need help for bride-to-be please

[bobbifl]

my niece is getting married in May & I could really use some help from y'all. We're looking for some good cheap wedding dress web sites, catalogs & such-oh & any sample or suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)

[VanillaBean]

I too am getting married in May and I googled cheap and or bargain bridal gowns and saw a few sites that had nice gowns for $200 and under!!

[mood4amelody]

Try www.davidsbridal.com for really low cost dresses. I also heard once of a woman who got "sponsors" for their entire wedding. The cake, the honeymoon, tuxes, dresses, dinners, gifts for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, etc. What the did in return for their sponsors was to offer some "free advertising" by having t-shirts printed (also sponsored) that they gave to all the members of the wedding party with the names of all the sponsors. Good luck to your niece!

[lizmolik]

It may sound bad, but I am going to rent my gown I think...I cant even afford a cheap gown...lol!

[mood4amelody]

It may sound bad, but I am going to rent my gown I think...I cant even afford a cheap gown...lol!

I'm not sure what the rental price is, but at David's you can get one for about $200. And, I think once a year (you may wanna email and ask them when) they have a great sale and you could pick one up for $100.

[jen2129]

Where are you at in Illinois? Because I know there are several David's Bridal stores in the Chicagoland area. They have really good sales. I got my dress from there for $89 marked down from $1000.00. My veil cost more than my dress!

[mood4amelody]

It may sound bad, but I am going to rent my gown I think...I cant even afford a cheap gown...lol!

I shoulda mentioned, so you won't feel bad, my first wedding dress was borrowed! The shoes, too. lol :p

[lizmolik]

I have just been financially drained...we havent even set a date yet cause we wont know when we will have enough money...I just want to be wed :( I think I am going to use my income tax for the wedding, if nothing else comes up!

[mood4amelody]

I have just been financially drained...we havent even set a date yet cause we wont know when we will have enough money...I just want to be wed :( I think I am going to use my income tax for the wedding, if nothing else comes up!

You could try for a couple of sponsers. It never hurts to ask. You can try locally and on the internet. You could draft a nice email geared to the different things you are looking for (dress, shoes, napkins, invitations, reception hall, and on and on and on). In return promise "some nice advertising" and do the t-shirt thing. Even without a printing company as a sponsor, transfers can be made with a printer. You could also probably get coverage from the local newspaper. Honey, if you can get it for free, I say go for it! If you want to try for some stuff, I'd be willing to help with emailing or something! Heck, I've been married 3 times, and ain't been rich once! lol

[lain]

I worked in the bridal industry for several years, and these are a couple of good ideas for less expensive (NOT CHEAP :) ) that seemed to work well for my brides.
-Dresses from sample sales (sometimes designers will get rid of the discontinued lines for up to 90% off).

-Charity shops--I can never remember the name of it, but in NYC there is a store gets used and surplus dresses from private individuals as well as designers and then sells them for a steal, and we're talking big name desingers. All profits go to breast cancer research. I'm sure there are some other organizations like this around the country.

-Look at bridesmaid's dresses. If you don't need a long train on your dress, many designers offer bridesmaid's dresses in white or ivory, and they are just as nice as many bridal gowns--and much less expensive! For example, one of my brides got an amazing Vera Wang bridesmaid's gown for only $400. Now that's not exactly cheap, but to get married in a Vera Wang it's a great deal.

One other thing--don't forget to negotiate and research your gown before you purchase anything. The range of mark-up on bridal merchandise is insane! If you purchase a designer gown, compare prices at several stores and you'll be surprised by what you find out. Don't be afraid to call the designer's customer service number before you buy--they are verey helpful and are paid to cater to brides. Also, see if the gown comes with any additional items. My wedding gown included a wrap and purse, but when I ordered it, the woman tried to sell them to me as extra items. When I explained that I spoke to the manufacturer and I knew that they came free with the gown, she backtracked and said she just made a mistake. About a year later, one of my brides got ripped off by the same person when she did charge her for the two other pieces :mad:

Oh, and don't forget--It's not what you wear, or what kind of reception you have that matters. It's who's standing across from you when you say "I do."


Edit: I can't believe I forgot this :eek: I bought my tiara and veil off of ebay and saved tons on money. My veil was $35 for a "extra full" cathedral length veil, and my tiara was less than $20 and was so nice that my hairdresser wanted to buy it off me for her wedding...talk about a great compliment. I got my jewelry this way too...great looking costume jewelry for pocket book friendly prices.

For other wedding day savings:
-I purchased my invitations online and saved a bunch. Not only did I get a discount, but there was no tax either. Online companies sell the same invites as other stores, and they all are printed by the manufacturer, so the quality is the same. Look around in stores or boutiques and once you decide, get style number and order online. I used InvitationLane for mine and they were great.

