The rising costs of weddings in America burden many newlyweds with a mountain of debt, just as they’re starting their lives. Cheap bridal gowns are a great starting place to save money on your wedding, but your search for savings doesn’t have to mean a compromise on quality. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be able to sort through a sea of cheap bridal gowns to find the dress of your dreams.
Craigslist
Online shopping is always a bit of risk, especially when purchasing a used item. Auction sites, like Ebay, have hundreds of dresses available, but there’s a risk that the posted pictures don’t match the package you receive. With Craigslist you can arrange a meeting with the seller so you have an opportunity to assess the gown yourself and try it on. Don’t worry if the fit isn’t perfect, but know that it’s a lot easier to take a dress in to make it smaller than it is to take it out. Be careful when arranging a meeting with strangers, and bring a friend along for extra security and another set of eyes.
Charity Sites
Sites like Brides Against Breast Cancer collect donations of wedding dresses, reselling them to raise money for their charity. The cheap bridal gowns come from numerous sources, including retailers and manufacturers with last season’s overstock, as well as brides who want to donate to a good cause. If you are in a major metropolitan area, there’s a good chance you’ll find a branch of one of these charitable organizations where you can set up an appointment. Many of the gowns are extremely high-end, custom made dresses, and this may be your best chance to get a brand name dress at an affordable price.
Search For A Designer’s Trunk Show
Trunk shows are showcases for designers, where they roll out their latest fashions in a more relaxed setting than a runway show. Sample dresses have deep discounts over what you’d find in a traditional retail location, because you are buying directly from the designer instead of a middleman. Look around the internet and find the names of your favorite designers. Then, watch carefully for trunk shows and bridal expos in your area where the designers are likely to be.
Try Your Luck At An Outlet Store
Bridal boutiques, because they deal in small sales volumes, have extremely high markups compared to other clothing retailers. Outlet stores buy cheap bridal gowns with slight manufacturing mistakes, or those items overproduced by designers. The problem is sifting through an enormous number of gowns in sizes and styles that are unpredictable; however, the variety gives you more choices than your other options.
After finding your perfect gown, look for a storage solution that will preserve your gown and keep it looking like new for decades to come. Brick and mortar dry cleaners do provide cleaning services, but they lack the specialization needed for your delicate gown. Affordable Preservation takes the hassle out of dress preservation. All you need to do is package your dress and accessories in the prepaid preservation shipping kit, wait 4-6 weeks, and your dress will arrive via FedEx. The investment in gown preservation creates a keepsake you can display or pass down to a friend or family member in the future.
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Photo credit: Chris Photography~ / Foter / CC BY
