A Cheap Bride's Best Friends

It's no secret that I am doing my best to keep this bedding below the very modest budget that we have set for ourselves. One area that I have kept pretty limited is my attire. I just don't want to spend too much on something I will wear once. So I know I will have to make some compromises.

Through my search for some cheaper alternatives, I have found some pretty great websites and stores that are KEY for the bride on a budget.

Buy discounted.
There are plenty of fashion sites, like Ideeli, Gilt, and RueLaLa that occasionally sell wedding dresses and other wedding accessories at deeply discounted prices. It's definitely helpful to sign up for their emails so you can see what is on sale that day.

BHLDN dress originally $2,800, on sale for $1,199 on Gilt

Another website that is sure to pop up if you do a search for discounted wedding dresses is Simply Bridal. They have a wide range of gowns in different styles, and I haven't seen one yet that is over $1,000.

Charlotte Gown, $240.

It's probably likely that there are discount or outlet wedding shops in your town. Here in Dallas, there is a big wedding store, Stardust, that has not 1 but 2 sister stores that sell much cheaper versions of their dresses. If you happen to shop at one of those big box retailers, ask if they have any affiliation to other, less expensive stores.

Buy Used.
Try on a dress and love it only to realize it was about twice your dress budget? I did. But guess what, I could buy the exact same dress, used, for more than half the original price. Some of the best used wedding dress websites I have found are Preowned Wedding Dresses, eBay, Used Wedding Dresses, and Once Wed.

Vera Wang gown, orig. $2,000, used for $1,200

Another site I found recently is great for a bride, like me, looking to wear a pair of designer shoes on her wedding day. The Real Real sells consignment designer clothes, shoes, and accessories, such as Christian Louboutin, Christian Dior, YSL, Chanel, Prada, Marc Jacobs, etc.

Christian Louboutin pumps, $225

Rent, Don't Buy
Whether it is for a shower, rehearsal dinner, or for the actual wedding, I think renting a dress is a great way to save some money. I rented a dress to wear to my friends wedding back in May and it was a great experience. My favorite website is Rent the Runway, where not only you can rent dresses but jewelry and handbags, too.

Narciso Rodriguez Bashful Blush Dress, retail $2,355, rent for $275

I have not come across any good wedding dress rental websites, but I know that in Dallas there are quite a few stores that do dress rentals. You probably want to rent it from someplace local anyways so that you can try on the dress and make sure it fits. Some places might let you make some alterations, too.

Borrow
I am sure that most brides will borrow something anyways (something old, something new...), but why not borrow your wedding dress, veil, or shoes. I let a couple friends borrow my prom dress in high school (after I had worn it). I am just glad it got some additional use! If I had a friend that was my size and height and I loved her dress, I would totally ask if I could borrow her dress. Unfortunately, I don't have any married friends that fall into that category.

For the former brides or brides to be, are there any other stores or websites that you used to get some cheaper wedding items?