- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
How much did you/ will you spend on your wedding dress (not including alterations)? Any couture brides out there? If so, was it worth it and why?
my first gown was about 800 and it was absolutely not worth it because i didn't get married!! lol!!! if i had to do it again i'd spend less than 500, and hope that it's not so wedding-y that i can't wear it again. i have no idea why this is important to me, but i want to be able to wear it more than once as well as the shoes....
I was very lucky... my dress retails for about $1500, but my dress shop was having a HUGE sale and I ended up spending only $400.00 on the dress 
Now, I can use the money I saved towards something else that I want for my wedding 
YEAH for saving money!! I think it was totally worth it, b/c I can not see why anyone would spend more than $1000.00 on a dress they are only going to wear for 8 hours. I know that many bees are going to disagree with me... but that's ok.
I can't remember if it was 500 or 600...but alterations were only $200..not bad! Worth it? I dunno...Is anything worth that much when you only wear it once?
@oneflute85: i agree with you!! i think that most bees here are recessionistas and if they spend a bunch on their dress then they are going to cut back in other places like diy projects for their invites, centerpieces, programs, etc.
eeeeek, mine was in the 1000-2000 $ range...I feel guilt....but, i think it will be worth it on wedding day...it's claire pettibone 'fontaine' and it's soooo pretty :) And I got it at a sample sale at Kleinfelds!
I'm having a seamstress make mine loosly based on a J.Crew dress. Absolutely worth the savings! Plus I'm changing a few things to make it my own, one-of-a-kind dress!
I was lucky and found the dress I wanted on oncewed.com for $450.00 and it is usually over $600 I was so happy!
My dress was about $950 with tax. I looked at the cheaper dresses, but I didn't like the material.
I just got mine for $250 (not including alterations or cleaning—I got it at Filene's Running of the Brides so it will require cleaning!).
mine was $650 on sale, originally about $1100. I was hoping to only spend about $500, but I thought $650 wasn't too bad.
I put $3-$5k... b/c I'm loving gowns that are between $1.5-$4k... and thats how much I'd be willing to spend... tops. I feel it is totally worth it from the better quality to having a unique gown (my friend will be the 6th person to wear a particular Alfred Angelo colored trim gown style). I've been completely turned off of the whole big traditional wedding... So, I'm investing in 5 expensive things and the gown is one of the 5. It'll be in pictures we look at for the rest of our lives... I know I wouldn't be content w/ anything ordinary or cheap. Hey, if my dream Jim Hjelm was $500, then sweet!!! :)
I managed to get mine for a huge deal.. 50% off of 2100, so it's just over the $1,000 mark. And it's totally worth it!
$393.93 total! I still need to have it hemmed to fit my 5'4 shortness but my seamstress is wonderful and doing the work for free as my wedding gift!
(thought I'd include a photo of me in the dress)
Darn the photo is too big to upload, I'll have to work on making it smaller
I'm in the $1000-$2000 crowd. I just fell in love with the dress and yes, I could have totally gone for another less expensive dress but I think I would have had major dress regret.
Mine will end up costing ~$1700 (alterations are included in the price), which is way more than I wanted to spend, but I haven't seen ANYTHING else that makes me feel more beautiful!
I spent $150 on my wedding dress and $90 on alterations. It was exactly what I wanted and cheap, cheap, cheap!!!
I found my gorgeous Jim Hjelm gown and couldn't live without it!!!!! It was $3900 and worth every penny!!!! The italian silk felt like butter, the details were impeccable and the beading was intricate and sparkly without looking cheap.
I know a lot of people think that splurging on a dress is silly, but I adore high fashion and it was very important to me. After I found my Jim Hjelm, none of the others seemed up to par!
I got really lucky and found my dress during a half off sale. So I purchased my $970 dress for $485!! Soooo lucky! And thankful!!
I fell in love with my Pronovias lace gown. I didn't think I'd spend more than $1200 but it was $2080. Still, I felt great about it. The lace is so very beautiful, I know it will be an heirloom.
i fell in love w/ a dress and it was more than i initially wanted to spend. tried to look for a cheaper dress that was like it but got overwhelmed by the bridal salons.. so i could it quits and paid up!
The bridal boutique had a tremendous sale on sample gowns, so I got mine at a steal for $399. It's COVERED in beadwork and is gorgeous! I cannot wait to wear it. I found dresses two and three times more expensive that I loved, but I could not justify spending that much on a dress I would wear for less than 8 hours. Plus, I got that special feeling when I saw my dress hanging on the rack. My fitting is in three weeks and I am so excited about it!
