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Hi there!
I've had a tough time searching for that perfect gown. I was wondering if you ladies can share where you got your wedding gown (especially if you were able to find one for less than $1000).
Thanks!!
I am a two dress bride so I know how it feels to be unsure if you have the right gown. My second dress purchase was a Maggie Sottero and I absolutely love it. It was around $600, which pleasantly surprised me and I think all of her gowns are resonably priced.
Good Luck!
Have you tried davids bridal?
Most of their dresses are under $1000. Also, look for bridesmaids dresses in white or ivory. You're sure to spend half as much as you would if it said "wedding dress" on the tag, but still get a nice dress.
You could also try ebay. You can find great deals if you just know where to look.
I had mine custom made. You might want to call a couple dressmakers and chat about your budget. My guy, Kiko Rodriguez, has dresses he's made anywhere from less than $500 to, well, way more than my dress for sure. ;) Many custom designers (especially here in SEA) can work within any budget.
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Mine was a Mon Cheri, and it was $895. Other designers under $1000 are Jasmine, Casablanca, Mary's P.C., and Alfred Angelo. You should just go to www.houseofbrides.com and browse to get an idea of price range. I've heard bad things about actually ordering from them, but it can't hurt to get an idea of how much things cost online.
I got a Jasmine dress for about $700 (I think the total after ordering custom length and tax was about $850). I purchased from Amanda's Bridal Boutique in Redmond (close by Redmond Town Center)http://www.amandasbridalboutique.com/
I also tried lots of dresses at I Do Bridal in Wallingford that were around $1,000 http://www.idobridal.com/ .
There were a few right around $1,000 at La Belle Reve in Bellevue too (but most were over $1,000) http://www.labellereve.com/
GOOD LUCK!
hey there =)
I went to:
I Do Bridal in wallingford- Huge selection of sub-1k dresses. the lady that helped me was super fun and friendly. I ended up choosing a dress I tried on here, but ordered it online since it was about $200 less, and it arrived in just 2 months.
Belltown Bride- High-end designer dresses. Most are over 1k, but some are in the 700-800 range
Cynderellie's Closet in Edmonds- similar stock to I Do Bridal, but lower prices
Or the next time you're back in CA, you could check out Jeremy's in SF. My friend got her Vera Wang gown there for $300 =)
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I don't have any Seattle leads, but I've really been digging WToo gowns when I see them in magazines and online. They're the lower-priced cousin of Watters & Watters gowns, and all of them (as far as I can tell) are under $1000. I'm planning to try some on soon, I'll let you know if they're as great in person!
i'm wearing Watters 1048B
http://watters.com/product.php?coll=brides&showid=668
it was $1200 at the bridal store and $800 including shipping from netbride. it arrived in 2-3 weeks, in perfect condition!
You can get a custom gown from Chrissy Wai-Ching in your budget (probably). Her studio is downtown
also check out bridesmaids dresses, a lot of them come in white and ivory and are pretty enough for a less formal wedding
I second I Do Bridal and Cynderellie's Closet, most of the ones I looked at were under $1,000. At Cynderellie's you can take pictures and they are only open for appointment on Sunday's so you get the whole place to yourself! I'm choosing between 2 Casablanca's that are under $1K and will be even less expensive by ordering online(check Netbride.com, Pearl's Place, RK Bridal, Chrissy O's, Lee Phillip).
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Wow! Thank you for so many wonderful suggestions!
triciaj and h0neym0nkey - I'm intrigued by the custom gowns (Wai-Ching and Kiko). I checked out their website and they look amazing! So do you mean, I can bring in a dress I like of another designer and they might be able to make it for me at a lesser cost? That would be sooo cool!
audie74 - oh how I miss Jeremy's! I used to frequent it often when I was in school at Berkeley!
Does anyone know of a bridal shop that carries Pronovias gowns other than La Belle Elaine's? Their gowns are a bit over my budget, but there's one I just love and contemplating getting it on bridalgown.net.
