Wedding hacks on a budget: – Part 3

In this four-part series we are looking at the following aspects of organising a wedding:

1. Venue and decoration
2. Food
3. Dress
4. Entertainment

Our last article  focused on how to save money on wedding food. In this article we are going to look at wedding dresses!

Some of us have a secret addiction to the US reality TV show Say Yes to the Dress. The show features brides who cannot make a decision about the wedding dress that they want. Naturally, the decision is complicated by conflicting advice from family and friends, issues about body image and weight etc (probably not helped by the ever-present TV cameras!) and – last but not least – the challenge of keeping to the budget that has been set.

Dresses in the show have been priced up to around $40,000. Surely you would be able to find one dress you like at that price?!  But what about the challenge of finding a beautiful wedding dress at a price you can actually afford?

The good news is that it is possible!

As always, the first thing is to decide exactly what you want. There are no rights and wrongs here: it is your day and your choice. Weddings are so flexible these days that there are no rules as such. If you want the full white wedding that is one valid choice: but if you want to dress much more simply and casually then that is fine too.

The main thing is to decide what you want; and then also let people know in the invitation process what kind of wedding it is so that they can also adopt the same dress code. It may be a little awkward if the bride is dressed quite simply and all the family turn up in formal evening dress!

Once you’ve decided what kind of dress you want, all you need to do is hunt it down at the best price.

Let’s look at various ways you can find your perfect wedding dress on a shoestring budget.

Off the shelf

Don’t immediately assume that buying a new dress from a store will be out of your price range. These days it is possible to buy a wedding dress on the High Street without paying a fortune. It is definitely worth looking at bridal shops to see if they have any sales where you may be able to pick up a bargain. Similarly with department stores: they often have bridal departments and you may strike lucky.

Also be aware that many other clothing chains are now doing wedding dresses. Check out High Street regulars such as Dorothy Perkins and Next (who also stock dresses from other manufacturers including Lipsy and Coast) and also online retailers such as Asos.

Also keep your eye open for local wedding fairs as they may have special offers and promotions on wedding dresses.

If there is a dress you love but can’t quite afford then why not ask some family or friends to contribute to it instead of a wedding present?

Second hand

If you are prepared to spend time looking around for the perfect dress at at a knock down price then charity shops are a really good place to start. Many people get to the point of not being able to keep their dress any more but not wanting to sell it themselves. Many beautiful dresses end up in charity shops. If you go and chat to your local shop they may well be prepared to get in touch with you when a wedding dress does come in.

It is also possible to get wonderful dresses on online selling sites such as eBay, Preloved and Shpock. There are also online sites that deal specifically in second hand wedding dresses, such as PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com.

Made to order

Having a hand made wedding dress is probably everyone’s dream! If you have a family member of friend who could do this for you then this could be the perfect solution. Obviously you would pay for the materials but they may decide to put the time in as their wedding gift for you. Or perhaps there is something else that you could do for them in return – be it babysitting, hairdressing, home decorating, gardening etc.

An alternative to making a dress from scratch is to buy a simple dress in the style you want – perhaps in one of the ways described above – and then get your expert seamstress to adapt it into your perfect dress.

Something borrowed

Whilst on the theme of having help from family or friends, have you considered either borrowing or trading a dress? At one extreme there may be a beautiful dress somewhere in the attic that is a family heirloom and could be resurrected and adapted just for you. Or a family member or friend may have the dress of your dreams that they would be happy to be used again by you, and in some ways that can make it even more special.

Another possibility is to swap something for a dress. A friend or family member may not want to keep their dress but doesn’t want it to go to someone they don’t know. Perhaps there is something of yours that they would really like in return – such as a piece of jewellery –  and that they will treasure as a keepsake of the dress. No money changes hands but you will both have given and received something of great value.

So there are various ways which can enable you to wear the dress of your dreams at your wedding without the hefty price tag. We hope that one of them will work for you.

If you do need some extra funding for your wedding then Loans2Go may be able to help. We offer a range of unsecured loans that could provide an extra financial boost if needed. You can apply online or call us on 0330 400 0403; so do get in touch if you would like some help.