View Full Version : Wedding Dress - How much?
I just wondered how much would you pay/did you pay for your wedding dress? It was a long time ago that i got married and i am just trying to get some idea of how much money brides to be are prepared to spend on a wedding dress these days.
I paid about £600 for my dress, a couple of years ago.
I think if i had the money (and did not need to worry about the cost) i would go up to two grand so i could get a really nice one.
otherwise, in my current situation i think i would grudge anything over £600-£700.
I was very fortunate to get my wedding dress for only £90. It was an ex-display model by Ronald Joyce worth £600!! Talk about a BARGAIN!!;) That was 9 yrs ago.
i paid a 1000 dollars for mine 8 years ago! *gasps shock at the thought now though!*
it was a very traditional dress and my mum godmother and aunt pretty much turned me into a maniquin and tried out every dress in the shop that day. as we were getting married over here and they were not able to come across, i decided to let them have their way as it was the only way they had to be part of the wedding!
I paid £400 for my dress in 2003 it was brand new and it was the one i fell in love with when i saw it even though it ended up being one of the cheapest i tried on!
anneoctober
06-Apr-08, 17:56
Our eldest son's wife Lynne, paid £2,000 for a designer dress made exclusively for her. It was absolutely gorgeous, Natalia ( Russian designer in Edinburgh ) was very "hands on" and she certainly put in a lot of hours on the design, fittings etc. All my other girls were around the £ 1,000 bracket or less as some got discount!! :D With all the expense the day entails, I really think that would be the top budget available.
My own wedding dress (34 yrs ago) came from Fred Shearer's in Wick AND it was in the sale.......[lol]
anneoctober
06-Apr-08, 17:58
I was very fortunate to get my wedding dress for only £90. It was an ex-display model by Ronald Joyce worth £600!! Talk about a BARGAIN!!;) That was 9 yrs ago.
Now THAT is a bargain ett23, well done!! :D
Now THAT is a bargain ett23, well done!! :D
She was a friend of a friend.......handy having friends isn't it!! The lady I bought it from now owns Fairy Godmother gowns in Tain. Definitely a rare bargain!!:Razz
I did consider that but most people as i suspected have also said roughly when they got married. (This response was to a posting that has since disappeared!)
I know this doesn't sound awfully romantic but I think a lot depends on what you 'think' you are going to do with it after the wedding.
Many brides reckon on selling it ,( which allows them to justify a bit of a splurge) but then can't part with it and no matter how practical your choice, you really are unlikely to have it restyled into a short dress or dyed black etc.
If I was doing it now I would hire my dress.
I was married 10 years ago in a timeless Ivory 2 piece from Monsoon that could easily be worn in Summer...but I can't because I Know it's my wedding dress...so it sits in the wardrobe.:(
anneoctober
06-Apr-08, 18:48
I know this doesn't sound awfully romantic but I think a lot depends on what you 'think' you are going to do with it after the wedding.
Many brides reckon on selling it ,( which allows them to justify a bit of a splurge) but then can't part with it and no matter how practical your choice, you really are unlikely to have it restyled into a short dress or dyed black etc.
If I was doing it now I would hire my dress.
I was married 10 years ago in a timeless Ivory 2 piece from Monsoon that could easily be worn in Summer...but I can't because I Know it's my wedding dress...so it sits in the wardrobe.:(
get it on yir back wifie and mind the OH o';) his good fortune........
get it on yir back wifie and mind the OH o';) his good fortune........
Scheesht Anne..he has eyes that open every morning!:lol:
I got mine and bridemaid dresses in a sale in TK MAX all for £30! in the exact colours and sizes i need, for bridemaids that is, mine was a size 20 but my dad's a tailor so he was able to alter it for me. Definatly the best Bargin ever!! Including hubby who i got for free[lol]
I got married 2 years ago next week and my dress was £900, a Romancia of Devon Dress. my Chief Bridesmaid was £300 and my Flower Girl was £180, they were from Pronuptia of Paris in Aberdeen.
Couldnt part with my dress no matter what.
I was a bridesmaid 3 times and my mum has kept all the dresses, my sister was a bridesmaid twice, again mum has kept all the dresses, also ones from my neice being a flower girl 3 times she has all thoose dresses.
So I dare say she could open a bridal wear shop. Its mad but they are to lovely to part with
mums angels
06-Apr-08, 19:51
I was lucky and got my dress on sale for just over £500 we had budgeted for around £1000 but think now thats abit high and i'm glad i didn't pay much more than i did.
Looking at the prices of some of your dresses, i am glad i havent bother yet, cheaper living in sin[lol][lol]
I would love to be able to hire a dress, but it seems less and less places are offering this now, and the ones that do charge so much you might as well buy your own!
