i don’t have the money for a dress

What about renting a wedding gown?

Have you gone dress shopping at all? There are a few options. 1. You can check out David's Bridal. Their dresses tend to be cheaper than boutique stores. 2. You can go to bridal boutiques and try to buy a sample gown (you can snag them for around 50% off). 3. You can find a gown on a pre-owned dress site like stillwhite.com or preownedweddingdresses.com. 4. You can check out consignment shops/bridal consignment shops. 5. Look into sites like Azazie and Cocomelody. They have surprisingly affordable options.


Gowns can be fitted to your bust, so you shouldn't have that hard of a time. I am about the same size as you, and I expected having a really difficult time finding a dress to fit my bust, but it was easier than I thought. If you go the David's Bridal route, I believe they have a credit card you can sign up for. You can also use a credit card to purchase a dress from almost anywhere. However, I would strongly suggest not spending outside of your means on a gown. You will only wear it once, and to put yourself into debt over a dress is not a good idea. Even if you sell it afterwards, you won't recoup anywhere near the full amount. Also, keep in mind the cost of alterations, as those can get pricey too, especially if your dress is more elaborate.

Check for consignment shops in your area. I live in Ohio and there is one here that sells high-end sample gowns that typically run $1k-5k for $399. Depending on when your wedding is, you could establish a relationship with the shop ahead of time so they can keep an extra eye out for dresses in your size.


Also, you can probably save some money by thinking outside the box. I swear any time you mention the word “wedding”, the cost of whatever you’re talking about goes up! You can probably find a white formal dress (like a prom or pageant dress for example) that would be less expensive than a wedding dress and just as pretty.
I got my dress at David’s bridal. It definitely was not the dream dress shopping experience I envisioned, but I got a gorgeous dress that’s perfect for me for about $400.
Many couples are left to pay for their weddings themselves, and anything that your grandfather or anyone else can contribute should be appreciated, not expected.

If it does boil down to you and your fiancé footing the entire bill, I strongly suggest you sit down and come up with a budget before you spend a dime. If you find that the wedding you want doesn’t align with your budget, you can push the date out to give yourself more time to save, or re-evaluate your plans before you get too far into it.
You can also be strategic with the budget you do have. For example, if your dress is super important but you don’t care as much about flowers, you can reduce your floral budget by using silk flowers over fresh and free up more money to go toward your dress.
Yes, we all want our wedding day to be the perfect day we’ve all been dreaming of forever. The reality is, we all usually have to make some sacrifices. When is your wedding? I guarantee there are ways you can make $2000 yourself within the next year to use towards your dream dress if it’s really that important to you.

If you don’t mind secondhand dresses there are websites like still white where you can find dresses that people are selling. Some of them are sample dresses. My dress costs over $2,500 but I bought a used one (dry cleaned) for $800. It was only worn once. I didn’t have enough money to buy it new but I’m glad I found it for less because it was the only dress I wanted and didn’t try on anything else.

23 years ago I and DH eloped due to pregnancy. I was 17, he was 22. I had only $50 and bought a set of low quality junior beige pants and jacket. That set wasn’t even a wedding attire. I am 4”7, with large bust for my short and skinny figure. 34” - 25” - 34” with short torso. I fit in most 12 year old loose dresses and shirts. I used that set to have dinner with my small family and close friends. No make up, no hair do. I used my street shoes. For the ceremony I was donated make up-hair, and a simple white dress, made within 2-3 days. It looked more like a very simple communion dress. I didn’t care. I was not thinking about those things. I just did what people told me. My bouquet was left over bouquet from previous bride. Someone asked them to donate it to me and I didn’t even know. I got zero wedding present, but I never cared.


Now, back to you. I know every girl dream of a fairytale wedding, even a very simple one. Want to look pretty at least once in a lifetime. A wedding is very special. However, if I ever have to redo my elopement back then, I still wouldn’t spend much, maybe even keep that $50 and just wear whatever I had. You can always save money and renew your vow in the future.
What do you think?

View Quoted Comment Wow I will definitely look into that! As well as searching for, “not necessarily wedding dresses”. I will definitely be planning and coming up with a strategy. Thanks sm for the tips!


And yes, I’m not ungrateful by any means and of course everything helps and is appreciated, trust me I’ve never had room to be spoiled lol, there’s a little more to the story that’s frustrating but anyways, thank you!

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Best of luck to you, girlfriend!

View Quoted Comment Awh yes everyone has their experience and I am fully aware there are many that can’t even afford to really do much. I’m trying my best and have cut everything I possible can. I’m beyond thankful for what I can afford and am being given, I just want my dress to be special for this one time. I have read about staying small for the wedding and doing a renewal in 5-10 years. I am wanting to have kids pretty early and I’m positive my body will change, so my goal is to be able to be some what confident and “pretty” now, since I can’t promise the future. Thank you for your comment & encouragement

View Quoted Comment I will look into that thank you!

View Quoted Comment Wow! So many recommendations. I will definitely look into all of those. All I have been able to do is online look around because my state closed relatively early due to corona.
I just remember prom dress shopping being a nightmare, and even finding “cute” clothes now is hard so I figured it’d be the same for wedding dresses. Happy to hear it’s not!
Yes, that’s my biggest thing, I don’t want to put myself too far over the edge for a dress. Overall I will be looking into what you recommended thank you so much!

David's Bridal may surprise you. I saw a huge busted bride look great in her dress. They're having constant sales now because of covid. Good luck

I would also check out bhldn! They have some gorgeous dresses in the 200-400 range. They also have expensive dresses as well, so if you go to try on in store just make sure you tell the salesperson your budget

Also, Torrid has a line of wedding dresses that are surprisingly cute. You can also check places like Poshmark to see if you can get a good deal on a gown! Don't despair - David's Bridal is also doing virtual appointments, so you should be able to find something. My mom got her dress for 250 from them, and she has a larger bust as well.

View Quoted Comment O I didn’t know about the virtual appointments! I will definitely check those out. Thanks!

View Quoted Comment Okay thank you!

View Quoted Comment I didn’t think about the sales because of covid, thanks!

Try Cocomelody!

Cocomelody is having a sale and they can tailor a dress to your custom measurements

I agree with pp renting??? I know how u feel

I would recommend looking online for white dresses that aren’t advertised as wedding dresses. Anytime “wedding” is involved, there’s a huge markup. I would look at Nordstrom Rack, ASOS and filter your search by color - you can find great things this way!