Dress Budget Decision

I based it on what I felt comfortable spending. Some people spend $20,000 on a dress and others $200. No one knows how much the dress costs. I had a budget of $1000 and bought a gorgeous Maggie Sottero lace fit and flare for $800-it was the store sample but in perfect condition.

Another vote for what I felt comfortable paying. I vaguely decided on $4k as being the amount up to which I'd be prepared to pay, including alterations.

Then, since I knew what I wanted, I looked at some local stores to see how much the kind of dresses I liked seemed to cost and whether my vague budget was completely ridiculous. I was pleased to find that most were less than that, and in the end I think my dress cost about $2.5k, which wasn't too bad.

Spend what you’re comfortable with! As other posts have said. I started looking at designers I liked and budgeted from there in a price range I would be okay with. This is my second wedding and my first wedding dress cost $200 second hand. This time my budget is $2500. That’s just what we’re comfortable and happy spending. But you can find gorgeous dresses for cheap from brides looking to sell theirs on Facebook groups. My first dress wasn’t “the” dress. So that’s what I’m looking for this time

View Quoted Comment Yes. My 1st dress 10 years ago was bought from a consignment shop for $700 during my sister's appt. I'm having the full bridal experience this time... I just don't wanna go overboard.

I thought about the total I wanted to pay for dress, alterations, shoes, veil, and any other accessories, which was $3k. From there, I decided a good quality but not too expensive dress was the most important item to me, so I settled on $1,500 for my dress with alterations. I was aiming for $1,500 if few alterations needed, under that if I would need a lot. I refused to look at anything over that. I ended up with a ~1.2k dress that will need just under $500 in alterations. So I’ll be going over the dress but I’ve ended up skipping the veil, going for reasonable shoes I’ll wear again, and am trying to borrow any jewelry, so that flexibility in total budget is keeping me under overall.


I think you need to decide how important it is to you to get a dress you want versus the amount you spend. There are so many dresses, you will absolutely find something you feel confident in at any budget. It’s just a matter of if a lower budget or the dress is more important to you.

Honestly, the only person that matters when picking your wedding dress is you. Is it nice to want to cater to everyone else's visions and thoughts? Yes, but ultimately, you'll be the one wearing it, not them. So get a dress that you love that also comfortably fits your budget! You don't want to go into debt for a dress lol!

I did a lot of research online and ONLY booked appointments at salons that had dresses well within my price range. I didn't even give myself the option of purchasing one outside of it. I paid for them (I got 2 lol) myself, and I set my budget at $1500, but I knew I didn't want to spend over $2k, no matter how much I loved it. I ended up spending maybe $1900, for two dresses. One for the ceremony, and the other for the reception. I did this because I loved both equally, and couldn't imagine my day without the outfit change!

I had a budget of $2000 but really wanted to stay closer to the $1500 range so the extra money could go towards alterations. I stuck to my price point. I also didn’t listen to the people who said don’t look at the price tag look at the dress. Don’t be afraid to check out dresses on sale.

I had a $1500 budget. Found one I liked a lot for $900. Found one I LOVED for $2500 & bought that one 🤷🏻‍♀️ I figured I had planned on selling it afterwards anyway, so I’ll recoup some of that & it will be like I spent my original budget. No matter if I don’t though, because I have zero regrets. The dress was a very important element for me & it will be the most important & photographed outfit of my life!

I went in with the mindset of this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I’m not going to ruin it by constantly worrying about spending too much. I would much rather look back and say I spent too much on a dress I adore and feel gorgeous in, than to look back and remember feeling just meh in my dress (or worse). 5 years from now I won’t be sitting around lamenting the money already spent… but I would definitely still regret not feeling amazing in my day

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That's how I feel about my dress from my 1st wedding. It was the style I wanted, but the fit wasn't great. I couldn't sit down in it. I didn't get my own day to choose it. My sisters basically insisted that I buy it during my other sister's dress appt. I wanna love it this time and I want my own day.

I had a budget about $1K before alternation not including accessories. Tbh, I wanted to purchase it online but one of my bridesmaids encouraged me to visit a local boutique shop to look at sample sales and found my dress for $500. My ceremony is going to be outdoor in Florida so it doesn’t have to be too fancy. Love the way the dress fits me and it goes well with the overall theme of the wedding. I agree with all the other posts on choosing something that makes you feel comfortable

I’m 33 2nd marriage fhs first and he gave me his credit card and told me to have fun I ended up getting 2 dresses 1 is a fit and flare 2nd Is ball gown I spent 3,000 but could afford to spend it

I watched enough say yes to the dress to know that finding a beautiful dress between $1-2k is very possible, so I didn’t want to go over $2,000. I might have also looked on preownedweddingdresses.com if I knew about it before I found my dress.

I started with a 1k budget since I def didn’t want to spend over 3k or 5k . I ended up spending about 2,350? I believe I went a little over since my mom gifted me the other half .
My dad is a little crazy and told me to spend whatever I needed and I’m like no wayyy for one day? Lol

I am giving myself a $2500 budget, which my dad offered to pay for $****, so ideally i'd stay under that amount lol

I wanted to stay under 1k, but that's because I personally want to prioritize saving money for our future and/or a nice honeymoon rather than a giant one day party. You can do A LOT with $1k these days. I tried on styles at a couple salons, then found the same style of the $1300 dress I tried on for $550 online.

In an ideal world - would I have wanted to drop 5 or 6 thousand on my dream dress- in a heart beat. But that's just not the case, and there are other things I would want that money for