-Would you love to have a string quartet for the ceremony, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg? Post flyers at your local colleges, if they have a good music program (preferably graduate level-they will be more mature). College students work cheap :)

-Beauty schools are also a good way to save on wedding day hair and nails. If you allow a student (supervised of course) to do your hair, nails or make-up you can save $...sometimes they will even do it for free if you let them photgraph you for their portfolio.

[Cpogie]

I have just been financially drained...we havent even set a date yet cause we wont know when we will have enough money...I just want to be wed :( I think I am going to use my income tax for the wedding, if nothing else comes up!

I just looked on Ebay, they have quite a few...but I would be leery about the ones that say they come from China...some of them have good feedback but the shipping is sky high...I found one by a newbie with no feedback yet for 99 cents with free shipping...she is going to lose her butt on that one....

[lizmolik]

I just looked on Ebay, they have quite a few...but I would be leery about the ones that say they come from China...some of them have good feedback but the shipping is sky high...I found one by a newbie with no feedback yet for 99 cents with free shipping...she is going to lose her butt on that one....

I dont really know about ebay...there is so much risk in that, and I cant risk what little I have, but I am going to try to see if I can run across a used one, or try to rent a really nice one??? I dont know yet.

[lunarbeamdancer]

Keep an eye out in your local news paper for used wedding gowns. Saw an ad once for a dress.."Used wedding dress for sale. Worn by mistake." lol

[mood4amelody]

Keep an eye out in your local news paper for used wedding gowns. Saw an ad once for a dress.."Used wedding dress for sale. Worn by mistake." lol

OMG I could have wrote that ad myself!! :eek:

[bobbifl]

thanks for some great ideas everyone-they are greatly appreciated:)

[cath_31]

There is another thread about 'Weddings on a Budget' in the Kids and Family category. I posted there that I got a prom dress on clearance for about $80 and I was extrememly happy with it. No one knew it was not an "official" wedding dress unless I told them. I looked at resale/consignment shops as well- you never know what you might find. We also bought my veil on Ebay and I had a part off my mom's veil (the sparkly top part) that my mom had given me as a child for some reason. She didn't even know that I had kept it all those years. She attached it to my veil and it sure had special meaning to the both of us.

[lain]

Should we move this thread into the "Kids and Family" forum since the other wedding thread is there? Maybe there should even be a wedding subforum... *pokes mods*

[mood4amelody]

Should we move this thread into the "Kids and Family" forum since the other wedding thread is there? Maybe there should even be a wedding subforum... *pokes mods*

EGADS, no!!! Weddings are too depressing to have their own subforum! :eek:

[cath_31]

Should we move this thread into the "Kids and Family" forum since the other wedding thread is there? Maybe there should even be a wedding subforum... *pokes mods*

BUMP...hint, hint, and another poke- lol

[Cpogie]

Ok, all moved in....now if we could just get these women a dress! I wish I had one I could send, but that would be an antique if I had one, lol

[karrie93]

i got married this past summer and here are some ideas:

i ordered all of the dresses online. i went to the stores and tried on all different dresses and wrote down the item numbers and stuff. did the same for bridesmaid dresses. then i searched in google for what i wanted and got it off of a store website (not ebay). my only hint: buy it bigger than you think you need. it's easy to get it tailored smaller, but you can't do much to make it bigger.

i made my own veil. at hobby lobby (or any craft type store - i even think walmart has them) they have these little pre hemmed peices and you put them together in the style you want. i had a huge and long veil and i think with all the hair clips and everything it was $20.

go to some of the *cheaper* dress stores a little after prom...they're desperate and they had some great deals. i'm talking dresses for $40 and stuff.

look for dresses that aren't "wedding" dresses, but that are white. it's very "in" and im sure you'll be able to find something.

never underestimate the power and savings of making things yourself.

[karrie93]

www.BridalOnlineStore.com

www.HouseofBrides.com

i have purchased things from these sites. however, put your wedding date like 6 weeks before it actually is.

[Kimberly]

When i got married in September 05 i tried looking a david's bridal but i didn't find anything i liked, i even went to www.catalogs.com to look at the wedding and bridal catalogs to see if i could find anything, it's been a while since i've looked you might find something there. i ened up buying my dress from the house of brides around where i live when they was having a sale. Good Luck and congrats :D

[mood4amelody]

Easy solution - Nudist Wedding! :confused:

[gatito]

Easy solution - Nudist Wedding! :confused:

ATTENTION ALL MODS !!! PLEASE GET HER BANNED !!!!

[mood4amelody]

ATTENTION ALL MODS !!! PLEASE GET HER BANNED !!!!

Attention all Mods - Lookit this! I'm being harrassed!!!

[gatito]

Attention all Mods - Lookit this! I'm being harrassed!!!

ROTFLMAO !!! A MILLION TIMES !!!!