Planning Events with Less Stress: Bargain Bridal and Bridesmaid's Dresses!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Bargain Bridal and Bridesmaid's Dresses!

Two years ago I had a bride who had an extremely tight budget and I really wanted to make her dream wedding come true. She wanted her bridesmaids to wear sage green dresses. This is when the bargain shopper in me comes alive! I visited two Nordstrom's Racks over a month's time in the Puget Sound area and found beautiful dresses that were all in the same color and style. The trick is to match the style numbers on the tags sew into the dresses and to shop often. The great part was that I found the dresses in every size that we needed for her bridesmaids from sizes 10 on up to 18W. No, the greatest part was that they only cost $25.00 each and in no way did they look hideous! We were even able to purchase an extra one in case they would have to have a larger size later on. She wanted her matron of honor to wear something different than her bridesmaids that she would be comfortable in because she was self-conscious of being very thin. We found a style that complimented the other dresses nicely, and her matron of honor felt confident that she looked nice in the dress. Her dress cost $35.00. So we got 4 dresses for $110.00

The bride did not want to wear a white dress and wanted something unique and found a beautiful satin antique gold skirt with a train and top at a second-hand dress shop. The top was too tight, but she got such a good deal on the skirt that it was worth purchasing. We went to one fabric store and found the perfect fabric in a matching color with accents of gold thread in the fabric. We took that fabric to a dressmaker and the bride got a beautiful top made that laced up in the back. Her skirt and custom top came to a total of just under $200.00. This bride needed a larger size which would have been difficult to find at an average bridal shop. She looked radiant on her wedding day and no one would have guessed she got such good bargains! The bride and her bridal party were very pleased with their dresses for a grand total of $310.00.

Bargains are to be had if you are willing to shop using unusual methods. With a slow economy and the fact that people are concerned about the environment, recycling dresses is very popular. A few years ago I noticed that brides would buy more than one wedding dress just in case they changed their mind. Not many brides have that kind of money now! There are many ways to find dresses that haven't even been worn.

You can email me through my website if you would like to learn more about ways to find dresses at bargain prices that look fabulous. Another tip! Sometimes it is actually less expensive to have someone design and make your dress than buying a dress at a bridal store! I'm not suggesting that you avoid shopping at bridal stores because I know of some smaller shops that have fabulous prices on custom gowns. The simple fact is that there are more options that brides are unaware of when it comes to finding that perfect wedding dress or bridesmaids' dresses.