- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I'm 24 years old and I do not have alot of money, I am the sole bred winner of my family so our wedding is on a tiny budget, I am s bargain hunter and so far i have found our invites for less than $40 and most of our decorations for half of what you would normally pay.... the only thing i have not found is MY DRESS.... I started looking on the web and found such websites as:
PERIDRESS
BUYER100
STOREOFDRESSES
LIGHTINTHEBOX
I have looked into their reviews and they are so mixed that my paranoid side takes over so the thought of buying.. more like spending all that money... on a dress and end up hating it scares me very much... I want to fee beautiful and no one can feel can truly feel beautiful with out a beautiful dress... So if anyone knows of a website or store in California that can help me with my problem I would be so grateful.. Thank you for your time.
What is your budget? I think you need to get offline and go to a real shop. if nothing else, you have to try these things on to know that it fits and it worth the money.
My friend got a beautiful designer gown brand new on ebay. :) She went to bridal salons, tried on dresses and discovered what she liked. Then, she found the dress on ebay for so much less!
I got mine at alfred angelo and I am very happy.
I second eBay. Also it could be worth checking out some thrift stores and re-sale stores in your area. Good luck!
My friend ordered from littlecoral.com and loves her dress. I think she said she paid around $290 and free shipping. She ordered in way in advance incase she didn't like it. But she did, so it worked out.
I also have a friend that got a bridesmaid's dress in white for her wedding dress. It was very pretty and didn't really look like a BM dress. Im not sure what she paid, but Im sure it was less then a Bridal gown.
Ebay for sure I bought a brand new Pronovias LA Sposa dress from a 3 dress bride who of course just wore one dress. $255 with free shipping try your luck there. and the dress was more beautiful in person.
I have made a budget of $300 and $400 wold be the MAX i am able to spend on a wedding gown.... I owuld love to go and try on dresses but I am always at work and by the time I get off my local bridal stores are closed, weekends are hectic so I can never make time..... I know my situation sucks....
So I am a HUGE fan of Nordstrom. Look at these:
Any of those would look great-- you could add a sparkly or lacy bolero from Etsy to add a little something fancy. The nice thing about these dresses is that they are going to be a much higher quality than a dress bought at a bridal salon for the same price. Also, you could try getting a bridesmaid dress in white.
If you sew, you can easily pick up materials for fairly cheap. I made a lace dress for under 50$. You could always go on Etsy too, there's lovely things, and usually, you can find somthing you love for a decent price. And if that does work, you can always put out a request for your dress to be made.
If you were in Ontario, Canada, I would make a dress you love even and ship it to you for materials + labour.
Alfred Angelo has great prices on wedding dresses and sales. I love mine and only paid 315.00. I've attached a pic. It's perfect for my beach wedding. Good luck, I am in the same boat as you re: finances. Try not to stress, it will all come together!!!
wedding_dress.jpg (22.9 KB, 172 downloads) 2 years old
You can find a lot for $300-400, especially with sales. A lot of shops make after-hours appointments. I would never dream of buying a wedding dress without trying it on. You have to find the time to do so. Any amount of money you spend will be a complete waste if the style doesn't look good - and bridal sizing is not the same as in street clothes.
IMG_1738.jpg (2727.7 KB, 131 downloads) 1 year old 
I have heard very good reviews on an ebay seller : April Bridal He can also modify whatever design you see on his page. If you decide to go that route, make sure you get your measurements right with the help of a seamstress or experienced tailor & not do them yourself.
If you go to the webpage for Alfred Angelo (www.alfredangelo.com) you can view their "Resessionista" line. They are very, very reasonable. There are at least 10 of their stores in California. Almost all of their BM dresses come in white or ivory as well. They are also made in short, average, and tall sizes which could help you save money in alterations. I am 5'2" and the short fit me with no alterations needed when wearing moderate heels.
Good luck to you - will keep my fingers crossed that you find your special dress at an amazing price!
I was in the same boat as you - looking for a dress for $400 max. I found an inexpensive bridal shop in my area and ended up buying a sample! I spend about $100 over my original budget but am also planning on re-selling my dress after the wedding to get back some of my money. If thats something you would consider, that can be a great way to get back some of the money you spent on your dress!