That's basically what I did. I brought in, like, 30 (!!!) pictures of different dresses that I liked, and Kiko pulled together elements from each one to make my dress. I'm sure he can make most dress you want. Plus, he was just a total dream to work with. :)
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Also, you might try Champagne Taste in Kirkland - a consignment store specializing in bridal gowns. They have some beautiful things, including veils, shoes and handbags, bm dresses and mob dresses.
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I won my gown on ebay for $275. You can also keep an eye on Craig's List gown sales (not the individual ones unless you know what you're looking for), but the everything must go ones.
Chrissy (from wai-ching) will really work with you to customize a dress, but I would suggest using her if you really like the style of dresses that she has on her site. I'm having her make my dress and I love it! I don't think she would be the best to just copy a dress from somewhere else (not that there's anything wrong with that!) because she has such a unique style. The great thing about the price of her dresses too is that they're made to fit you, so you won't have to pay any extra for alterations on top of the price of the dress.
I am using Trish Jens (PA Jens Custom Sewing) to make my dress. I gave her a budget of $1200 and she said that was very generous. So I bet she could make you a custom dress for less than $1000. I've been really impressed with Trish's skills so far!
key when shopping: don't even LET the girl helping you show you dresses out of your price range. Make it very very clear to her you are on a budget and you will be able to find the perfect dress...
Some girls only want designer dresses...but mine from Davids Bridal...on sale for $599 looks like a $5000 designer dress. The beading is beautiful and no one believes how inexpensive it is! :)
Good luck!
We are paying for everything ourselves so saving money was very important for us. I ended up getting both my dresses on eBay and love them!!! The first one I got for the ceremony is a beautiful white strapless aline with intricate embroidery and beading on the bodice, I got it new for $100 with the shipping. I wish I had a picture of it. The second one I got is for the reception because my FH said he likes sweetheart top dresses and this one caught my eye right away. I got this one to surprise him. Even though it is ivory instead of white, I am in love with this dress and cannot wait for it come in. But it was $60 with shipping so I can't complain.
Just keep checking and you're bound to find something you love.
Found this on Craig's:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/clo/726150591.html
I bought my dress at Pricess Bride in Bothell. I went there because they are the only Seattle area retailer that carries Sophia Tolli. I ended up buying the dress I went there to look at and I love it! The original price was $1,000, but I got it on their Sophia Tolli event and saved 20%.
Keep an eye out for Trunk Shows if you are eyeing particular designer! And I would recommend trying Sophia Tolli. 
I second Craigslist! Although I bought mine at a bridal store (total fluke...) I still check out C-list just for fun because there are some really gorgeous finds on there! And, like they say, "only worn once" (ha ha.. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes each time I read that).
You can search ALL the Craigslists all at once too - try http://crazedlist.org/
Looking for your dress is THE best part. Have fun and good luck! :-)
If the timing and location are right, consider going to the Finlene's Basement Bridal event.
It kind of a huge ordeal but worth it for me in the end. I got my Ramona Keveza silk dress there for $700 and it originally sold for $4000. There are tons of designer dresses there so there's a good chance you'll find a dress you like. They have only 3 prices for the sale: $250, $499 and $699. It's worth a try to get a designer dress for less. Good luck!
I got my dress at David's Bridal for $600. I'm saving money on alterations by having an independent seamstress alter it instead of the bridal salon.
I know what people say about David's, but I found a dress I love at a great price. If you go during their $99 sale, most of their dresses are on sale (even if they aren't al $99).
I second Casablanca gowns. Youcan get a brand new one for less than $1000, and they are really very nice. I know Casablanca has differing opinions on here, but mine was gorgeous for $850. It was embroidered and crystallized, and the hem had scalloped edging with the embroidery.....anyway, you should look at them!
I second Champaign Tastes in Kirkland. I saw a Vera Wang dress there for less than $2K and there were a bunch of Lulu Yang as well.