I got mine and bridemaid dresses in a sale in TK MAX all for £30! in the exact colours and sizes i need, for bridemaids that is, mine was a size 20 but my dad's a tailor so he was able to alter it for me.
What a brilliant bargain! As you can see from fuzz24 getting an expensive one-off does not matter!
Looking at the prices of some of your dresses, i am glad i havent bother yet, cheaper living in sin[lol]
Totally agree balto, I honestly think it's ludicrous to spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds on a dress which is to be worn once. My price range, if I was suddenly declared insane and wanted to get married, would be in the region of up to £100.
lynne duncan
06-Apr-08, 20:45
got my dress, and all the extra bits even the shoes for £100 in brides shop that used to upstairs outside the railway station in inverness, even though tried everything from a £1000 and down, liked the 100pound one best
What a brilliant bargain! As you can see from fuzz24 getting an expensive one-off does not matter!
Totally agree balto, I honestly think it's ludicrous to spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds on a dress which is to be worn once. My price range, if I was suddenly declared insane and wanted to get married, would be in the region of up to £100.
nah its easier to leave in you dont get married no messy divorce to worry about so you see cheaper all round. :lol::lol:
Sapphire2803
06-Apr-08, 21:06
I was married 10 years ago in a timeless Ivory 2 piece from Monsoon that could easily be worn in Summer...but I can't because I Know it's my wedding dress...so it sits in the wardrobe.:(
Ooh! Mine too. The Monsoon sale, 4 years ago this year. Mine was £30. Then I headed over to Dune for my shoes which cost £5.
the charlatans
06-Apr-08, 21:12
The way i saw it was that even though you only wear this dress once you look at it alot in the photos and your memories and so will your family. So buy one that suits you and stick to your price range. But do not get into debt, there are plenty of dresses out there at all price ranges.
I wouldn't part for my dress for anything.
Ooh! Mine too. The Monsoon sale, 4 years ago this year. Mine was £30. Then I headed over to Dune for my shoes which cost £5.
Nice to know I am not the only skinflint!;)
Did you make sure you had shoes you could run in or did I just watch 'The Graduate' too many times?!:lol:
Sapphire2803
06-Apr-08, 21:39
Nice to know I am not the only skinflint!;)
Did you make sure you had shoes you could run in or did I just watch 'The Graduate' too many times?!:lol:
I could barely walk, never mind run, but when I stood still they looked great.
Me vain? never...
My hubby said he was going to get us there early and then he would go for a walk round the block to give me a last chance to scarper if I so wished. I think he only needed one look at my shoes to see I had no plans to make a hasty exit.
I could barely walk, never mind run, but when I stood still they looked great.
Me vain? never...
My hubby said he was going to get us there early and then he would go for a walk round the block to give me a last chance to scarper if I so wished. I think he only needed one look at my shoes to see I had no plans to make a hasty exit.
I think that's the real reason we are all clinging to our new hubbies in the wedding pics.;)
I paid about £550 for my dress nearly 15 years ago now. I still have it in my wardrobe complete with mucky stains round the hem when the photographer insisted we went across the grass to an old tree to have some photos taken.
My sister, being much slimmer than me (!), wore my mother's wedding dress, she looked absolutely gorgeous and my mum was so delighted.
bobandag16
06-Apr-08, 22:35
I just wondered how much would you pay/did you pay for your wedding dress? It was a long time ago that i got married and i am just trying to get some idea of how much money brides to be are prepared to spend on a wedding dress these days.
sad to say 1945 we stood in a register office war on special licence . dress army uniform. both going back to our units. 61 years later i still ask what will it cost. to have a proper wedding. i think it cost over 2 pounds at the time.
purplerain
06-Apr-08, 23:16
I will be looking for my gown very soon as I'm getting married next year, I am budgeting for £1000 max but hopefully it won't come anywhere close!!
I was lucky went to Julia Fraser (who went on to bigger and better things ) In Nairn my Matron of Honour and I both like the same dress she had hers I had mine both happy and not a lot of money have voted on the poll
wedding night her and me and rest of wedding Perty !!! dancing doon the pier at Kirkwall 12 midnight in the frocks and photographed for local press mortified when they sent the pics though she still has never seen them !!!
ronald.val
07-Apr-08, 01:00
Bought mine for sale price of £13 (not unlucky) in Perth nearly 37 years ago.
