Let's hear it for the discount and secondhand dresses!

If you're like me, you grew up watching Say Yes to the Dress and expecting you'd be able to afford a $3,000 wedding dress.


And if you're like me, you'll have quickly realized post-engagement that a $3,000 wedding dress isn't really feasible. Oops.
I started my wedding dress journey by putting a max cap of $500 on whatever I bought. My fiance and I are paying for our entire wedding by ourselves, I'm still paying off student loans, and I'm currently paying for a master's program. Affordability is the key here.
I looked at so many secondhand dress sites, Etsy shops, and affordable dress sites like Azazie. I finally found the dress of my dreams through Cocomelody. It was a final sale, sample dress that they were no longer carrying. With a promo code and a prayer that the site was legitimate, I scooped the dress up for about $364.00.
So, let's hear it for those discount dresses, those secondhand dresses, and all the other affordable dresses out there that make us feel like queens, regardless of the price tag.
Did you put affordability as your priority when it came to dress shopping? If so, what did you get? Drop those pictures below!