Comments on: What Cost a Wedding Gown?

By: Tizzy

Tizzy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:31:29 +0000

Can The Big Money folks talk to my family and friends? I am so sick of my future-in-laws and my friends assuming that I’m being fiscally irresponsible because I bought my dress at a boutique and not at David’s.

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:32:16 +0000

And for the brave and adventurous, don’t forget lingerie departments/stores! There are some lovely bias-cut nightgowns that look exactly like bias-cut dresses. And for the woman who would like a poofy, girly tea-length skirt: go to sites that sell underpinnings for formal gowns, and look for petticoats that list the fullness as being created by “rows of gathered tulle”. If you flip the petticoat inside-out, PRESTO! You have a skirt with rows of gathered poofiness on the outside. This works for whatever colour petticoats they offer, and can make a thrifty bridal skirt in white – or a thrift goth skirt in black.

I’d also like to point out that it isn’t that difficult to make your own wedding dress; it depends on what your tastes are, mostly. ANY pattern, old or new, can be made up in a white version. You don’t even have to be all that experienced; a beautiful fabric in a simple pattern will look wonderful. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S HOLY, HOWEVER, MAKE IT IN A TEST FABRIC FIRST in order to make certain the fabric fits properly. If you’d like to make it yourself, but are worried about the fitting, have your toile (that’s your test fabric version) fitted to you by a professional dressmaker, and transfer the changes that she’s made to your toile to make it fit you onto the pattern itself. Then when you put your dress together, it should fit well.

Fabrisse, ARE dressmakers hard to find these days? I was just surprised to read that; it seems to me that there are more nowadays, and easier to find than ever, what with Teh Innernets. There are a lot of dressmakers on line, and many who specialize in wedding dresses. I would also recommend theatrical costumers, who are used to fitting many, many different types of bodies, and working in all kinds of fabrics.

By: Kai Jones

Kai Jones — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:49:23 +0000

Heh, my wedding dress was purple sueded silk separates (skirt and blouse) that I found at a local art festival (so locally-made) and bought off the rack. We had a casual evening wedding and my dress was perfect for me and for the style of party we wanted.

Really, a wedding is just a party with a ceremony. Throw the kind of party you want to attend and match your party clothes to that kind of party.

By: De

De — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:44:37 +0000

The thing that always amazes me is that people continue to fall for the assumption that “wedding dress” means white, and even means bridal store/boutique.

Your ‘wedding dress’ is the defined as such because you wore it at your wedding. Not because of what its made out of or what color it is, or even where you bought it.

I too am always annoyed with homogenization – and wish that you could get dresses in other colors besides “white” “ivory” and “champagne” and not looked at like you have 3 heads for not wanting a white dress.

Ah well, its why I too went the “find a dressmaker” route.

By: Toni

Toni — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:43:50 +0000

Another suggestion is to seek out designer’s own boutiques if you can. A friend of mine recently fell in love with an Alfred Angelo that she thought was a bargain at the price of $469 and $499 at the two different stores where she saw it.

At the last minute she decided to check out the Alfred Angelo boutique, even though she thought that it would be much more expensive there since the other boutiques bragged that they were beating the “list price” of $650.

The result? She walked out of the AA boutique with that very same gown, taxes, AND fees to ship the gown from Florida to California (she’s in the process of moving) for $375 TOTAL.

Plus, she got the fancy salon experience, and the fabric, design and quality were nicer than anything we saw at David’s. Point being, it’s worth checking out designer lines to see if they have more budget friendly offerings.

(It’s this dress, for those that are curious.)

By: Melissa B.

Melissa B. — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:59:02 +0000

This is great advice, Twistie — David’s is far from the only option for brides on a budget. One option I wish I’d looked at more seriously is getting a bridesmaid’s dress in white. If you don’t have your heart set on tons of beading or a cathedral-length train, you can get a great dress in high-quality fabric for much less than most wedding dresses.

By: Fabrisse

Fabrisse — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:18:33 +0000

When a friend of mine married we went to an alterations place and asked if they had a dressmaker. They said yes. We bought the fabric from a store (silk) and the dressmaker worked from a very basic design I gave her. With special embroidery and three fittings, the whole dress still came to under $600. I know dressmakers aren’t easy to find these days, but it solves the impersonal issue and it can be very economic.