You have an engagement ring on your finger and a date chosen for the big event! Congratulations! Now it’s time to choose a wedding dress for your big day. Since the budget is always a consideration, there are lots of options for finding a gorgeous dress without spending a ginormous amount of money at one time.
Catching Sales
If you have quite a bit of time before your big day, scope out the wedding dress sales. You can also try calling your local bridal stores and asking when they have sample sales. Many bridal stores offer these kinds of sales every season to clear out their in-store inventory and make room for new, incoming dresses. Your choices will be limited to the size and selection they have in the store, but the prices are usually substantially marked down in order to move the dresses out the door.
Discount Bridal Stores
There are a number of bridal stores that specialize in discount prices. David’s Bridal is a huge and very well-known discount bridal store.
You can find many, many discount bridal stores online and order directly from them. You can have the dress shipped directly to your home. The best approach to buying a dress from an online store is to go to a local bridal shop and try on different dresses until you find the one you want.
Get the dressmaker, design name, item number, and correct size from the store and then go online and order the dress. Make SURE you get the correct size because wedding dress sizes run much smaller than regular dress sizes and if you order it too small, it will be difficult to have it altered.
Hand-Me-Down Dresses
One of the best ways to save on the cost of a dress is to choose a dress that has been worn before. If you’re lucky, you have someone in the family, like your mother, grandmother, or another relative, who has a lovely dress that you want to wear and they are willing for you not only to wear it but to alter it or even redesign it so that it is transformed into your own special dress. Wearing a dress from a family member can add to the sentimental and emotional content of your big day.
Buy Now, Pay Later
Many online retailers now offer buy now pay later financing options with $0 down, 0% interest, and no credit checks. This allows you to buy a wedding dress now and pay for it later over time by making payments. Below is a list of the best online stores that sell wedding dresses and offer various financing methods.
| Online Store | Website Link | Financing Options |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomingdale's | bloomingdales.com | Klarna or Bloomingdale's credit card |
| Cocomelody | cocomelody.com | Affirm, Afterpay, Sezzle or PayPal Credit |
| Harrods | harrods.com | Klarna |
| Oscar de la Renta | oscardelarenta.com | Affirm |
| Saks Fifth Avenue | saks.com | Klarna or SaksFirst |
| The Dress Outlet | thedressoutlet.com | Klarna |
| Vestiaire Collective | vestiairecollective.com | Klarna |
Final Thoughts
Your wedding dress is one of the biggest expenses in planning for your big day. There are lots of sources for dresses that are beautiful and will help create wonderful memories of your wedding.
