Wedding Dress Budget?

I had NO idea what dresses cost. I went in think I’d find some thing for under $500. I paid just under $800 for mine because i bought it off the rack. Regular price was $1,600.
From what I’ve seen many dresses are over $1,000 especially designer dresses. There are some out there for less, and there are ways to get a dress cheaper. Consignment shops, pre-owned online sites, Facebook market place, buying off the rack, I think sites like Azzie have wedding dresses not just bridesmaid, and of course David’s Bridal (I wasn’t a fan of them and had a bad experience).

Dresses really range from $100 to $20,000+ so it's hard to say whether they're ripping you off or not. I would try to find the dress you like at a different store and compare the price. Anything with a lot of beading, or a lot of material like a ballgown, or intricate lace is going to be more pricey.
That being said, I had a $2,000 budget for a dress and was willing to go up to $2,500 if I loved it. Ended up spending $1,900 for my dress and then $600 in alterations

I gave myself a budget of $1500 for the dress & alterations- my fiancé didn’t care about the price, he just wants me to look & feel my absolute best on the day of. I bought my dress at Brilliant Bridal in Phoenix for $810 (original price was $1700) & the alterations were $770 (that includes streaming my dress & veil). So I went over my budget by $80.

I think in the end it's not important what is normal or average but what you are able and willing to spend. My dress was 700 plus alterations (don't forget to factor those in - they are ususally several hundreds and sometimes up to half for what you spent on your dress) and then they were shoes and accessories. It seems many brides spent more than I did, still it makes a very substantial percentage of our overall small budget and I did have a bit of regret and wished I had done more research and bought a dress from stillwhite or azazie or etsy - but who knows maybe I would not have liked those as much as I like my dress plus it definitely would have been more stressful. My fiancé is okay with what I spent. And after I purchased the dress, my parents decided to actually pay for it.

If the dress you fell in live with costs triple of what you've budgeted I would see if you can find a similar dress in a lower price categorie. What is it that makes this dress so unique to you? Why do you love this one? Did you try on dresses in your budget? What about those? Actually your consultant should not have put you in a dress that's way way way over your budget. Very unprofessional. Did you tell her your budget?

View Quoted Comment Definitely agree with that last part. Don't try on anything outside of your budget!

I went in with a budget of $2,000. I found a dress for 1200 and was so happy I was under budget until I took into consideration a veil, some extras for the dress, sales tax and alterations. Before alterations I came in at 1900 so I will be over budget even after all that!

View Quoted Comment Thanks! I guess I should clarify, I do not think the bridal store is trying to rip me off for the dress. I am sure the price they have on it is actually what it costs. I am more curious about how nonchalant they were about the price, and saying that most people spend that much money on a dress. Just curious if people actually DO spend that much on average for a dress. Seeing the replies so far, I am inclined to believe they are incorrect.

I worked in bridal for three years. Our gowns ranged from $500 to $3k, but the vast majority where in the $1,500 to $1,800 range. That being said, I budgeted $5k for my dress, but only spent about $800. It all depends on where you shop

I budgeted about 2000 originally. After going dress shopping a few times and seeing what's available for what price I actually lowered it to 1500 and ultimately got a dress for 1000. I'm sure it depends a lot of the type of dress you want, but I kept my shopping to places that sell dresses like BHLDN tier...Willoby byWatters, Maggie Sottero/Rebecca Ingram, etc.

My budget was$1000 plus alterations. I was going to get a cheap veil fpr $100. My dress was $1500 but my friend gifted me the veil and headband for $500. Alterations will probably be about another $300. So about $800 over.
I'm so happy with my decision though because I was going to settle on a dress that did nothing for me. It was just a good price.

Hoping to land <$2k including alterations, but willing to go up to $2.5k if it's the perfect dress. I haven't gone shopping yet, so I'm not sure how far my budget will get me!

View Quoted Comment The consultant never asked our budget and there were no prices on the dresses either. I guess they operate by listening to your likes/dislikes and pulling dresses they think you would like, then telling you the price after you really love one. So tbh I have no idea what any of the other dresses I tried on cost. TECHNICALLY speaking, I don’t have a set budget. My dad is paying for the dress and hadn’t set a limit on it. But I was thinking $4,000 would be sufficient. The one they put me in was almost $12k!! I was shocked at the price! But they made it sound like that was the average price for a “quality” dress.
I can’t pinpoint one thing that made me love it. It was literally everything! The shape, fit, beading, just the right amount of bling that catches the light but isn’t over done/gawdy, the way the tulle overlay just glides across the floor when I walk. This is the dress

View Quoted Comment Thank you for this insight! This was my first time shopping for my dress, and I’m thinking I may need to check out some other places!

I went in thinking I'd like to stay in the $4k range for my dress but ended up falling in love with and buying a dress that was $1800. I can definitely imagine the frustration involved had it been the other way around though!

View Quoted Comment Read your other comment- $4,000 is a plenty generous budget to get a beautiful gown!

I wanted to stay under $2,500, and that was one of the first questions I was asked at my appointment. The local boutique said that the majority of their dresses were in that budget. Depending on the bridal store you went to and what designers it carries could significantly alter what the “average” price is for that store.

My dress budget was $5k but I'm having a very expensive full-on black tie wedding. I ended up purchasing a dress for $1000 less than I intended to because that was the one I liked most

I set a budget of $2,500 for dress + alterations. My dress ended up being $2,000 and alterations will probably put me over budget lol but it’s worth it, and we’re coming in under budget in a few other categories so it’ll balance out. At my appointment, my consultant had me fill out a form with my max budget and wedding date, and she plugged those into her computer and only showed me dresses that were both under budget and would come in on time. She didn’t tell me the price until I picked the dress because she didn’t want to let that sway me at all, and didn’t tell me the prices of any of my close second picks, which I appreciate because that would have made the decision even harder lol! I ultimately ended up with a dress that I LOVE that will come in on time and that’s what mattered! I know if I’d had the prices in front of me while I was trying to decide I naturally would have gravitated towards the cheaper one vs the one I truly loved

View Quoted Comment The dress you posted definitely does look like a $10k+ dress with all the beading included, but I would say that's very far from an average budget! I would keep looking for something within your price range and only consider that one if you absolutely can't find anything else and can skimp on another part of your wedding to meet your overall budget

Mine's was super low. So low that it would shock you lol.