Best affordable wedding dresses?

There's a recent thread on second-hand dresses and bargain prices. There are also warnings against many of the online sites selling bad copies of designer dresses. There also are some boutiques who purchase surplus/overstock dresses and offer those at lower prices. It all depends on the type of dress you want. Some people find something not specifically sold as a wedding dress too.

Depends on your budget! There are lower cost shops ( David's bridal, BHLDN, etc) and Used dress stores ( consignment shops, resale shops) and then of course shops have sample sales if you're a sample size.
What I did was get a custom dress on Etsy. I used a highly rated designer who's dresses I've worn before and to custom make my dress was under $1,000. Similar dresses I tried on in store were 8k-15k so I saved a ton of money going this route

View Quoted Comment Much appreciated 💝 will look into those options! R

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Not to derail the thread, but who on Etsy did you use? I'm strongly leaning towards the custom route, but I'm wary of choosing just anyone.

My advice to OP: think outside the "wedding dress" box. Search high end department stores like Saks or Neiman Marcus, and you can find a gorgeous designer gown for less than 1k. You'll also get the thrill of having something more unique than those who shop strictly bridal gowns.

View Quoted Comment I used Molly Nguyen Designs. She's freaking amazing.

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Thank you!! You look gorgeous (:

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That's a great option when finding someone with a good reputation. We often here about the big brand designers, but other people have the same skill and quality without the big name and high price.