21 Proven Wedding Money Saving Tips: Save Money On Your Wedding Dress

 Dress by Bonny Bridals

Your wedding dress is the most important and most photographed article of clothing you will ever purchase.  You want to look fabulous, but you don't want to break the bank.  Here are proven tips to save on THE dress and where to look for the hottest deal. 

• Shop within your budget.  Don't try on dresses that are so outside your budget that it is unworkable. Don't allow any salesperson to talk you into a dress you can't afford, don't be pressured into anything!

• Shop off season.  The months of November and December are the doldrums in bridal dress sales.  The bridal shops slash prices of dresses for a lot of reasons:   They need to cut their inventory for end of the year taxes.  They need money to PAY their taxes.  They need rack space for next seasons dresses AND they  need money to pay for all the inventory coming into the shop.  

• Shop the sale rack. Every salon has one, the bargains are screaming! 

•  Shop sample sales, blow out sales and trunk shows.

• Buy a dress with good bones:  built in crinoline, boning, built in bra as it will save you money on expensive add ons.

• Buy a dress off the rack.  Don't hesitate to ask if the shop will discount the dress if you buy the rack sample or if you are willing to pay cash. 

• Shop Ebay.  Look for the word authentic in a designers dress name.  Ask the seller if the dress is authentic or a knock off.  Inspired means knock off and is probably an import from China and it won't have same fit, look or quality.   There are a lot of bona fide bargains on Ebay from bridal salons selling excess stock below their cost.

•   Shop resale stores.  Many resale shops have brand new wedding dresses that they've purchased from bridal salons or from canceled weddings. 

• Shop closeout stores.  

•   Think outside of the box:  A white, ivory or pastel prom or formal dress are STEALS after prom time, shop in May,June or July.

• Shop for the silhouette and fit that flatters your body.  Simple dresses can be accessorized to have the same impact as a dress with costly lace and beading.

•   Polyester fabric is less costly than silk and most of your guests won't be able to tell the difference.  If you fall in love with a silk dress that is out of your budget, ask if the same dress can be ordered in polyester.

• Wear your mother's wedding dress or another heirloom family dress.

•   Borrow a dress.

• Order a bridesmaid dress in white or ivory. Savings run into the 4 digits.  This season Bill Levkoff bridesmaids have some amazing chiffon dresses that would make a gorgeous informal dress.  Other companies have beading and embellishment on dresses that rock as wedding dresses.

•    Shop online at discount web sites such as House of Brides, not only can you score a discount on an authentic dress, you can get free shipping and no sales tax.

•  David's Bridal had a discount online outlet.
• Shop vintage antique stores for rocking styles for a non traditional bride!

•  Pre Owned Wedding Dresses have designer dresses at less than retail prices.

•   Check the department store sales racks, I've seen Jessica McClintock dresses marked down to a twenty dollar bill.

• Shop factory stores. 

•   Craig's list always has new wedding dresses, as well as pre worn or vintage dresses. You deal directly with the seller which gives you the opportunity to negotiate on price.  

• The number one way to save on your wedding dress: Shop with an open mind!  You never know what might cross your path if you are open to opportunities.  

What Happened To Isaac Mizrahi For Target Wedding Dresses?

What has happened to the much hyped line by Isaac Mizrahi wedding dresses that he designed for Target? They seemed to have disappeared from the radar.

Issac Mizrahi designed a very simple, inexpensive (cough, cheap) wedding dresses for Target that were hyped as THE wedding dress that was going to take the country by storm. I personally thought the dresses were glorified out dated brides maid dresses cut in white or ivory. The fit on the models was bad. I saw several of them and the fabric left a lot to be desired. (cough, cheap fabric).

Now, I like Target for deals on huge boxes of laundry detergent. And I'm not questioning Isaac Mizrahi's design talent. I just think its darn near impossible to deliver a quality, good fitting dress for under a $100.00. Brides shopping in this price range want style...they want more than Target offered in these dresses.

A few weeks ago, I found several on clearance, but they seem to have disappeared. Hey, Isaac, the next time you decide to do a cheap wedding dress line, call me. I have some ideas to share. In the meantime, it looks like this idea sunk.




Isaac Mizrahi with one of his wedding dress designs. Here's what I see as wrong with this dress....the straight across neckline is not flattering when you add the sheer panel. Sheer panel tops have not been popular in years. The fit of the skirt on the hips is bad and there isn't enough flare in the bottom of the skirt to balance the dress. And the flare is too low for anyone shorter than model length.

And why am I am expert? I've sold wedding dresses for eons..and my mother is a dress designer who taught me everything she knows. I can do pattern making, I can slope, I can tailor, I can and do any bridal alterations. Isaac, take away the sheer panel. Cut the dress strapless with a sweetheart neckline and add minimal beading, adjust the fit on the hips and flare out the skirt higher than the knee area and you have a winner on different body types. Call me Isaac or call me Target.
There IS a market for inexpensive wedding dresses.