The average price for a wedding dress then was around £150 - £300 if you were really well off, so reckon I got a real bargain. :)
Re-designed it after our wedding, dyed it purple along with the satin shoes and wore it loads of times afterwards. (Long dresses were all the rage then for a night out)
No regrets about not keeping it.
we were really strapped for cash when we married 12 years ago, so the £400 white froth of satin i fell in love with and tried on in the bridal shop stayed in the shop im afraid:(. plus i was going to be 6 months pregnant on the day!!!
so after a hunt around, we picked up a lovely size 14 dress(i was a 10 even with my bump) in a charity shop for £15, bought various pieces of lace, ribbon & silk roses and with a bit of fancy alteration, created my wedding dress which even now hangs in my wardrobe. total cost no more than £40. satin shoes to match, £3 in another charity shop. still have them and keep meaning to dig them out and dye them black to use again with anything. ive worn the dress once since for a professional photo shoot,but no idea what will become of it eventually. i have 2 girls which i would love to just splurge on for a frothy creation when it comes to their day.
changilass
07-Apr-08, 09:23
I ordered mine from the USA as it was gonna cost nearly £2000 to buy it here and I could save £500 even with postage.
I paid by credit card and 5yrs later it has still never come off, having said that, we have just gotten rid of that credit card now so it would be a bitty hard for them to charge us now.
The dress needed a wee bitty alteration so it ended up costing about £50 - total bargain lol.
I paid around £150 for mine 20 years ago,it was handmade though and I had 7 bridesmaids as well so theirs were all made at the same time,I used it once afterwards,for a fancy dress party and I cut it up and made it into an outfit for that night,although we had split up but then so I didnt see the point in keeping it, my second dress cost £20 and I had worn it to a wedding before i got married so I reckon I got my moneys worth out of it :roll: x
I am getting married on the 14th June (yes 9 weeks away, aaarrrggghhh). When I originally went down to Inverness to try dresses on in Belissima Brides, myself and my mum agreed that we would not go over £500 on my wedding dress, well I tried several dresses on and nothing looked right until Hilda brought out a Maggie Sottero - Suzanne Vidal dress in Diamond White/Silver, I tried it on and fell in love, my mum was in floods of tears as it just looked so gorgeous and said I just had to have it no matter what. Well the dress cost £1200 and I am delighted with it. Yes it's an awful lot of money but for one of the biggest day's in your life it is worth it and cannot wait to wear it on the day. It is a dress that can be handed down if I decide to keep it after the wedding as it is so stunning, but I may choose to sell it as I am sure that it would sell very quickly as it is just so beatiful, I feel like a million dollars in it. I'm of down to Inverness on Saturday to pick it up from the dress makers as it was down getting a few alterations, i.e. length and it slightly taken in at the waist, I just can't wait. My bridesmaid's dress cost £180, but as my dress is so fancy, her dress had to be very plain so that it wouldn't clash so it is just a plain satin dress that we have bought a diamonte broch to attach so that it will give it a bit of sparkle.
Penelope Pitstop
07-Apr-08, 10:26
I paid £120 for the dress and viel 23 years ago in Edinburgh. Bought the first one i tried on in the shop!! That was about my budget. There would be no way i spent alot on a dress...just didn't, and even now don't, see the point in spending silly amounts of money on a dress. We rather put the money into our new home and new life.
Alot of people get so carried away by the wedding hype that they spend, spend, spend only to find themselves in years worth of debt. Not a great way to start a marriage, IMO.
IMO, in my day anyway, folk just tried to be bigger and better than the next....what a waste of time.....doesn't make a marriage last any longer if you have a £2000 dress or a £20 dress....anyway who's going to know unless you tell them:confused
I totally agree Penelope with not worth getting into debt over a wedding. We have been very lucky and have saved a lot of money else where on bits and pieces so I have been able to spend a bit more on my dress.
Penelope Pitstop
07-Apr-08, 10:54
Good luck to you both on your forthcoming day...hope weather is kind to you ..... better than today i hope!!!!
I hope so too as we are having it in a marque in my mum and dad's garden in Berriedale so I am hoping with everything crossed that everything goes well and the weather behave's itself.
I am getting married on the 14th June (yes 9 weeks away, aaarrrggghhh). When I originally went down to Inverness to try dresses on in Belissima Brides, myself and my mum agreed that we would not go over £500 on my wedding dress, well I tried several dresses on and nothing looked right until Hilda brought out a Maggie Sottero - Suzanne Vidal dress in Diamond White/Silver, I tried it on and fell in love, my mum was in floods of tears as it just looked so gorgeous and said I just had to have it no matter what. Well the dress cost £1200 and I am delighted with it. Yes it's an awful lot of money but for one of the biggest day's in your life it is worth it and cannot wait to wear it on the day. It is a dress that can be handed down if I decide to keep it after the wedding as it is so stunning, but I may choose to sell it as I am sure that it would sell very quickly as it is just so beatiful, I feel like a million dollars in it. I'm of down to Inverness on Saturday to pick it up from the dress makers as it was down getting a few alterations, i.e. length and it slightly taken in at the waist, I just can't wait. My bridesmaid's dress cost £180, but as my dress is so fancy, her dress had to be very plain so that it wouldn't clash so it is just a plain satin dress that we have bought a diamonte broch to attach so that it will give it a bit of sparkle.
