$300 - $500 Dress Budget Realistic?

I haven't tried dresses on yet, but giving the budget I think is important. I'm sure they ask that anyway. But, there is NO WAY that I would want to try a dress, fall in love with it only to find that it is too far outside of my budget.

I'm curious about your experiences with David's Bridal. That was a place that I thought I'd look...

As far as price ranges, it depends on the salon. We have one here that starts at $1,200, while others go way down (a couple hundred dollars).

I'm in NJ, and we have a fabulous bridal gown consignment shop. I'd look for that where you are.

Definitely tell your budget; that way your salesperson can really help you maximize your budget.

I would never use David's Bridal after my experiences there in other people's weddings.

I went to a bridal salon expecting to only be able to afford a bridesmaids dress in ivory as my wedding gown and found a wonderful gown within my budget afterall. Be up front with the person helping you/the salon owner about your budget.

Check out all of the bridal stores in your area to find out which lines they carry. Then find the designers they carry online and shop around for dresses that compare to the dress you want and then narrow it down to as cheap as you can get. My budget was "prefer to stay under $300/willing to go up to $500" and I walked away successful.

I agree with the other ladies. You should absolutley tell them your budget. Otherwise, why try on a dress you can't afford. Sometimes, you can find samples.

Or, like Celia said, you can go to a bridal consignment store. Another place to check is www.recycledbride.com. They have lovely dresses on there. You can try it on at a store and then see if you can find it "gently worn".

I hate David's Bridal too. I have never had a positive experience when it comes to their dresses. I have bought things online like napkins and such, and have had success, but they farm those things out to Wedding Star, so DB has little involvement.

I agree that you should tell them your budget.

I am going to play Devils Advocate here - I bought my dress from Davids Bridal and had a wonderful experience. The person assigned to me the day I went in (and it was a very busy Saturday) made me feel like I had her undivided attention. I had gone online and selected some favorites which were ready for as was a slip and a longline bra. She suggested a couple of dresses in addition to those I had favorited. And the best thing was that the dress I fell in love with was originally $899 but on sale for $399. I had to order a different size and was told it would be 2 months for it to come in but it arrived 3 weeks later. When I went in to pick it up I again had a good experience. This time I did not have anyone with me to help but the consultant was wonderful at getting me into the dress and making sure I was happy.

I think it basically comes down to the people at the particular store.

Good luck with your shopping - gorgeous dress!

I bought a sample gown that was $450, reduced from almost $3,000. However, I think it' easier if you're not stuck on a dream dress. Keep an open mind, go to different places and see what they've got. If you can't find the price in the store that you like, find the dress and then search online.

Alfred Angelo has lots of dresses for 499 and under. I went with my older sis and we had an awesome experience!

Yes, it is possible to get a dress within that budget. Make sure you only try on dresses that are in your budget so you don't fall in love with something that you can't have. I went only for Bridesmaid dresses at Davids and had a great experience. I also know a few brides that have gone there some with good and some with bad experiences, so I don't think it would hurt to go there I think the staff at each store is what makes the difference.

Try

www.dhgate.com

www.dressilyme.com

My dress is on my profile and with the petticoat its $326, ballgown, gorgeous, and a movie replica. I believe i've seen the dress you want, or close to it, on one of these for under $200

I think it is reasonable. But, you're going to have to do some searching. I searched around because that was my budget. I tried on a lot but found one at Davids bridal that I fell in love with! But, I'm very glad to, soon, be done with them because I've had very bad experiences with them! Their people are very rude and unhelpful!! I told the lady exactly what I was looking for and my budget and she came back with ugly dresses and they were way over my budget!! She was a skinny little girl and definitely made comments about my weight. Made me feel horrible! Then, their alterations people were rude and sneaky with their charges! :/ but, I had no other choice! So, I'm very glad I will soon be done!

Good luck, hon! This is my advice, if you don't feel right about the store, your consultant, or any of it, ask for someone else or leave. It is a very important decision and no bride deserves to be treated second rate!! :-)

We bought my daughters dress at Davids Bridal (we were one of those people who had a good experience there). We went in without a set budget. I paid for the dress, so, in the back of my mind, $1000 was probably my limit.

One of her BMs was with us. Between the three of us, we only picked out three dresses, to start with. I picked out the first one (of course I did, $860.) Beautiful gown, but once on, not the right dress.

The second was chosen by the BM. Once on, all three of us said "THAT's the dress!" The price? $325. Yea!

Often times designers will mark down dresses from previous seasons.

Eample http://www.milanobridal.com/maggie-sottero-eleanor-2011-collection-on-sale-216.html

What year is this collection from? maybe find something similar from a previous collection and see if it has been marked down. Also, you could see if someone is selling your dream dress on a reputable site for a cheap price. It may be previously own though. Then, you can try it on at a bridal shop and if you love it, order it online and have it altered to your size.

Also, davids bridal has some similar styles cheaper- maybe add a belt for embellishment or alter the top to your liking. hope this helps.

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Strapless-Sweetheart-Gown-with-Beaded-Waist-WG3436_Bridal-Gowns-Shop-By-Trend-Lacy-Looks

Beware of all the sites being linked here (besides recycledbride and david's) as they are knock off dress sites and while yes, they are cheap, the quality will not be as high as the actual designer's dress and sometimes they are hardly wearable because the work is so shoddy, which means you take your already small dress budget and make it even smaller because that cheap dress you think you are getting turns out to be horrible and because its a chinese knock off, you may have difficulty actually getting a refund for it.

Amen, Mrs. Ohler!

Marilyn, Another approach is to try on the dress, and get yourself measured and check out the pricing on www.bestbridalprices.com. It is the website of a real American bricks and mortar bridal salon in Illinois, Carole Frews Bridal. I was able to buy my daughter's Maggie Sottero cathedral veil for $198. The bridal salon she tried it was asking $500. The veil is authentic Maggie and comes with the proper documentation.

The downside to ordering from an American owned website is that if you get your sizing wrong, your purchase is not returnable.

When you are thinking of your dress budget, don't forget to factor in the cost of alterations. If you don't have a budget for that, your sales person needs to know that the cost includes alterations.

I got my dress as a sample and it was a great price. It did, however, need extensive alterations and I ended up paying quite a bit in total. I do not regret it whatsoever! It's so pretty!

My friend found her dream dress on Ebay.com. I'm the type that needs to try on before I buy, so I went to the store and mine was a lot higher than I imagined. However, ebay has a plethora of stores that will custom make your dress that are between 100-10000. A lot of the dresses that I fell in love with on Ebay.com were under 300, from China. My roommate got married last year and LOVED her dress and she bought it off of Ebay (from China..which is where most dresses are manufactured anyway, right)? Just check their ratings and go from there. Happy dress hunting and congratulations!

Www.bridalgarden.com

Listen, I'm with you. I don't know how so many women can spend thousands of dollars on a dress that they will only wear once. I have yet to start dress shopping(hoping to in another month or so) but I absolutely REFUSE to spend more than $500!! Uncalled for if you ask me. Good luck with the wedding planning.

Lace is an expensive material. If you are set on lace I would look at consignment shops. If there aren't any in you area you can also try the online bridal consignment shops. Be prepared to shop around. Don't settle. You can find it.

I bought my dress from Davaid's Bridal as well, I really had a good experience, my dress was under $500. The girl that helped me was very friendly. My daughter didn't buy a dress (I made hers) but she also went to DB to try on different styles before she decided what she wanted, and the girl who helped her was also very nice