When it comes to your wedding day, more than likely, you've already imagined walking down the aisle in an amazing wedding dress made by your favorite designer. But have you considered how much the dress would cost? Does it take up a considerable amount of your wedding budget? Would you consider an alternative dress? We want to share with you our 5 Ways to Set a Budget for Your Wedding Dress.
5 Ways to Set a Budget for Your Wedding Dress
Photographer: JLaurynphoto
1. Do Your Research
First on our list of 5 Ways to Set a Budget for Your Wedding Dress is to do your research. You may have your heart set on a specific designer or a certain boutique only to find out that their gowns are way beyond what you can afford. Do yourself a favor by doing your homework before setting out to try on wedding dresses at particular boutiques. You can even call the boutique in advance and save yourself some time. Also, when it comes to doing your research, know what style of dress you are looking for by saving them on Pinterest and Instagram.
2. Consider Your Entire Wedding Budget
There are many costs associated with weddings. So, before you decide on how much you want to spend on a wedding dress, consider the budget for the entire wedding and the costs associated with it. For instance, if you plan on spending $50,000 for your entire wedding, decide how much to allocate towards your dress, the venue, flowers, and decor.
3. Alteration Costs
We have found that alteration costs are one of the most unexpected and forgotten costs when it comes to a bride deciding on how much to spend on her wedding dress. That's why alteration costs are on our list of 5 Ways to Set a Budget for Your Wedding Dress. For example, if your wedding dress budget is $3,000, be sure to choose a dress that is well below that with taxes included to make room for alteration costs. Keep in mind that alterations can also include embellishments such as lace and beading. While some bridal shops may offer alterations, others may not. In this case, you will have to find a seamstress that is affordable enough that the cost of alterations is within your wedding dress budget.
4. Bridal Sales
Who doesn't love a good sale? Especially when it comes to finding an amazing deal for your wedding dress. Some good ways to find a dress within your budget is through designer sample sales or black Friday sales. When wedding salons and studios are looking to get rid of inventory, that is discontinued, off the rack, or last season, they will slash the prices to make room for new inventory. This is a perfect opportunity to find a wedding dress at a discounted price to stay within your budget. Some salons may offer as much as 75% off the original price.
5. Attend a Trunk Show
If you've never been to a trunk show, this would be the perfect time to attend one, to find your wedding dress! Trunk shows are lots of fun. Not only that, many trunk shows offer discounts on dresses if you purchase them during the trunk show. This is a great way to get a discount on a specific wedding dress style that you want.
If you want to learn more about our 5 Ways to Set a Budget for Your Wedding Dress, contact us to speak to one of our wedding planners.