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You've been dreaming of your wedding day for your whole life. You imagine
walking down the aisle in the
perfect
white gown with flowing veil, sophisticated tiara or hairpiece, and a
romantic bouquet of flowers. No holds barred, you visualize the perfect
everything -- with money no object.
Now your dream becomes reality. You've gotten engaged and are planning the
perfect wedding, except the reality is that funds are not endless and you have a
budget to work within. That budget must cover not only your bridal attire, but
also fees for rental of your ceremony and reception site(s), decorations,
catering/food, bar, flowers, music, photography, video, minister's fee, marriage
license, invitations, wedding rings, transportation, honeymoon, attendants;
gifts, guest wedding favors, and a myriad of other miscellaneous costs.
Like most of us, perhaps your budget does not allow you the luxury of
spending $10,000 to $20,000 for a designer wedding gown. Or even if it does,
perhaps you'd prefer to spend less on a gown and accessories you'll wear only
one day and use a larger portion of your budget for more elaborate photography,
an expanded wedding album, substantial keepsake favors for guests,
custom-designed wedding rings, or an extended exotic honeymoon.
Regardless of budget or financial means, everyone enjoys the feeling of
accomplishment when locating and acquiring a bargain. With a little research and
creativity, anyone can reap the benefits of significant savings. Listed below
are a number of ways to easily locate the bargain wedding gowns and accessories.
If you are just starting out and do not know what styles you prefer, what
fabric colors and gown silhouettes look most flattering on you, or what size you
wear, you may want to begin by visiting a few full-service bridal shops. Look
through the racks and make note of the styles, features, and colors you like
best. Try on different gowns to see what is most flattering overall and what
features you want to up-play or down-play. Sometimes you will find that a style
you liked in a magazine photo is really not flattering for your height, figure,
or skin and hair coloration.
Bridal gowns are sized very different from normal street clothing, so don't
be depressed if you find you need a bridal gown that is 2 sizes larger than your
normal dress size. Keep in mind while most gowns average 2 sizes larger than
your normal dress size, each designer has their own sizing charts. Designers'
size charts vary greatly so you may find that you need a gown sized anywhere
between your normal dress size up to 3 or 4 sizes larger. With that variance in
mind begin compiling a list of what sizes fit you best for each gown designer
and manufacturer and make note of any special dress styles you prefer. If you're
at a bridal salon that removes the manufacturer labels and tags or re-labels the
style number tags with their own internal reference number (many salons do this
to avoid competitive shopping and price comparisons), sketch a picture of the
gown and ask for the name of the manufacturer. Salons won't let you take photos
of the gowns and generally won't tell you the actual style number of the gowns,
however, they should at least tell you the name of the designer or manufacturer
of the gown.
Once you have an idea of the styles you like and the size you need, begin
searching for your gown and accessories. It's best to purchase your
wedding dress before shopping for
accessories as certain characteristics of the dress will help determine the best
style, color, and length of veil, and the most flattering style of tiara or
headpiece. When looking for a gown, keep in mind that it's best to find a dress
that either fits perfectly or that is a bit large in some areas. Due to the
delicate fabrics, lace, and elaborate beading on many gowns, it is much easier
for a seamstress or tailor to take in a too-large gown than it is to let out or
enlarge a dress that is too tight. Many gown designers create gowns with a 1
inch or less seam allowance which makes expanding a gown difficult, if not
impossible. The more difficult a gown is to alter the more expensive the
alteration. Remember that your bargain wedding gown cost needs to incorporate
funds for both the dress purchase and alteration costs.
Bargain wedding gowns can be
found in a number of places. Besides a traditional sales promotion, most
full-service bridal salons have a small section of their stores dedicated to
sample gowns (gowns that have been tried on in the store as samples),
discontinued gowns (gowns no longer manufactured), and gowns that have been
special ordered and cancelled or abandoned (cancelled weddings, abandoned
deposits, etc). Normally these types of gowns cannot be ordered and must be
taken as is, in the size and condition displayed. To compensate for any dry
cleaning, necessary repairs, and to clear the display racks of discontinued
styles, salons offer the gowns at a discounted price. Generally, alteration
costs are separate and not included in the purchase price.
Consignment bridal boutiques have become extremely popular over the past few
years and are another option for locating bargain wedding gowns and accessories
at budget prices. Generally consignment boutiques accept only new or previously
worn gowns of current style in good condition, and previously-worn items must be
dry-cleaned before they are accepted. Items in the store are consigned (on loan)
to the store for a set amount of time and a consignment or listing fee is paid
to the store by the individual seller. If the items sell, the consignment shop
gets a percentage of the selling price. If the items do not sell within a set
period of time (generally 60 to 120 days), the seller picks up the bridal items.
Consignment shops can be a good, one-stop shopping solution for brides on a
budget as they generally carry a large variety of sizes, styles, colors, and
matching accessories. Many of the larger bridal consignment boutiques have their
own seamstresses so alterations and pressing can be done at the shop just like
full-service bridal salons.