Hope you have a great day and that it's all you want it to be! I'm sure the Caithness weather will be kind on you!
I got mine in Debenhams 20 years ago for £40. My daughter wore it when she was guizing, she was about 6, and the bride of frankenstien!! Haven't seen it since and coz I have have moved since then I have no idea where it is.
Well I keep reminding everyone that I will be ok we the midgies are out as I have my very own all in one midgie net (Veil) ha ha. Don't know about if it rains, I did say I could wear white wellies but that didn't go down too well.
I bought two beautiful remnants in the January sales, total cost £9.00. my mother made up the dress and the full length coat so add £2.00 for buttons , thread etc.
The dress was converted to an evening gown , the ottoman coat needed no alteration and both have only just been disposed of after having been worn and borrowed several times.
Then again I did get married over 39yrs ago!
I bought two beautiful remnants in the January sales, total cost £9.00. my mother made up the dress and the full length coat so add £2.00 for buttons , thread etc.
The dress was converted to an evening gown , the ottoman coat needed no alteration and both have only just been disposed of after having been worn and borrowed several times.
Then again I did get married over 39yrs ago!
Were there Clothing Coupons in those days Lizz? [lol]
I wouldn't pay a lot for a dress, some of the best ones I've had have cost the least and if I was getting hitched it wouldn't make one bit of difference if it was a tenner of ebay but I wouldn't go over £300 and I'd be wanting something for my feet as well for that much.
:roll:
I married in 1986 and had a lovely dress made specially for me by a company called Fairytales in Leeds. It cost around the £250 mark i think. Im getting married on 17th May this year and I have bought a green velvet dress off a lady on ebay who makes them and its FANTASTIC. Beautifully made and finished and just exactly what i wanted. It cost me £98. My shoes are beaded and gold and they cost me £10 in debenhams sale last week.
Boozeburglar
08-Apr-08, 16:37
My wife made her's but I don't see the point in spending a disproportionate amount.
So I guess it depends on your overall budget.
:)
I got married in 2006, went to Inverness and found my dream dress for £600, thought it was a bit much so looked on ebay, got the exact same dress for half the price from america, was just as gorgeous as the one I had tried on.
im a bit embarrassed now reading all these bargain dress prices, ive just paid 1500 pounds for my dress and veil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We got married in 1985. I paid 60 pounds for my dress. Romantic that I am I binned my dress years ago. (Kept my husband though).
neepnipper
09-Apr-08, 07:24
I hired mine back in 1990, cost about £100.00, didn't see the point in spending loads of money buying one.
I paid £300 for my dress. I wouldn't have spent any more than that. I tried 3 dresses on. Chose which one I liked best ...... my mum asked 'is it 'the one'?' my reply 'it's a dress, its ok'. Anyone that knows me will realise I'm not a dress person, so I don't believe there ever would be 'the one' as far as a wedding dress goes.
I don't think I would ever have hired one though - my dress was mine to wreck if I wanted. By end of the night, it was filthy. I wasn't going to spend a fortune to try and get it professionally cleaned, so I bunged it in the bath and tried to clean it. Marks wouldn't budge. I still have it, but don't imagine it will ever be re-used.
I would have hated to hire one and have to worry about keeping it clean. I might have had to stay sober then ;)
neepnipper
09-Apr-08, 10:10
They cleaned the dresses anyway between being hired so don't think the thought of getting it dirty even crossed my mind, hired the bridesmaids dresses too and my bridesmaids were only 4 and 5 years old so I'd imagine they probably went back a bit dirty!
As for staying sober I didn't touch a drop on my wedding day, had a champagne reception, wine etc etc but just couldn't touch it, I must have been drunk with happiness!!!
Sapphire2803
09-Apr-08, 16:37
Well, I know it's almost off topic because it's not just the dress but,
Our whole wedding cost about £200, that's including the reception.
We got married in the registry office with a couple of friends as witnesses and one as a photographer. We then all went back to our house, shared one bottle of champers, which we'd been given. Had a few drinks and an indian takeaway. It was a fantastic day, no stress at all and a really good laugh.
For our honeymoon we went hiking and camping around Glencoe and nearby.
We have been told that we are almost sick making, married and still walking around holding hands and making goo goo eyes at each other. Stangers often think we've only just met.
On the other hand, I know people who spent thousands on their wedding day and didn't enjoy it at all. They were too busy running around making sure everything was going to plan and that everyone else was enjoying themselves. Some of these people aren't even together any more. The record goes to a friend of mine, her big day cost £6000, her marriage lasted 7 months. They hadn't even been together long enough to apply for divorce :roll:
The moral? I don't know, maybe it's:
Your wedding is your day, don't worry about what other people expect or keeping up with the Joneses
Don't spend beyond your means.
For God's sake, make sure your doing the right thing in the first place
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