Budget Wedding: Shopping for a Bridal Gown

• Consider wearing a bridesmaid’s dress in white for an informal wedding.
  
  
• Order bridesmaids dresses from ready-to-wear designers. There may be little or no savings, but your bridesmaids will have a dress they are more inclined to wear again.
  
  
• Rent a gown. Many stores rent both dressy formal wear and bridal gowns; others just specialize in bridal attire. Check the yellow pages in your area or in a large city nearby.
  
  
• Check out consignment shops and newspapers. Sometimes weddings are canceled, or newly married brides are looking to recoup some of the money they just spent. The gown may need alterations and cleaning, so figure that into the cost and take the time to inspect the dress carefully. Start looking months in advance; you need to allow yourself plenty of time to order a gown if you don’t find one using these sources.
  
  
• Check with bridal salons in your area to see if they have gowns that have never been picked up. Sometimes a bride will put a deposit on a gown, the wedding is canceled, and she never returns to pick it up. The salon may be willing to sell the gown for the 50 percent balance that’s owed, since they’ve already collected a 50 percent deposit from the first bride.
  
  
• Wear the gown that your mother, sister, or friend wore at their wedding. This is not only cost saving, but it also adds a touch of sentiment to the ceremony.
  
  
• Ask about package discounts. Some salons may offer a discount on your gown if you purchase all the bridesmaid’s dresses from them. Although this is often negotiable, it never hurts to ask!
  
  
• Add your own touch. Buy a simple, inexpensive gown from a salon, bead your own lace appliqués, and add them to the gown in order to give it a more elaborate look. Check local fabric stores for prices and availability of lace before taking this route.
  br>· Save on shoes. Buy shoes that can be dyed another color and worn again, or borrow shoes from a friend.
  
  
• Order the gown in a less expensive fabric. If the dress style you like is out of your price range, see if the dress can be made in a less expensive fabric.
  
  
• Avoid expensive design changed. Find a gown that has the design elements you want, and avoid expensive changes, such as changing the train length or style of sleeve.
  
  
• Minimize alterations. Keep alterations to a minimum; order the closest size, to your largest measurement, from the manufacturer’s size chart (each measurement’s size chart caries).