Another excellent way to find bargain wedding gowns and accessories is online
through the internet. The internet is a very powerful tool and can connect you
with thousands of sellers. There are a number of websites dedicated to selling
bridal attire and wedding items. Sites such as www.nearlynewbridal.com,
www.bridesmade.com, and www.ebay.com offer thousands of items, including bargain
wedding gowns. Sellers range from brides with new or used items, bridal stores
from all over the world with samples or discontinued gowns, and manufacturers
with overstocks. Often, you can find brand new, never worn, never altered, gowns
and accessories for sale at less than half the original price. There are many
bargains to be found, and all it takes is a little online research.
If you already know the brand and style of gown you desire, you can perform
internet searches for online retailers and discounters who may have in stock (or
can order) your gown for a discounted price. Average online discount bridal
shops can save you up to 25% off salon prices because many are strictly on-line
businesses and do not have the overhead costs of running a store-front, bridal
salon. Many local full-service salons are losing business to internet bridal
retailers because they have difficulty competing with the deep discounts,
therefore, you may have noticed paid articles in bridal magazines discouraging
brides from purchasing gowns online. As long as your expectations are that
ordering a gown from an online bridal retailer means that your dress will arrive
packaged in a small box, will be wrinkled from the packing, need pressing before
wear, and any alterations will need to be done by a local tailor or seamstress,
you won't be disappointed.
Another way to use internet research to locate bargain wedding gowns is to
perform searches for any outlet stores that carry the brands of gowns and
accessories you seek. For example, the author of this article saw the wedding
gown of her dreams in an online auction listing. However, the gown was too small
and the seller did not have a larger size. Unfortunately the gown had been
discontinued and all boutiques shipped their leftover merchandise to the
manufacturer's outlet store. Success came with a call to the cross-country
outlet. The dress was available in the correct size, available in two colors,
and the price of each dress was only $44! Not a bad price considering the gown
originally sold for $799 in the boutiques. Since the price was so low and the
author was unsure of the best color, two gowns (one of each color) were ordered.
The ivory gown was chosen for the wedding and the white gown was quickly resold
online to another bargain-seeking bride.
If you are looking for something in particular and are having difficulty
locating it or need to find it in a hurry, some online sites such as
www.nearlynewbridal.com also offer a feature where you can place free, online
Wanted ads for the item(s). Sellers with items that fit your description can
then contact you by e-mail to send information and photos. Local newspapers and
trading publications also offer free or low cost want ads that you may want to
consider. Also check out their For Sale listings. You never know what you might
find. Several years ago, a friend found her $1000 dream dress for $200 in a
Trading Times style publication.
Other places to find bargain wedding gowns include thrift stores, swap meets,
and yard sales. Often the bridal merchandise found in these outlets are older in
style, however, if you're looking for a vintage gown you could easily find the
perfect gown and accessories for an amazing price. If you have chosen to make
your gown or if you purchased a very basic gown in need of embellishments, you
could recognize a significant savings by utilizing fabric, lace, beading, and
buttons from low cost gowns found at thrift outlets and yard sales. The fabric
and embellishments can also be used to make a number of wedding accessories
including ring pillows, flower girl dresses, wedding favors, etc. Also check
with friends and relatives to see if they have any wedding attire or accessories
to give, loan, or sell.
One more option for locating bargain wedding gowns and other items is
checking with your bridal service vendors. Often bridal consignment shops start
out as other service vendors such as florists, photographers, and bridal
consultants. Over years of doing business, the vendors often expand their
businesses to encompass consigning various bridal and wedding items. Even if
your vendors have not yet officially branched out, they may have items they are
displaying for their clients and past clients. It is not uncommon for clients to
ask vendors to help them sell items or pass along sales referrals, particularly
if a wedding is cancelled or if the event was very expensive and the bride and
groom would like to recoup some of the costs.
One thing to remember about bargain
wedding gown shopping is that to realize significant savings, you often
cannot try on the gowns (particularly if shopping online, by phone, through a
newspaper, or at a yard sale, swap meet, or thrift store). Since sizes vary
greatly by manufacturer, it is imperative to know your exact body measurements
-- particularly, your bust, waist, and hip measurements as well as an accurate
measurement of your height. When measuring your height, keep in mind the heel
height of the shoes you'll be wearing. Utilize actual measurements as the most
reliable way to determine fit. If you are looking at a gown advertised online,
ask the seller for both gown size and gown measurements. If you're looking at a
gown at a yard sale or thrift store, carry a tape measure with you to measure
the gown's measurements.
Bargain shopping for your wedding gown and accessories can be both
financially and emotionally rewarding. Throughout your search, you need to stay
focused on the end result a feeling of pride and accomplishment as well as a
sense of satisfaction for finding the perfect gown and accessories for the best
price. Stay focused on the excitement of your search and let it drive you
forward. Your search should be fun, adventurous, energizing, and enjoyable. Good
luck and happy bargain hunting.
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