Wedding Gowns Scams From China

So you found the PERFECT wedding dress and you went online
to find a better price than your local bridal salon. The dress
you've been drooling over is way over your budget but you
just gotta have it. And you find it from a web site in China,
direct from the factory for a hundred bucks and
free shipping and NO tax. Woo Hoo! Score? Not a chance
in hell, baby. Its a scam.

Go ahead and spend your hundred bucks and see what you get.
You aren't going to get that Stephen Yearick that sells for
$2400. You aren't even going to get close. What you will
get is a poorly made dress out of cheap fabric and a bad fit
that doesn't look like the pictue. I've seen the knock off's,
I wouldn't let my dog sleep on them.

Yes, most wedding dress factories are in China. Most Chinese
manufacturer an excellent quality dress. But like any
other business, there are superior companies, and there are
inferior companies. There are factories in the cities and
there are small factories in the rural areas. The major
factories are contracted to the major bridal manufacturers
worldwide and they aren't going to sell to
you or even me. They have all the work they can handle turning
out a superior product. They aren't marketing to the public.
They don't have to.

The small factories are out trolling for business. There
isn't a day that goes by where I don't get hit on by a
Skype call from China or an email promising me the moon if
I import their dresses. They don't own the rights to
produce the dress in the picture. They don't
own the rights to the picture. They don't have the pattern
for the dress. They are breaking every copyright rule know
in the world. The manufacturers will shut them down, but they
pop right back up using another name. My friend who owns a
major bridal manufacturer said that they have people working
around the clock to keep these dresses out of the market.
Why? They don't want a bride who thinks she is buying his
brand of dress to be disappointed whens she receives
a piece of crap. And, they have a reputation to honor.
They don't want their name on inferior dresses that they
don't manufacturer. They've designed the dresses,
photographed the dresses, manufactured the dress
and marketed the dress in their own image. Someone comes along
and steals all their work...not quite fair, is it?

What the inferior manufacturer will produce is a similar
looking dress in a color that you request. Or maybe not.
I've met a bride who ordered an ivory dress and got
something along the line of a light dirty
brown. Will ithe dress be exact? No way. Will it
have the same fit? No way. Will it be the same quality?
No way. Will I be happy? No way. Will I be shopping for
another dress? Guaranteed.

These dresses are hard to alter because they don't have the
cut and the inside boning to keep the dresses up and in place.
Without boning, the dress won't stay up, it will droop down.
The beading you love on the original may be glued on appliques
or cheap hot pressed caviar beading, which are like dots that
come off when you get warm. You can't put this under a sewing
machine because they gum up the machine and snag the dress fabric.
Most seamstresses won't touch one of these dresses.

The costs from shipping from China has escalated 5 times
in the past year due to the cost of oil. It is reflected
in the cost of the dress. Say you are spending a hundred bucks
and shipping costs $75.00. You are buying a $25 wedding dress.
That will barely cover the cost
of the zippers, thread and buttons on the dress.

You CAN buy a great dress for a hundred bucks through sales at
a bridal salon or on clearance from Ebay. My bridal salon is
currently running a clearance sale for wedding dresses at $99
with dresses that retail up to $1500. I need to clear them out
to make room for new merchandise. That's a real deal and
you can see what you are getting in person. And there is a big
difference between a cheap wedding dress and a bargain
wedding dress. Learn the difference.

If you are the gambling type, then go ahead, order the dress.
But prepare for major disappointment! If its too good to be
true, then it usually is. Take my advice, there's nothing
I hate more than an upset bride.

Rocking Wedding Dress Sale in Niantic, CT

You've seen the brides on the tv news
running, jumping and scrambling to grab new
wedding dresses at rock bottom pricing. If you are
anywhere near Niantic, CT you owe it to
yourself to get to this grab n go Blowout sale on
April 27th. Up for grabs are 500 BRAND NEW
NAME BRAND WEDDING DRESSES!!!

The Bridal Mall is offering dresses that
retailed up to $4,000.00 for $250 to $499.00.
Do you realize the value on these dresses?
There are couture dresses in this sale and
they are selling way-way-way below wholesale
cost.

Girls, this is a once in a lifetime
opportunity to dress in a couture dress on
a beer budget.

Its the perfect time for a girlfriends
getaway because its only 20 minutes from
both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos!
Shopping and a casino, I'm in heaven!

For complete information, click here:
Ultimate Wedding Dress Blow Out Sale
They'll even give you a list of designers
in this sale.

Target Wedding Dresses, Isaac Mizrahi, What are you thinking?

A Cleveland news station did a news story on how to get a cheap wedding dress and featured Target wedding dresses. It was all I could do not to gag. Did Isaac Mizrahi sell his soul to design these dresses at this price point?

OK...you want a cheap wedding dress. Order it from Tar-jay and you will get a cheap wedding dress. You won't get style. You won't get quality. You'll get a dress.

Don't get me wrong, I shop Target. But I can't imagine ANYONE bragging to their friends that they bought their wedding dress at Target.

