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@Aisling10: If you dont mind about it there are EXCELLENT replica makers! The dress I wanted was originally $2100 dollars, but I had a replica made for $600, and I cant wait to wear it. Replicas are not for everyone, but if you dont mind that is an aoption.
If not you can always try to find the dress used??
Try prom dress shops! If you don't care about the actual label, prom dress shops have really affordable dresses and a lot of them come in white.
What about finding your dream dress and then buying it used? It normally saves 50% and it will be hemmed and bustled. Buying used works best if you're a usual size/height, but I've seen dressed of all shapes/sizes online.
Buy a sample gown! I did and mine was 75% off the regular price!
trunk shows tend to offer 10=15% off collections, and used dress websites are typically 25-50% off. And if you go to a shop and try on a sample that fits you or is a little too big, barter with the shop owner to buy the sample off the rack.
Once you find a dress/salon you like be on the look out for sales/trunk shows. The dress I purchased my maggie from honored the trunk show from another salon that was going on that weekend.
The place where we are getting my BMS dresses from does monthly bms dress sales and so I let my girls know when those are each month.
Also a word of advice, don't trust the salon to call you if there is a sale check with them often to see. I find facebook and dress designers webpages are the best places to look for what events are coming up in your town. Ask for the salon you want to purchase from if they will honor it. In most cases they will because they want your sale, and if they wont go get it where its cheaper. ;)
Hope this helps.
1. See if the store offers price matching. A friend of mine called a bunch of other stores out of town to ask about the price of the dress she wanted, and her store matched the lowest price.
2. Go to a discount bridal mart that sells gowns by the designers you like. I was able to get about $450 discount on my dress by doing so.
Congratulations!
A friend of mine got married earlier this year, and she got her dress in the St. Catherines/Welland area. She was saying that the prices are waaay cheaper out there. Good luck!
If you don't mind buying a dress online some department stores have a great selection of bridal gowns. My favourites sites are Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus. Oh and The Limited as well. Depending on what the shipping and return policies are to Canadian customers these may be worthwhile.
Also if you join membership sites like ideeli and ruelala they tend to have bridal sales a few times throughout the year. Ideeli had one a couple weeks ago and Ruelala has one going on right now actually.
Try bridal shows/fairs! I went to one in my hometown and they had a room full of dresses that were either the sample or worn once in a show.. every dress was only $100! And they were originally over $2000!
I noticed this after I bought my (Watters) dress but the same exact style dress was available as a bridesmaid dress in ivory!! I was not looking for anything elaborate so I very easily could have saved a lot of money by thinking of this!
I think I read this tip in Bridal Bargains, but it helped me out a ton: lowball your budget, since most salons will try to get you to spend at the top of your budget. I was really willing to spend $1000, but I told them I was looking for something in the range of $500-$700 max. They will show you dresses at the top of the price point you give... it's unlikely someone on commission would want to bring you a $500 dress if you say you're willing to spend $1000!
In the book:
Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing A Fantastic Wedding On A Realistic Budget http://www.amazon.com/Bridal-Bargains-Throwing-Fantastic-Realistic/dp/1889392391/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318613878&sr=1-1
These venders stood out to me from the "dress" section:
http://stores.ebay.com/aprilbridal
http://1koo.com/wedding/tailor.html
I've also heard good things about Jasmine's Bridal on the Weddingbee boards:
http://jasminesbridalshop.com/index.php?task=productdetail&id=3261
Someone also posted about Church Street Bridal. They sell sample dresses from stores like Kleinfelds.
I ordered my dress online from the States, the prices there are so much lower than here. I ordered my Watters dress from Half Bridal (http://www.halfbridal.com/home.php?cat=263) and saved almost $1000. It was $2060 at a shop in Toronto and $1070 including shipping from HB. Taxes and duty dinged me for just over $300, so keep that in mind whenever you order anything from another country.
www.preownedweddingdresses.com
If you dont like the idea of buying a used dress, a lot of times you can find stores that are selling their samples on the site.
I was orginally going to purchase a BCBG dress but MOH nixed that idea. I always wanted to wear Badgley Mishka but knew I couldn't afford a 5k dress. I purchased my Gurl(Badgley Mishcka sample dress) from an online Boutique(yourdreamdress.com) @ 85% off. I knew the designer I wanted and didn't care which season, so it was easier to find my dress. I actually purchased 2 dresses from them and had to return the 1st because of fit. Because of the $$$$ I saved, I was able to purchase a reception dress from China. Both dresses w/ alterations cost me under $1200.
So my suggestions is to check out:
-preownedweddingdresses.com- tons of small boutiques advertise there and its an easy way to find a high quality sample.
-Buy a sample gown if possible. Yes there was a small run in the fabric that only myself and my seamstress noticed but really. Its Badgley Mischka.
-Be willing to purchase a gown from an older season. My sample dress is from 2009 but who cares.
-If the designer has a Sample Sale in NYC and you haven't found the One via the internet, I highly suggest you take a trip. NYMag.com is where you can find out the dates.
-China Route. That was option 3 but I did purchase my reception dress from China. Well worth it. Just make sure to have yourself measured by a seamstress so you don't get a dress too small or too large.
-Church Street Bridal
Good Luck!!!!
I bought a brand new David's Bridal gown for only $150 on eBay. The original price was about $600. I also saw some gowns from famous designers like Maggie Sottero, Pronovias, Allure, Watters, Vera Wang etc on eBay that were deeply discounted from the original retail price - and many of them were advertised as new/never worn. There's a bit of a risk though if you've never seen the gown in person. So, before you buy a gown online, I strongly suggest trying the same gown at a bridal salon before purchasing. That way, you could see if the style and size work for you. Good luck!
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Hi Bees!!
I'm new to the hive although I've been reading and following you for at least a year (naughty girl). But now Im engaged as of October 8th (yay!) and I'm of course starting my search for a dress. I have narrowed down some designers I'm in love with (Watters, Paloma Blanca and White by Vera Wang). My question is:
Does anyone have any strategies for saving money on your designer gown? I'm from a small town in Ontario, Canada (near Toronto) and I'm ok with travelling to find the perfect dress. Any tips are greatly appreciated!
Thanks :)