You don’t have to go to a bridal shop to find your perfect wedding gown. Here are some different places to start your search.
Relative’s loft: Perhaps your mum or nan have saved their wedding dress? Even if it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea it could be worth trying it on; you never know what you’ll fall in love with until it’s on. Plus – provided the relative in question is up for it – you could always have some alterations done if you’d like to modernise it. Not only is this an incredibly thrifty way to find the dress of your dreams, it’s also very sentimental.
Facebook: There are many buy and sell groups on Facebook so it’s worth having a look if there is one local to you. This is a great place to check out different styles, find what you like and then get haggling.
Charity shops: Many charity shops have a separate collection of bridal gowns and some even get end-of-the-line dresses from other shops. Do some research into your local charity shops to see if they offer this service and then get shopping. While out charity shopping the other day, I spotted a gorgeous fitted silk dress by Monsoon for just £30. It just goes to show there are some brilliant bargains out there!
eBay: If you’ve got a specific idea of what you’re after, eBay is a good place to look. This huge marketplace is the first choice for many brides looking to selling their gowns because they know the audience is so huge.
Gumtree: Gumtree is similar to eBay but there is a fixed price rather than bidding; you can, however, negotiate with the sellers. Often this tends to be for local pick-ups only, so it’s worth seeing if there are any in your local area.
Specific websites: The likes of bride2bride.co.uk and stillwhite.co.uk specialise in pre-owned wedding dresses and offer a fantastic range of high-end designer dresses. While the quality is top-notch, you’ll certainly pay more than you would do in a charity shop.
High street: Many high street shops are now releasing their own bridal lines. The online giant ASOS even has a special bridal section with prices starting around £80 for a midi dress. If you’re not sold on the idea of a big, traditional wedding dress you could also consider looking in the shops for any type of dress which could be used as a wedding dress. Who says it has to be white, anyway?
Outlets: If you’re able to travel, look into outlet stores and end-of-line warehouses. Here you’ll find rows of designer gowns at slashed prices. The great thing about this is wedding dresses don’t change that much. So nobody will notice that it is ‘end of line’ anyway.
Where did you get your dress from? We’d love to know below!
Love Janie x
P.S. Our Exclusive Use Wedding for December 2017 are available from £6850 for a limited period only!