Back to the Cleveland news cast. They showed a silk cowl neck dress up close and I freaked..the dress had SNAGS in it. Since there are all qualities of silk, I'm guessing this wasn't the best quality because bridal silk doesn't snag all that easily. The dress was only lined to above the knee on the model, and you could see the lining through the dress! That, my friend, is major cost cutting!

The dresses were styles that are totally passe...as in outdated. The styles just don't sell anymore. And the cuts are unflattering. I know, I dress brides every day. One style has a scoop neck and a gathered tulle skirt at the waistline. That adds at least 20 pounds to the silhouette. Lord, who wants to look fatter on their wedding day?

Isaac, I know you can do better. This collection sucks.

Before You Order That Wedding Dress Directly From China...

You have to read this!

You've seen the wedding dresses on the web that tell you that you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars on your wedding dress by buying direct from China. Are you willing to gamble your money on the most important dress of your life by buying an unseen dress from an unknown source? Before you click the buy button, please make sure you know WHAT you are buying.

There are some amazing deals on wedding dresses. Some are from major bridal manufacturers and are bona fide bargains, some are cheap imported "knock offs" of designer gowns. Don't risk being disappointed when your dream gown arrives and it isn't what you are expecting and looks nothing like the picture on the web site.

Buyer beware, if the deal is too good to be true, it probably isn't a deal! You cannot buy a great wedding dress for $29.95. Its not possible and it's not going to happen. You will receive exactly what you've paid for, a $29.00 dress.

The internet is over run with imports from the far east. They are NOT the manufacturers of the original wedding dresses you've seen in the bridal magazines and on the racks in bridal salons. They are not made in the same factories as the original gown. These are "knock off" dresses. The quality is inferior, the fit is inferior, the designs are either outdated or modified from the original or may look nothing like the original. The fabric or embroidery or beading may be different. There are bridal salons that will put the knock off dress next to the original dress so you can compare what you will actually receive when you order direct. It's an eye opener. Think of it as the difference between Nordstrom's and a big box retailer.

The photos you see online belong to the major bridal manufacturers. They've designed, manufactured and marketed the design. The knock off artists illegally use photos from the original designers catalog or web site. That's a violation of copyright laws. You are led to think that the gown is a major brand name, but its not. The knock off artists are stealing.

You will not only pay an inflated shipping fee from China to the USA, you are also liable for customs fees once your purchase hits the USA. Customs fees are nonnegotiable. You won't know the amount of the fee until the dress is delivered. You pay the customs fees or you don't get your gown. Add that onto the bargain price, and ask yourself, "Am I saving money?"

Things you need to know:

There is a big difference in the quality of bridal fabrics. There are different grades of satin, silk, etc. The fine fabric you seen on the gown on the rack is not going to be the same. Inferior fabrics will be lightweight and show more wrinkles. They may also water spot when the dress is steamed and pressed and are very difficult to press.

There is a major difference in the cut of the dress that will affect the fit of the gown. Quality dresses have boning in the dress to keep it up. It may also have an inner elastic belt to keep the dress in place and to pull in the waistline. Some quality dresses will have a completely built in inner bra. They are masterpieces of design. Don't expect to get that in a bargain knock off dress.

A quality dress will have a built in crinoline that is encased between layers of fabric so the crinoline doesn't scratch your body. You won't need to wear an additional crinoline with your dress. An inferior dress may have rough crinoline without a lining so that the crinoline rubs your skin. You'll have to buy a crinoline to keep your stockings and skin from scratching. That's another added expense.

A quality dress will be lined in a satin or similar fabric so that it is not see through. This is important especially if you are buying a sleek gown fashioned of chiffon or charmuese. An inferior dress will have a cheap taffeta lining and as a result, you can probably see through the dress. You'll have to do a lot of shopping to find a long slip to wear under this sleek dress, they just aren't that readily available and may not do the job. You may have to take the dress to a seamstress to have it relined, more added expense.

A quality dress will have small intricate embroidery, fine lace and hand sewn bead work. The bead work will be authentic crystals. A knock off dress may have glued on sequins instead of beads, cheap lace, garish embroidery and plastic "crystals".

Beware of any company that guarantees you a custom made dress to your measurements and deliver it in 4 weeks from China. They can't guarantee you the exact time, because there is no way to determine how long the dress will be held in US customs. There is no way to expedite anything through customs.

Check the sellers feedback. Many of the sellers sell on independent web sites and on Ebay. Ebay has feedback for a reason. It will tell you the integrity and reliability of the seller.

Even if you think this is just a dress you will only wear one day in your life, you'll want to look beautiful and feel beautiful on your wedding day. Its the most important dress you will ever purchase in your life. Add up the extra expenses involved in your bargain dress and then decide if you are wiling to gamble with your wedding dress.

For more information on this topic,Click here.

Rose Trifero is an internationally known expert in the field of weddings and bridal fashions. She has been involved in the industry for over 30 years and has written and been quoted in national bridal magazines including Vows, the magazine for bridal professionals. She is also the force behind http://www.beachbride2be.com , a source of information for destination weddings.