Bridal On A Budget

Five tips on how to get the most bang for your buck when buying your wedding dress

Tip 1: Know Your Budget

This might seem like a silly tip, but in reality it’s really good to know going into your appointment how much you’re willing to spend. When telling your consultant how much you wanna spend, remember costs such as alternations, accessories, and headpieces. Its good to think about the purchase as a whole and then carve out how much you wanna spend.

Tip 2: Ask The Price Range

When making an appointment at a bridal store, ask what their price range is. I know it might be uncomfortable, but its better to know that before hand. It’s always difficult when I have a bride come in and we don’t have anything in her price point. Quite often people then feel obligated to go through with the appointment and end up falling in love with something they can’t afford. You can save yourself a lot of time and disappointment if you ask.

Tip 3: Don’t Let Them Fool You

I’m sad to say it but a lot of bridal store raise prices on dresses, like significantly. So make sure you ask if they sell at MSRP. When a store sells at MSRP that is the lowest mandated price they can legally sell at and the best deal you will get. If you feel like a store is scamming you, they probably are. Do your research and don’t be afraid to call around. Also many places will give your bridesmaid’s discounts if you buy from them. It’s a total scam. They will raise the dress price, ( for example we’ll say 15 percent ) and then say they’ll give you a 10 percent discount. Might seem like a deal but they are still making 5 percent more than they should.

Tip 4: Don’t Buy Online

I know it’s so tempting to buy your dress online, where the prices are low and convenient. However it is so risky. I’ve had countless brides come into the store, frantic to buy a dress because their wedding is in two months and their online dress was a wreck. You don’t know what you are getting or how it fits on your body. Going through a bridal store helps protect you and the money you spend.

Tip 5: Go In With An Open Mind

When you have a limited budget for your dress, don’t limit yourself to one specific style. Try on every style and dress, this will give you more options to choose from. You might find something that you didn’t expect. Also keep in mind if you love lace, its more expensive. Finding a full lace dress that doesn’t look cheap is difficult to find.