There are gazillion of Maggie Sottero or Sottero and Midgley gowns that are under $1000. The good/bad thing is that Maggie has fixed her gown prices so you won't get it cheaper any where.
Amanda's bridal in Redmond has a lot of choices for under $1K. In fact I saw very few of their dresses over $1k.
I'm sorry to open an old thread, the original poster probably already has a dress, but EVERYONE shopping for dresses should check out Blue Sky Bridal. It's a wedding dress consignment store that is WAY cleaner (eg.no fleas) than Chapagne Taste. The owner does selective consignment so it's not jsut a bunch of dresses from 1984, it's all current styles and most are in great shape. Those that aren't have that relected in the price and she has great recs for people who do alterations. My only suggestion would be DON'T go on a hot day, there's not a lot of ventillation and I turned into a sweat ball trying on dresses. I felt really bad about it, but the owner was SO sweet and promised to keep me updated if anything she thought I might like comes in to the shop. Fun!
Also, every dress I tried on was well under $1000. I was pretty surprised at how inexpensive the dresses were, a few still had tags on.
I went to a small town downtown bridal/prom/tuxedo shop, and ended up buying my dress and veil there. It's a Maggie Sottero, and it's gorgeous, and it was only about $650! I was so happy! You might try leaving Seattle proper and checking for a small family owned place, or find someone who carries Maggie Sottero dresses. And, even if you don't think they're what you want, try them on!!!!! Good luck to you!
I also found a Maggie Sottero dress under $1K. It's a lacy mermaid style. Maggie Sottero has a lot of options for every style.
Eden Bridal, which is carried by I Do bridal in Wallingford is really affordable. My favorite dress by them is $750... but I think I just fell in love with an Augusta Jones... If you are willing to forgo the silk and go tafetta instead, you can get it for just over $1000.
I was addicted to Monique Lhuillier wedding dresses but the price range was out of the question. I tried looking on ebay, preownedweddingdresses.com but even the used ones were still in the 3000's. So I put up a WANTED ad on Craigslist. And a seller contacted me and told me she had the valentine vest with the coco skirt. THE EXACT Dress I wanted. She posted the dress for me on Ebay (so both seller and buyer has a sound piece of mind) and I purchased it for 1000 including shipping! Keep in mind i have never tried on the dress. but when it arrived i threw it on and it was perfect. i have to get the top altered to fit. previous bride had double d's... im working with sum A's at this point. so yes alternations are def. necessary! anywaise. try putting out a wanted ad on craigslist.
Ebay! Snagged a dress for $35!!! It was $24.99 + $10 shipping. I'm super proud of that. It's a Jessica McClintock for Gunne Sax. It was listed under Prom Dresses. It's a white gown with a sweep train. How many teenagers do you see wearing trains to their proms? I just need the top taken in a bit, but other than...it's exceeded my expectations of a $35 dress! It's my 2nd dress though...1st one is my mom's wedding gown!
Good luck!
I love my Casablanca gown! It was about $900 but I got 10% off since I bought it during a trunk show.
I went into dress shopping with a budget of about $700, I couldn't imagine spending thousands on a wedding dress, just didn't make sense to me. I tried on a lot of awesome gowns below that amount (and one I would have died for at $1,200, but again wouldn't let myself spend that much.)
I ended up getting my dress for $300 from a second-hand bridal store, all repairs and cleaning included. I love the dress and definitely love the price! It doesn't bother me at all that someone has already worn the dress for their wedding, it just gets that much more loving.
There is a great website for preowned and most of the time you will find new ones:
http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/
Also look for the sample sales in your area. I was surprised at how amazing their prices were. Jcrew and Ann Taylor I think have beautiful stuff for a great price and you make it your own with accessories. Finally ebay always has wedding dresses.
I purchased a used dress on eBay for $50. David' Bridal sells this style for $500. I had the dress cleaned and now I have a perfect dress for my wedding!
you may want to check out www.jcrew.com, they have a weddings and parties section...
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