A 9 Dollar Wedding Dress | NYC Wedding Photographer

Yes, that’s right! I said NINE DOLLARS!! Angela found her dress at a thrift store and had just a few alterations for a perfect fit 🙂

You can certainly find a beautiful and affordable wedding dress!

Here are 8 different ways to get a great wedding dress for less:

1. Buy it Secondhand — it’s only been worn once before but for so much less. You’ll need to do your own alterations but it’ll still be cheaper.
   • Oncewed
   • Still White
   • Tradesy
   • Nearly Newlywed
   • Consignment shops and thrift stores can sometimes have hidden treasures like what Angela found.
2. Rent — another great option, especially if you want couture
   • Rent the Runway
   • Borrowing Magnolia
   • Vow to Be Chic
3. Borrow a dress from your mom, your sister, your friend, etc. They will feel SO honored to see their dress bring you joy on your wedding day. Who knows? You may even start a very sweet tradition 🙂
4. Buy the sample wedding gown from the bridal shoppe. It’s gently worn as other brides have tried it on, but it’s a great way to get a designer gown right away and at a nice discount.
5. Look for non-wedding retailers’ wedding gowns.
   • Anthropologie’s BHLDN
   • JCrew
   • ASOS
6. Buy a separate top and skirt. It gives you way more options and is pretty easy on the wallet. If you can’t imagine how this could work, think of Olivia Palermo and her stunning ensemble of separates.
7. Find a good seamstress who can make your dress. Especially if what you want doesn’t involve a lot of hand embroidery or embellishments, etc, you could save a lot of money and get something 100% custom. There are also many such seamstresses on Etsy with reviews, photos and comments from previous bridal clients.
8. And for something completely different, how about a beautiful cocktail dress or long evening gown in a stunning color? Even some “bridesmaids” dresses are stunning in white or some other color.
9. Designer Trunk Shows at your local bridal boutique aren’t THE cheapest, but they can offer a discount of 10-20%. So check with the bridal boutiques in your area and make some appointments. A trunk show is an opportunity for a designer to show their latest collection to brides, get their comments and feedback and for brides to speak directly with the designer.

So there you go. If you needed some ideas on where to look off the expensive beaten path, I just gave you plenty. You’re welcome 😉