Also, I think buying a dress online is safe as long as you try on dresses in person first to see what style you like, etc. Then finding a dress online would be a much safer bet, imo.
Good luck!!!!!!!!
new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_078.JPG (62.3 KB, 31 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_069.JPG (53 KB, 20 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_066.JPG (76.4 KB, 18 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_082.JPG (55.3 KB, 23 downloads) 1 year old
If you don't mind me asking, what size dress are you looking for? Or maybe a better way to ask this is to ask what street size you wear.
new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_078.JPG (62.3 KB, 33 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_069.JPG (53 KB, 31 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_066.JPG (76.4 KB, 27 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_082.JPG (55.3 KB, 27 downloads) 1 year old 
Definitely look at ebay! I got my dress for $320 (original price is $750).
Also consider wearing a white bridesmaid dress. Watters & Watters has a wonderful bridesmaid selection available in white, and they start at $220!!
Examples of dresses available in white:
http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=watters&showid=2424
http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=watters&showid=691
My favs:
http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=watters&showid=548
http://www.watters.com/product.php?coll=watters&showid=547#
new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_064.JPG (69.8 KB, 33 downloads) 1 year old new_pics_and_style_A007_feathers_083.JPG (50.5 KB, 30 downloads) 1 year old 
If I were you I'd make appts during my lunch break and try on a few at a time. 300-400 is plenty to find a gorgeous dress! Check out ebay, davids bridal, bride share, weddingbee classifieds, and vintage clothing stores (if thats your thing). I bought my dress from another bride for $220 including shipping! It cane be done, and you have plenty of time! Make a plan and execute. Best of luck!
I would suggest that you check out long BRIDESMAIDS dresses. A lot of designers offer their BM dresses in ivory & white... they are just as gorgeous as a bridal gown! My cousin got her long "wedding" dress from Lazaro for a little less than $300.
It's a secret the bridal salons don't want you to know...
Im a plus size bride... i wear size 15 -20 jeans (depending on the designer) and i feel comfortable in 2x tops....
Ebay! I'm getting a Jim Hjelm inspired dress online. I'm ordering it Friday! (finally!) lol Just check their reviews and make sure you pay with paypal so you're double backed by Ebay and paypal.
If you have a David's Bridal nearby, definitely worth checking out also. When I was dress-shopping (in a previous relationship), I was a streetsize 16/18 and I ended up finding a dress there that I loved for around $400. The only alterations I needed was to have it shortened, otherwise it fit perfectly.
Jessica McClintock has lovely bridal gowns in your price range in a large range of sizes. And prom season is over, so you won't get run over by teenagers in the store :)
Also try Pearl's Place if you find a designer dress that you love.
Look for bridesmaids dresses in white, because then you can go with a high-end designer. That's what I ended up doing. I actually wanted a tea-length dress anyway, so it worked out in my favor. But most BM dresses will come in white, and there are so many options that some of them even look like bridal gowns. I ended up with a BM dress by Priscilla of Boston for $270 (including tax) and it's beautiful and incredibly well made. I would look into Vera Wang BM dresses, and BM dresses by Watters.
Good luck!
I have purchased most of my accessories on eBay and found amazing deals. For your dress I would also recommend designer's sample sales. My dress is from Priscilla of Boston. The dress retails for $9,000 but I bought it at a sample sale for $855 and it was a size 4 so I don't need any alterations.
mrs_garcia.JPG (360.1 KB, 38 downloads) 1 year old mrs_stuart3.jpg (49 KB, 33 downloads) 1 year old 
I am also having a super budget wedding. I went to a resale wedding consignment shop and found an awesome, designer dress for $200 only! ANd I love it. I think it is REALLY important to try on the dress, because it may look great in a picture but you don't know how it will look on you until you try it on!
Did anyone mention David's Bridal? I know Alfred Angelo was mentioned but David's is good too. Their Galina dresses range around 399. And they're not cheap dresses like how they feel and wear and there's some nice ones out.
