wedding rings!
RecycledBride.com – If you have no aversion to wearing a pre-owned or
pre-worn gown, this is a great site to find designer dresses at a fraction of
even the sample cost. You can be in contact with the seller directly and they
are usually pretty quick to answer questions (in my experience). Each seller
will have his/her own return policy and it’s probably not very flexible, but
find a gown at the right price and “splurge” on the alterations. This is also a
great way to be environmentally friendly and reduce the footprint of your
event! Find decorations, shoes, veils, wedding rings and more on this “green”
site.
Oleg Cassini on RecycledBride.com - $300
Last but not least, Oncewed.com – Among many other resources, this website
offers a huge inventory pre-owned and pre-worn dresses. It has a similar set-up
as Recycled Bride above where it’s kind of a “craigslist” for wedding gowns. There
are some real steals on here with Jcrew, Vera Wang, and Jessica McClintock
dresses for $100 in some cases. Be sure not to get a size TOO big otherwise you’ll
be stuck with a huge alterations bill and you might lose some of the structural
integrity of the dress. If you stay within 3 or 4 sizes though, you should be
ok. Ask your seamstress what she recommends!
This GORGEOUS Vera Wang dress on OnceWed for $99.00!
JCrew dress on OnceWed for $99.00. I love the back of this one!
My
Costs
As noted in previous posts, I got my pre-worn dress at a designer
consignment shop for $250.00. It was $200.00 for alterations, making my dress
grand total $450.00. I bought a simple veil from a craft store for about
$25.00, my black necklace from an ADORABLE boutique (francescascollections.com)
for $30.00 and my “glass slipper” shoes from Aldo for $45.00. My diamond
earrings were borrowed from my sister and I wore a black sweater over my dress
while I was outside in the nasty weather that was also from Francesca’s. My
total look cost $550.00. Right on budget.
Hi, my name is Crystal. I'm a newlywed who had a love-filled Chicago wedding on a (small) budget! A DIY & thrifting enthusiast. These are my wedding (and life) challenges, musings, and creative inspirations. Welcome to my lovely city life - on a budget.
"...just us and our beautiful city skyline watching in the background." click to read our story
Yay for staying on budget! You guys look so great! I love the bulls cufflinks. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenn! You two looked great too! More pics! More pics! :D
ReplyDelete