to think I can get a nice wedding dress...

[guiltynetter]

on a budget of £800?

I don't know if I was being naive but I genuinely thought this was an okay sum of money. I've been to 3 shops so far, the first shop had no dresses under £1000. A shop I went to today that advertises having dresses for all budgets had 3 I could try on in my price range. Another one I went to said they only had their sample gowns for that price (but in strange sizes).

feeling slightly dejected. I thought wedding dress shopping would be fun! am I being unreasonable, and any tips for me? do you think it's a bad idea to maybe call or email the wedding shops beforehand to check if they have something in my budget, as the one I went to where they had none under £1000 was just embarrassing. is that just how much they all are?

I feel as if I've got £100 to spend or something, not £800...

See what kind of styles you like and the have a look on preloved.com. I'm selling my pronovias dress on there at the moment for £500, cost over £1500 new.

Awakeagain
you mean the ship isn't a pub anymore the "drydock"

anyway here is dress hire in leeds the first one i checked was £250 for a day
www.dreamdresshireleeds.co.uk/

JCREW! I wish I had known about J Crew wedding dresses when I got married. I spent a pointless amount of money on a traditional (but beautiful, admittedly) Pronovias dress when HALF that would have got me something even lovelier and much more modern and suited to my taste.

J Crew wedding dresses

Mine was worth £1400 but I paid £400 because they wanted to sell it. It was lovely - still hanging in my bedroom as I need to sell it!

It depends what you are after. Despite lots of people telling me that they got their dresses from a bridal boutique for less than a grand, I sure as hell didn't find any for that price range.

Tea length dresses tend to be cheaper than full length if you would happy with something not floor length.

Otherwise, if you are happy not getting a boutique wedding dress and getting one from the high street then there are way more options for your price range . Bear in mind that the dress might be trickier to alter if you need it, so save some of your budget for a seamstress (unless the dress fits perfectly).

I personally regret not looking more at expensive dress shops, which weren't specifically bridal. Adrianna Papell has some stunning evening dresses if you're happy to go with something slightly less traditional. There was a strapless white ball room style dress a while back, but it seems to have gone now. But just to say that they DO have dresses totally appropriate for a bride, which cost half your budget.

Know exactly what you mean. That's what happened to me with a similar budget 3 years ago. One shop was nice but I just terrified myself looking at price tags, in the other one the lady was really snotty about my "£750, maybe £1,000 at a push" budget. She did go bust a few weeks later though, so it was a lucky escape....

I got a dress from Minna in the end . Also second Bliss Studio for a good quality second hand/sample frock.

Those JCrew dresses are stunning.
Also if you search for discount codes and sites like topcashback (3.15% cashback on your purchase) there will be others :) Good luck with your purchase.

Eeek a typo
I know of said pub/ship - not 100% sure if it's still there
It was supposed to be a shop
It's on kirkstall road, further down than the cinema (near to the abbey)
Abbey wedding warehouse!

Also any sample sales? The dress I got was a sample or from a show but amazing condition and better than paying ££££££££ for it imo

Mine was £750 3 years ago. Mori Lee 1606 was the style. It can be done!

I would suggest getting it made. When I went wedding dress shopping I wanted a silk dress and I went along Belgrave Road in Leicester all the Asian boutiques along there will make pretty much whatever you want. My dress cost £400ish ten years ago.

If you're in the north west and can get to Stockport, try Florentyna Dawn. They have a vast selection, give excellent advice and service and should have something to suit. It's not cheap, but equally not over the top either. Plus they're usually made to measure, so you can choose fabric as well as style.

My wedding dress was sold as a bridesmaid dress, very simple, ivory, cost £200 including alterations. I think £800 is a generous budget. Have fun shopping !

I got married last summer and bought two brand new with tags dresses on EBay, a beautiful Alfred Angelo with a beaded bodice and train for £160 and a Monsoon dress to wear for the evening reception for £150. The close friends I did tell about where the dresses came from just admired my bargain hunting skills! The dressmaker who adjusted the shoulders slightly on the second one for me had an amazing designer dress in for alteration that had only cost £200

YANBU - I got a brand new, beautiful dress from pronuptia. It was 675. I was floored as if been willing to pay any price for my dream dress. It was about ; year ago but hoping inflation hasn't got that bad.
It truly was wonderful and as it was being made (in Paris ??) i got lots of email updates. Very exiting. If the brand is still about I'd recommend it!

You can buy some stunning, handmade (in the UK) to order dresses on Etsy for way less than £800!

I would recommend you go and get measured at a professional dress shop first though, so you know you have correct measurements to send.

Can you check any of these places
www.youandyourwedding.co.uk/forum/wedding-fashion/discount-bridal-stores-north-west-england/395110.html

I do recommend trying on at normal shops first so you have an idea why you're after

I do

I'm near London and paid £500 for mine, it was brand new from a wedding dress shop but it wasn't a major label. Still beautiful! There definitely wasn't as much choice for under £1000 though.