$300 Dress Dilemma

I would look at Azazie or cocomelody. I believe they do custom sizing and have dresses in your price range.

Azazie allows you to basically “rent” some dresses sent to your home for a small fee so you can try on at home which may help eliminate or Lower your alteration costs if you order a few different sizes and see which one work. Also try preownedweddingdresses.com.

Go for etsy. I saw a lot on tbere, most of which has amazing revowes. Try vickysmermaidbridal, I've heard specific good things about them on either this site or weddingbee.
Now, take this with a grain of salt because I've since heard mixed reviews, but I ordered a custom made dress from RenzRags on etsy (the ls210) and LOVE it. It fits perfectly and is so well made. However, since i have seen many pwople say they're a scam and the dresses come nowhere near the measurements they sent. So I really don't know on that.
Also try looking for bridal consignment stores around you, there are more than you think
Don't worry, though, it's completely possible no matter what people tell you. $300 was my hard dress budget and I spent $208 (only alteration needed was bustling and a slightly shorter hem, which I have a skilled family member to do for me!)

As for the questions you actually asked, a big hack would be to not have a train so it doesn't need a bustle sewn in, they're expensive! Also, it seems like it'd be best to get one that fits you in the bodice as much as possible as hem/strap alterations tend to be easier, as long as it's not a very intricate fabric (something like tulle or satin, not appliques or lace)

I got my dress from stillwhite.com for $275 and it still had tags on it. And there were less expensive ones. A lot of the pre-worn ones on there were dry cleaned when I was looking.

You could also try checking out David's Bridal's $99 dress sale next time it comes around. Also, ivory or white bridesmaids dresses are an option.

I would be wary of wearing a preowned dress without dry cleaning it. Some other person has spent hours sweating in that thing. Some people don't wear undergarments under wedding dresses. You don't know where it's been. For sanitary reasons, I would be against wearing it without it being cleaned.

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Thank you, I'm actually from Canada so the price difference adds a lot and makes them not in the budget, but Azazie is neat

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Hi, I've already checked out preownedweddingdresses.com and it seems like all of the dresses are strapless and lace (my least 2 favourite things) but thanks for the recommendation!

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I'm surprised to hear that etsy has wedding dresses in that price range, I thought they were all $500 and up. Thank you for the kind words, it's very discouraging trying to find the style I like, especially since it's bridal stores that have been telling me that the dress is unattainable :/

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Thanks for answering my questions haha. The bustle is the part of the train that gets attached to the back of the dress, right? My problem with sizing is that my hips are like a 12 while my chest is like an 8 haha. Which part is easier/cheaper to alter? I love satin so that's a relief

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I'll have to check that site, thanks!

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I'm going to try to go to their store and see what they have. I've heard that many brides were not happy with david's bridal due to the store's ordering sample dresses that are too large and needed more alterations prices..

I didn't think about people being naked under their dress.. it's just hard to justify spending $300 on a used dress, $150 to dry clean it before wearing it and then $150 afterwards to clean/preserve it

Mine was from davids bridal on clearance for 400 and I spent 85 on alterations. I was super form that if it needed a lot of alterations that it was out of the question

I recommend you’re open to getting a dress from goodwill or perhaps buy a white dress instead of a “wedding gown.”

View Quoted Comment The bustle is where they have something to hold your train up for the reception, usually some buttons and loops.

As for sizing, I'm really not sure unfortunately I'm a straight size 6, to the point where a gown I tried at David's Bridal would have only needed hemming. (I'm 5'2" hahaha)

As some other people have said, another consideration is maybe finding a "bridesmaids" dress. A lot of them look ridiculously bridal, mine included-- it comes with a train and a pretty full A-Line, I could never see a bridesmaid wearing it! But it's technically not a "wedding" dress.

Mine was only $144. I bought it on sale as a sample from Kiyonna.

View Quoted Comment Sample dresses may not always be in your size because they are just that. Samples. They are store stock and used for brides to get an idea of what the dress will look like. Sometimes they are a bit bigger or smaller. The dress ordered for the person is specifically ordered for that person. There are horror stories on here, yes. However, the majority of women I've known have bought their dress at a David's Bridal without any issues. My FMIL bought her MOG dress there. The sample was a size bigger than her street size. They recommended she order that size because her street size would be too tight and the sample was a little stretched out from people trying it on a bunch. She got the dress in and was thankful she went with the size up because it fit perfectly other than the length. Also, I believe the $99 sale is them selling stock samples, so you're walking out with the dress that you tried on. Therefore, no surprises on fit.

It's hard to justify the extreme cost of any wedding expense. The dress is only worn once, the party is only held once, etc. You also do not need to preserve your dress after the fact. You can also try to sell it or donate it to a charity after you are done with it.

Look into: Azzazie, CocoMelody, Lulus, Asos, Saved By The Dress, etc.

As others have said, Azazie has some lovely dresses for around that price, and you can order them in custom sizes with your measurements. Another good spot to check could be your local Goodwill, or Poshmark. Depending on the style that you want, searching for a white prom dress could also give some great options.

Online department stores can be really good- some places will allow you to order multiple sizes and styles and instantly return the ones that don't fit. ASOS has some incredibly beautiful and very cheap wedding dresses with worldwide free returns!

If you buy second hand, you'll want to get it cleaned if you're going to wear it all day! If you're changing after the service it shouldn't be a problem, but when you're spending all day in a heavy, form-fitting dress, you won't want someone else's sweat against your skin, especially if they've also been eating and dancing in it.