How much was your wedding dress?

Dress, earrings, bracelet, head piece, taxes, delivery, etc. $2400. Still need veil and shoes. I didn't buy a veil that day because I might wear my mom's; I'm still undecided.

Dress

I can't believe I'm sharing this goofy pic!! lol

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Heather, your dress is absolutely gorgeous! Good bargain!

I got mine at a local bridal boutique, I spent 2000 with tax, they gave me 10% off due to some sort of mix up when i made the appointment

View Quoted Comment Thank you! It’s style MJ307. Pictures don’t even do it justice, I wish I could wear it everyday!

View Quoted Comment Gorgeous ✨

View Quoted Comment So beautiful and flattering!

View Quoted Comment Oh my gosh that is amazing! You look beautiful and what a steal!! $400?!

Mine was $200 from davids bridal. I love my dress and accessories but the service at that bridal salon was seriously so so bad. I was really surprised how poorly they treated me and my family the whole time.

$600 at DB

View Quoted Comment Dang nice find!! Y’all are impressive!! And you look lovely xx

$165 at a consignment shop. Absolutely love it and it’s a fraction of what I would have paid elsewhere

My dress is $1500, it is being made by Anomalie, and as it is custom made I wont need the alterations for it.

I got a $500 dress from J. Crew right before they discontinued their bridal line, so it was on super sale. It's a very simple silk ball gown. It's so pretty and elegant, and high quality!

But then, an older family friend who is in the fashion industry purchased a couture gown for me. I'm actually kind of borrowing it--he wants to sell it used after the wedding. So I am planning to wear the couture gown for the ceremony and cocktails, but switch into the J.Crew gown before dinner and dancing, to minimize damage.

I feel kind of guilty saying how much the couture gown cost--it's way outside the normal budget and I never would've been able to afford it. He bought it at a significant discount during a sample sale (so it's been tried on a lot, but is still in great shape). Still, it cost over $8,300. Made to order, it would've costed $11,000. It's an insane price, but it is gorgeous and a piece of art!

Mira Zwillinger - Nadiya dress

It's all handmade embroidered lace applique on a sheer netting corsetted a-line with illusion drop sleeves and back, masterfully designed and constructed. It's from the Isreali designer Mira Zwillinger--side-note: Israeli designers are really dominating bridal couture these days.

I should perhaps mention that I am a fashion designer, so the opportunity to wear real couture means a lot to me--but I also know it is not necessary to have an expensive dress to feel beautiful. It's a dress you only wear once, so set your budget realistically and try not to break it toooooo much (of course if something absolutely sings to you, sometimes you have to just a little). I still really love my $500 J. Crew dress! I might even love it more, because I am customizing it myself :-)

The lesson is, you can spend exactly however much you want to spend and come up with something beautiful. I personally budgeted $1000 for a high quality dress & alterations, but you could spend less--or much more especially if you are really into fashion.

Definitely do not settle for low quality, even if you are spending only a few hundred bucks. Look for number of seams: the more, the better--not just two seams at the sides. Feel the fabric for quality. For a dress that is less expensive, I'd go for classic, simple elegance and maybe shy away from a lot of "bling" or trendy details. This is just my advice as a designer; of course in the end, you gotta do you and what makes you beautiful is whatever makes you happy.

Also, I do not recommend ordering something online from one of those oversea clothing makers--its very hit or miss (frequently miss) and they take forever to arrive, and usually the example photos they use on their sites are actually stolen from other designers, and do not depict the actual work they are putting out. The prices are tempting but by the time you receive it and realize it's not what you wanted, it may be too late to get another. Plus I can't imagine that the seamstresses that make them are paid anywhere close to a fair wage :-(

Hope this long response helped. Good luck, and congratulations!

Mine was $350 at a local boutique! I honestly fell in love with the dress and then asked for the price. I told her I was looking to spend less then $500 and when I saw the dresses she put me in I was dumbfounded!! Absolutely love my dress.

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Debbie, you may still need alterations. I'm sure your dressmaker is very thorough but measurements can only tell her so much about your body, and then you may fluctuate in weight before the wedding from stress alone (it's really common)! I'd say most made-to-order garments still require at least one round of alteration after they are initially constructed. Not trying to call you out, just warning you so that you aren't surprised by the expense!

View Quoted Comment Wow, gorgeous dress. Love!

I wanted to spend next to nothing on a dress. My mom and FH kept pulling aside the saleswomen telling her not to listen to me. I found a dress for $1800. I do have some regret because it seems obscene to spend that much.

I found mine at David's Bridal during my appointment to find a dress type that looked good on me. I didn't mean to go buy, but I was NOT leaving without my dress!! It was on sale for $600, which was a little more than what I was supposed to spend, but my mom (who offered to buy) said it was worth the extra money.

My dress budget was $5000. I ended up buying a Martina Liana dress at a local boutique for $2700. It was a sweetheart neckline and I’m very large chested so I’m paying an extra $550 for the sweetheart neckline to be modified and not so low cut.

My budget was $2000 and found my dream dress for $1700! Small boutique in the DC area.