How much should you spend on your wedding dress?
If you buy your wedding dress from a bridal boutique the average price is £1,500 – but you could spend a lot more or a lot less depending on the option you choose. Aside from the boutiques there are wedding designers like myself who will make you a couture wedding dress; or you could opt for an original vintage wedding dress; or a second-time around dress.
Many brides look to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration but the wedding dresses you see on these channels will not have a price and will often be out of most brides’ budget.
The idea of these platforms is to show the most spectacular wedding dresses and accessories. It is all about creating a dream.
What you don’t see is the price which can be over £100,000 each. Why?
Very dramatic dresses with full skirts and trains may need around 100 metres of silk, tulle and expensive French lace – plus thousands of pearls and crystals sewn on by hand.
However the good news is that not all couture dresses are out of reach.
Many designers including myself will charge £3,000 to £10,000 for a beautifully made couture wedding dress that captures your dream wedding day look.
If you have expensive taste but not the budget a second-time around dress is a good idea, after all these will have only been worn once, and will have been cleaned before being put on sale. You can find these on Ebay and Etsy or there are boutiques that specialise in the resale of wedding dresses. Sample dresses are also another good option but often these will generally be in smaller sizes and will have been tried on many times throughout a season.
When a bride contacts me for a consultation I discuss their ideas and their budget and how together we can make her dream come true. Most brides are not forthcoming about their budget but it helps me to guide them as to what is possible.
I can create most brides dream dresses to their budget but it may mean looking at more reasonably priced lace or silk.
Many of my dresses are hand beaded and embellished but sometimes to cut costs I may suggest a ready beaded fabric. A stiff tulle or crin – a very versatile fabric that can be used to hold a skirt away from the body, both of which give a dress volume and cut the amount of fabric needed.
There are so many possibilities and the right designer will try her best to accommodate your ideas and meet your budget. My advice is to think creatively and find a way to wear a dress you love on your special day.
For any advice or a free no obligation consultation please email me at [email protected]
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