First things first. The dress. You can have the best location and out-of-this-world caterers, but if you have no dress, there will be no wedding!!
The very first thing I realized while planning my own wedding was, dresses ain't cheap. Who knew that duchess satin with a mountain of tulle underneath it and all that pretty little beading would set me back $3000. Not me that's for sure.
So I did what any normal shopaholic would do..............I went on Ebay. Didn't see that one coming did you? Ebay became my go to place while planning. Need a veil? Ebay. Shoes? Ebay. Favors? Ebay. The thing with Ebay is, you have to be smart about it. Do your research, go with proven sellers. If their feedback is 99.8% and they have 10,000 sales, chances are, you'll get what you bid on.
Ebay has a multitude of wedding dress sellers, from actual bridal stores branching out into Internet sales, to brides that are done with their dresses and now selling them at a fraction of their purchase cost.
The most common variety of seller however, is the China dress maker. Vendors located in China that will custom design a gown for you. The price is usually very very low, however the shipping charges can be meteoric. Watch out for that! You will also have to get your measurements to send in for the custom gown. It is advisable to go to a local seamstress for this, have them do your measurements in both inches and centimeters. You want to avoid all confusion with the dress making company making an error while doing the conversion!
The best company (and one I have dealt with directly) is Gianinarbridal on Ebay. They're fast and their work is exquisite. I paid $24.99 for a wedding dress and $109 for shipping. The same dress at a bridal salon would have set me back $700. Since I had saved so much by purchasing my dress this way, and being that I have a weakness for clothes (and shoes, but that's another topic for another time) I decided to get a second dress. This one was a little more expensive at $86 but it shipped for $26. I ended up with a ceremony dress and a reception dress for $245.99.
Another company that is known for their impressive customer service and willingness to work with the bride, is Julius Bridal (http://www.juliusbridal.com/). Their prices are a little higher, however you get the comfort of having a quality control location stateside. They are based in New York but have factories in China. They are perfectly willing to take the top from one dress, the skirt from another, and design an all new dress, if you so desire.
If this seems too risky for you, consider buying a dress that a bride bought and will no longer use. They call themselves the "two dress brides". They bought the first one, then found "the one" months later. Now they need to recoup their loss and sell the original dress, usually cheaper than they purchased it for. You'll find them on Ebay, but you will also find them on http://www.craigslist.org/ and on http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/.
On these same sites, you will also find a host of dresses "worn once" for sale! You will find a Monique Lhuillier gown for half-off retail if not more.
The very first thing I realized while planning my own wedding was, dresses ain't cheap. Who knew that duchess satin with a mountain of tulle underneath it and all that pretty little beading would set me back $3000. Not me that's for sure.
So I did what any normal shopaholic would do..............I went on Ebay. Didn't see that one coming did you? Ebay became my go to place while planning. Need a veil? Ebay. Shoes? Ebay. Favors? Ebay. The thing with Ebay is, you have to be smart about it. Do your research, go with proven sellers. If their feedback is 99.8% and they have 10,000 sales, chances are, you'll get what you bid on.
Ebay has a multitude of wedding dress sellers, from actual bridal stores branching out into Internet sales, to brides that are done with their dresses and now selling them at a fraction of their purchase cost.
The most common variety of seller however, is the China dress maker. Vendors located in China that will custom design a gown for you. The price is usually very very low, however the shipping charges can be meteoric. Watch out for that! You will also have to get your measurements to send in for the custom gown. It is advisable to go to a local seamstress for this, have them do your measurements in both inches and centimeters. You want to avoid all confusion with the dress making company making an error while doing the conversion!
The best company (and one I have dealt with directly) is Gianinarbridal on Ebay. They're fast and their work is exquisite. I paid $24.99 for a wedding dress and $109 for shipping. The same dress at a bridal salon would have set me back $700. Since I had saved so much by purchasing my dress this way, and being that I have a weakness for clothes (and shoes, but that's another topic for another time) I decided to get a second dress. This one was a little more expensive at $86 but it shipped for $26. I ended up with a ceremony dress and a reception dress for $245.99.
Another company that is known for their impressive customer service and willingness to work with the bride, is Julius Bridal (http://www.juliusbridal.com/). Their prices are a little higher, however you get the comfort of having a quality control location stateside. They are based in New York but have factories in China. They are perfectly willing to take the top from one dress, the skirt from another, and design an all new dress, if you so desire.
If this seems too risky for you, consider buying a dress that a bride bought and will no longer use. They call themselves the "two dress brides". They bought the first one, then found "the one" months later. Now they need to recoup their loss and sell the original dress, usually cheaper than they purchased it for. You'll find them on Ebay, but you will also find them on http://www.craigslist.org/ and on http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/.
On these same sites, you will also find a host of dresses "worn once" for sale! You will find a Monique Lhuillier gown for half-off retail if not more.
It is also prudent to shop at bridal salons while they have sample sales on.
Moral of the story? You can have your dress be "the one" but not pay through the nose for it :)
1 comment:
People should read this.
Post a Comment