I am so so so excited to be getting married next fall! Be sure there will be more “wedding” type DIY posts as it comes up. My goal is to spend $5,000 or less on our wedding, while still having everything I want, including a beautiful dress. Follow my Wedding board on Pinterest as I figure out what I want for my affordable, beautiful and rememberable wedding.
When I was in Bozeman, MT, my mom and my bonus daughter took me wedding dress shopping. It was so much fun! I got to try on different styles and discovered what I liked and didn’t like (turns out those mermaid dresses I’ve been eyeballing on Pinterest are NOT for me. I like to walk!)
The dresses I tried on were gorgeous. And for wedding dresses, they were on the lower end of expensive, about $1,500 to $2,300. Now, I get if you have a little extra money to spend, this is a perfect price range. However, it doesn’t come with alterations. The owner, Megan, at After 5 and Weddings in Bozeman, MT who was helping me told me that many people alter wedding dresses. Many of the dresses I tried on didn’t fit very well, and was either a size too small or a size too large. You want it to fit perfectly, you may want to alter the sleeves for a different look. Alterations cost money as well.
Now if I was planning on spending $10 to $15,000 for a wedding, I would go for a dress from After 5 and Weddings. Megan was super helpful, and the dresses are gorgeous.
But I don’t want to spend that much. Off to find an affordable wedding dresses for $300 or less!
Thrift Stores
Thrift stores are a great way to look for used wedding dresses, no matter how big or small your town is. I went to 3 different thrift stores in Bozeman, MT (which has less than 30,000 people in the area), and I found a perfect wedding dress. It needs some altering, however I’m not worried about that because it only cost $72 for the dress. Still way under my $300 budget!
Some of the dresses did have some small stains on them. Truthfully though, that didn’t bother me. They are all on the bottom, and if I get a dress that is inexpensive I’m not going to spend the evening worrying about ruining it. Instead I’m going to have a good time!
Craigslist
Yep, there are a lot of people selling perfectly good wedding dresses, many with only one wear. It may be a hassle to go and try on different dresses in different areas of your city, but it may be worth it if it is saving you $1,000 or more. Most dresses on Craigslist are $500 or less (I wouldn’t spend more on Craigslist even if they say it is a big brand!)
If Craigslist isn’t an option in your area, find some used dresses on Ebay.com.
Make Your Own
If you are into sewing, making your own wedding dress is an option. I was surprised to see at some stores how much lace fabric with beads is. It can be up to $100 per yard (to give you an idea of what a yard makes, a yard can make some pajama shorts. A dress takes quite a few yards, (the amount you need depends on the size, length and train). Patterns cost around $15 and up, depending on the detail, if you aren’t comfortable making something on the fly. (By the way, in case you didn’t know, I’ve become addicted with sewing. So I will be making some awesome alterations to my dress!)
Buy on Amazon.com
Yep, Amazon has wedding dresses as well, all at very affordable prices. It is great to see reviews of wedding dresses too. I may have to try and buy one just to see what it is like!
It is surprising how many options there are to buy an affordable wedding dress! What am I going to do? I am going to have fun altering that $72 dress I bought in Montana and may even try out a dress on Amazon. Then I’ll pick my favorite and go from there.
What am I missing? Do you have some tips on where to find a wedding dress for $300 or less?