February 2, 2012

Wedding Gowns: Splurge or Save?

There's no denying the fact that designer dresses are beautiful. The material, the craftsman ship, the name brand – everything is designed to give the bride a dress she will never forget. For many of us, however, the price tag that goes along with these dresses is a little outrageous. If you can afford to spend $5,000+ on a dress, and it's that important to you, then by all means go for it! But for the rest of us, this just isn't an option. And for me, that's OK. I don't need or even want to spend that kind of money on a dress that I will wear one day. I'm way too frugal to even consider it!

Luckily, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a beautiful gown. There are so many gorgeous dresses out there that cost less than $1,000, some are far less. And odds are, most people won't even know or care that you're not wearing Vera Wang or Lazaro. All your guests are going to be focused on is how pretty you look. A more expensive dress doesn't mean that isn't a more gorgeous dress. You can look just as beautiful in something that's a fraction of the cost!

Got your heart set on a designer dress that you can't afford? Take a look at some of these. It proves that you can find a similar dress for far less. All you've got to do is look around and you'll find something you love that's within your budget. And, honestly, I like some of the cheaper dresses more. Go figure!

Note: You can click on the "save" dresses to see where I found them. The "splurge" dresses come from the designers' websites. Thanks!
 

1. Splurge: Oscar de la Renta ($8,900) 
        

Save: Galina ($599)





2. Splurge: Selia Yang ($3,500)



Save: Vera Wang for David's Bridal ($728)







3. Splurge: Rosa Clara ($6,100)



 Save: ($260)







4. Splurge: Kenneth Pool ($5,300)



Save: Demetrios ($400)









5. Splurge: Monique Lhuillier ($11,000)



Save: ($270) on sale for $204






6. Splurge:  Lazaro ($5,300)



Save: Eden ($440) on sale for $262






7. Splurge: Vera Wang Gemma ($6,600)


Save ($340)






8.  Splurge: Alvina Valenta ($4,300)



Save: ($750) on sale for $300


10 comments:

Emily said...

Great idea to show these, Shardi!
I have to comment: I've been browsing wedding dresses for fun, and every time I come upon Vera Wang's dresses, I am so distracted by her models that I can't focus on the dress. I'm pretty sure they're 12. Creepy.
That is all!

Kayla aka Kilo Bravo said...

Wow - seeing this post makes me wish I would've done a bit more searching before I picked my gown. I was extremely intimated to go shopping (I only brought my mother and MOH) because I had very few ideas about what I wanted. I kid you not, the very first dress I tried on in a small boutique ended up being the dress I picked and I'm still happy with it. The cost ended up somewhere between your "splurges" and your "saves", but after your post, I think I could've done even better! I'm loving following your blog - you've got so many great ideas and its a great source of inspiration! You'll be proud of this though - just picked out my rehearsal dinner dress from the prom section at Macy's for $59! I guess it all evens out in the end :-)

The Fashion Philosophy said...

So pretty!! We don't know if it's better to splurge or save, but the gowns are beyond beautiful here - we were picturing all kinds of things and weddings, haha! Soooo lovely!

ox from NYC!
-davie+erica

http://www.lpfashionphilosophy.blogspot.com

Kristen Danielle said...

I really love this post!! When I get engaged... I'll have to be a money savvy bride. I need to bookmark this post! :)

Also, I agree with you that some of the less expensive dresses are nicer than the splurge ones!

Brandt & Shardi said...

Thanks everyone for your fantastic comments!

Em: ha! I couldn't agree with you more. Vera tends to like girls that are a little on the creepy side to say the least. It's so distracting!

Kayla: I spent somewhere between these price ranges too. But I was happy to stay within budget. It's amazing how many cheap dresses there are out there! I love that you got a bargain on your rehearsal dinner dress! You go girl! XO

Davie and Erica : I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Dresses are just so much fun to look at!


Kristen: yes, saving money is the way to go! Weddings are expensive with a capital "e"! Thanks for commenting!

Jess said...

This makes me excited to dress shop! Now I feel like there's a challenge to overcome :P

Anonymous said...

Where are the cheaper versions of #5 and #8 from? The price is listed but not where to find?

Brandt & Shardi said...

Jess: Yes, dress shopping is fun! Finding a bargain dress is easier than you think. Good luck!

Anonymous: If the "save" dress didn't have a designer, then I didn't put it there. However, you can click on all of the "save" dresses to see where I found them. Thanks!

Leah said...

Although Monique Lhuillier is one of my favourite wedding gown designers, I could never justify spending over $10,000 for a dress! The 'save' option is very beautiful as well.

Anonymous said...

Something else to consider, if you don't mind wearing used...is checking the boards on places like oncewed and weddingbee. I bought my $6,000 Lazaro for $2,500 from a wonderful woman who wanted someone else to have the dress of their dreams, even though they couldn't afford it!

Share

Widgets

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Google Analytics