I have about 3 grand saved for my dress. It's a lot (not as much as others though) but if I find a cheaper dress that I love then I will get that one.
I haven't bought a dress yet, but I'm probably having it made by Elizabeth Dye. So I'm planning for it to be in the 1k-2.5k range. I hope I'll be at the 1k end of that, but I know I won't.
I caved and bought a Vera Wang. Was it more than I anticipated on spending on a dress? Yes, absolutely. It cost seven times more than I had planned on spending. BUT, it's really beautifully constructed, and to be honest, I just got tired of trying on dresses. Wedding planning is stressful enough as it is--especially if you plan on DIY so many elements as I am. I got to a point where I realized that I was working so hard and spending more on my guests than on my FI and myself. When you look at it in those terms, you feel no guilt about splurging on something that is truly for you. I also felt as though even if all my DIY projects were to fall through, at least the dress would not fail me on the big day...
Funny, when I saw my Maggie Sottero I was PLEASANTLY surprised that it cost only $1,100 (without alterations/slip/bustle/bra etc.). I thought that was exactly what I expected to spend on a dress I truly loved, and I wouldn't change mine out for the world!
And it's not like we have a lot of money either. Just when it comes to clothing, I'm a realist on what it's probably going to take to make me truly love it.
So worth it! I paid $950 so far (no alterations yet). It was THE dress. It made me feel like a bride!!
mine's $550. it's not from a bridal store, just a little boutique, it's short and has beautiful lace and beading. i never set a dress budget, but it's exactly what i wanted so i'm happy!
I spent $1800 including tax and alterations, which was more than I had planned to spend but I love the dress and am really excited to wear it. Nothing else I tried on made me feel the same way!
I spent $400 on mine! no alterations. I was ok with spending more but i just loved it so much i stopped right there and got it. with the group at my wedding, i doubt anybody would have appreciated a monique luhillier anyways except me =(
plus we paid for the whole wedding myself so i think that made me MORE money conscious as o0pposed to the dress being my ONLY expense b/c mom and dad paid for the wedding. Otherwise i woudl have totally splurged
I love my Claire Pettibone (on sale! For $2100 w/ tax & shipping) and am happy to have spent the money. I'm not sure I could have spent the $4,000 it would have originally cost. I am actually a 2 dress bride, I had bought a once wed Melissa Sweet that wasn't quite what I wanted for my wedding. M fiance and I are considering eloping in a tiny ceremony at the beach and a luxury weekend away when he returns from Afghanistan, so I'll wear the Melissa then, and save the Claire for our wedding in May. I may sell the Melissa Sweet afterwards, but I'm not sure I can part with Ms. Pettibone...
runrgurl10--no guilt! You'll look amazing! My Mom and I always rationalize spending money when something great is on sale. She always makes me feel better if I'm feeling "buyer's remorse"...
I think they said mine retailed for $1,100... but I found it on sale for $500.. it's the symphony by maggie sottero. I am in love with it and it's a few hundred less than what I had budgeted for!!
I budgeted $1,000 for my dress because from what I'd seen there were tons of great quality dresses around that price - there are obviously beautiful ones for more, but I can't afford more, and one for less didn't seem as worth it to me. $1,000 seemed a perfect middle. My dress ended up being just about $10 or so over that $1,000. I don't know how much alterations will be, but either way I'll be over budget... but I LOVE my dress.
Mine cost me under $800 Maggie Sottero Joelie. But I also won Carolina Gown on theknot...
Just to let you know.... My niece getting married in December found her Gown "Mon Cheri" on Sample sale for $90 its in great condition... Looks like not alot of people try it on... I believe that same gown is retail for over 1000
I got two dresses. The first was $225 (without shipping) from China. It's pretty, but after some thought it's just not me, so I won't be wearing it. So I bought a short dress from David's Bridal online shop for $175 and it's totally worth it. It's cute and fits my personality more.
My Sottero and Migdley gown was about $900 after taxes. Since it's a corset back I won't need any alterations except for adding the bustle (which is hopefully less than $40).
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Lyndzo | 26 |
| beargoose | 21 |
| his chippymunk | 20 |
| Ms. Salamander | 18 |
| LammChop | 17 |
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| kat2014 | 15 |
| mypinkshoes | 15 |
| s.renea9 | 15 |
| aussiebee | 15 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| fivemonthsnotice | 3 |
| ama0219 | 1 |
| sienna76 | 1 |
| LammChop | 1 |
| Dizbee | 1 |
| Jamieg | 1 |
| shychigirl | 1 |
 sklm0818 |
1 |
| Dela2012 | 1 |
