Ways To Save: Bridal Gowns On A Budget

Tried-and-true wedding dress shopping secrets for brides on a budget!

Bridesmaids in pretty pastel dresses

Mondrian South Beach | Cody Hunter Photography


I'm Jolene Rae Harrington, Media & Communications Director for Here Comes The Guide. And I paid $220 for my wedding dress.

My colleague Jennifer? Got hers for $125. Since we were both footing the bill for our own weddings, there was precious little in the budget for our gowns (I had to make sure there were enough offerings at the pasta bar to satisfy my Italian relatives!). We both looked lovely, by the way, even without spending two months' rent on our wedding attire. Wanna know how we did it? Read on, my pretties...


Dig through department stores

Jennifer had no problem shopping a sale at Macy’s; though not designed specifically for weddings, her long, white Battenburg lace dress was a lot less pricey! So if pretty-and-white will work for you, check out the formal wear at your favorite department store.


Check out bridesmaid dress options

I wanted my wedding gown to be sexy and glamorous—and when I tried on a certain raspberry chiffon Watters bridesmaid’s dress, I couldn’t imagine letting my gal-pals steal the spotlight in that red-hot number! Shopping the ‘maids catalogs is a great way to save. Find what you like and then order it in white or ecru (or maybe like me, you’ll decide to walk down the aisle in living color!).


Consider consignment

Sure, maybe you’ll get lucky and find a once-used Reem Acra silk wedding dress in size 6 on eBay…but what if you don’t? Reputable, quality bridal resale stores offer more options with less risk. They also offer consignment options online! Websites like PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com offer new, sample and used wedding dresses at killer prices.


Rent and return

Nowadays you don't even have to purchase a wedding gown. You can rent one! Vow To Be Chic is a great option with tons of bridesmaid dresses and a smaller selection of bridal gowns. Rent the Runway is another way to look designer-chic at a deeply discounted price.


Seek out sample sales

Shopping wedding dress sample sales can yield pretty amazing designer bargains. Sign up for email updates from your favorite local bridal salons so you'll be informed about their upcoming sale events. Some of our best tips? Arrive early (with an appointment, if required!), wear your bridal undergarments, and know your size in advance. (The most common sizes at Sample Sales are 8 and 10, but often these can be altered for a custom fit.) Sale events are great for bargain hunting, but normally don't come with the same personalized attention you'd receive at a one-on-one bridal salon appointment. And be sure to factor in the cost of professional dry cleaning!

Happy dress shopping!


Are we friends yet? Join MyGuide for more goodness!

Some clients may have paid to be placed in our editorial and some of these links may be affiliate; however, we never include a venue, vendor, or product unless they have a proper place here. This is part of our Core Values. We create our website first and foremost to be good for the couples using it to plan their Big Day. We won't stray from that for a few advertising dollars. #scoutshonor

Find More Articles About...

All-Inclusive | Art Gallery | Ballroom | Barn | Beach / Ocean | Beach Wedding Ceremony | Brewery / Distillery | Bridal Fairs | Brides Want to Know | Budget Wedding Ideas | Business Functions / Meetings | Cakes | Ceremony | Chapel / Church / Temple | Checklists | City / Urban | Cityscape | Colorful | Covid | Creek / River | Cultural | Destination | DIY Wedding Ideas | DJ / Entertainment / Music | Dog | Elegant | Elopement Packages | Engagement / Proposal | Expert Advice | Flowers | Food | Forest / Woods | Fun | Garden | Give Back | Glam | Glossaries of Wedding Terms | Golf / Country Club | Great View | Green Weddings | Grooms / Groomsmen | Hills | Historic | Historic / Landmark Building | Honeymoons / Travel | Hotel | Indian | Inspiration Board | Invitations | Lake | Landscaped Grounds | Large Wedding | Late Night | LGBTQ+ Friendly | Local Weddings | Loft / Warehouse / Industrial | Makeup / Hair | Mansion | Modern | Moss | Mountain | Museum | Nightclub | Non-Profit | Ocean / Bay | Offbeat | On-Site Accommodations | Outdoor | Outdoor Ceremony | Panoramic | Park | Penthouse / Rooftop | Photography | Printable | Private Estate | Private Home | Questions To Ask Your... | Ranch / Farm | Reception | Rehearsal Dinner | Resort / Spa | Restaurant | Retreat | Romantic | Rustic | Shabby Chic | Small Wedding | Special Events / Parties | Summer | Theater District | Unique | Unique | Valley | Vintage | Wedding Dresses / Accessories | Wedding Insurance | Wedding Registry | Wedding Vendors | Wedding Venues / Locations | Weddings by Season | Wineries | Winery / Vineyard | Winter | Zoo / Aquarium