@thecolorteale - Yes, I thought of it later after my first post. They have some beautiful dresses totally in that price range. I love the Galina line!
August 16 2009 will be a sample sale!!!
The Dresser Bridal Couture
112 W Commonwealth Ave., Suite A Fullerton, CA 92832
I am a huge fan of eBay. I just bought a secondhand wedding gown for my TTD shoot for $60. If you want to see a photo, PM me and I will show it to you. If you like it, I will sell it to you. I understand what its like to have a small budget. I found my dream dress for $499 on a clearance rack at my local bridal shop. It was a sample dress, but I got SUCH a deal. It's got tons of intricate beadwork and there is no way I could have afforded this gown otherwise. I would say try a sample sale or check out eBay or the classifieds on Craigslist.
Oh yeah--just watch out for alterations! I bought my dress for $500 at alfred angelo. Alterations at alfred angelo were $400. Start shopping around for a reasonable seamstress now! So so important. Good luck! All the bees gave you great advice.
i agree in recommending the white bm dress search.
jcrew makes really elegant dresses at a great price. there are 6 choices where 300-400 will be more than enough! if you look out for deals and coupons, you could save even more! unfortunately, you just missed one promotion- 20% first purchase if you open a jcrew credit card account. but, the promotions keep coming! if you're an educator, there's a 15% discount too. google for jcrew coupons periodically, but also check these blogs with tips on the deals and sales.
<cite>jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com</cite>
<cite>jcrewaholics.com</cite>
also try visting a glamour closet bridal shop. no appointments, all dresses are samples off the rack, but they carry the usual suspects that may or may not exceed your budget... call and ask if they have any dresses in your price range. there is a glamour closet in both sf and la.
I thank you all... you have heloed this young bride... thank you...
go to a place like David's Bridal and try on full length bridesmaids gowns.. most of them come in white or ivory, some have a bit of a train, and they cost around $100!!
Are you in Northern or Southern Cali?
Check out FIDM's student store - they have a corner w/ donated samples from bridal stores there, i forget how much they cost, but i remember it was cheap.
http://fidm.edu/resources/scholarship-store/index.html
http://www.fightinmadmary.com/2008/08/fidm-scholarship-store.html
good luck!
try craigslist if you don't mind a used one. That way you can go see it and check it out before you buy.
I used JeffLiu from Ebay - they copied a dress at 10% original cost. As long as you give yourself enough time, and arnt trying to duplicate the original 100%, you should be fine!
I am also using JeffLiu (April's Bridal) from Ebay, I havn't got my dress yet, but its only going to cost $188!!!!! I am actually having him custom make a design that is based on a St. Pucchi gown that retails for MUCH MORE (its so expensive b/c of the high end designer & its draped in swarovski crystals) but I didn't want any crystals, I just really liked the silhouette, so thats what hes making me. I have heard 100% great comments about him both from this blog & others, as well as the fact that he was recommended in "Bridal Bargains" which is an aweosme book! I will post pics as soon as I get the dress :)
STONES.jpg (317.6 KB, 29 downloads) 1 year old STONES2.jpg (198.3 KB, 24 downloads) 1 year old 
I'd check on http://www.bravobride.com/ or http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/
I was personally checking out what they had online when I was searching for my dress; I didn't end up using one, so I can't speak to how well they work per se, but I was very very intrigued at the different dresses they had (for any budget really)!
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 |
|---|---|
| Gemstone | 22 |
| Beckster329 | 22 |
| Rivendeler | 17 |
| hisgoosiegirl | 16 |
| Rojocameo | 16 |
| Mrs.KMM | 15 |
| KCKnd2 | 15 |
| beargoose | 13 |
| kat2014 | 13 |
| fivemonthsnotice | 13 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| longtime_no_Si | 6 |
| sopranokris | 5 |
| pengoala | 4 |
| Nessa2012 | 4 |
 deborah.dehlinger |
3 |
| couawilou | 2 |
| kat2014 | 2 |
| lindseyl06 | 2 |
| Lyndzo | 2 |
| jen 42713 |
2 |
