How much did you spend on your wedding dress? Any regrets?

[flanjabelle]

As the title says.

I ask because this is my dream dress:

annacampbell.worldsecuresystems.com/dresses/spirit/madison-silk-tulle

The wedding is going to be a boho sort of ceremony abroad and I just love this dress. I am not sure I want to be spending nearly two grand on the dress though as that is the same price as the wedding package!

Did you spend a lot and find it was absolutely worth it? Or more importantly, did you spend a minimal amount on the dress and feel amazing?

Any links to cheaper alternatives for a boho kind of feel would be great. I am a size 8-10 but I have a mum tum so skin tight would not be great. Temperature is going to be about 30 so not even sure on what fabric I should be going for. Help?

I've just bought this but we aren't going very formal at all.

HmkllW

Hi OP, the dress is beautiful, but it is very expensive, which you might regret if it is a stretch for you. I went to an amazing dress shop in Brighton recently and the dresses there were very similar, but in the low hundreds rather than thousands. It is called Pretty Ecentric. Don't be put off by the title though, the dresses are elegant and they use beautiful fabrics. They design and make dresses with vintage feel from 1920s-1940s. Worth a trip to try dresses on surely? But you can buy online.

If you love it and can afford it, do it!

In a bid to save money I bought a made-to-measure dress from China for £100. It was bloody awful and unwearable. I ended up spending £1500 on my dream dress and felt amazing (as every bride should). My wedding was small and boho too and the dress was the most expensive part.

I bought one from French Connection in the sale for £30. It looked horrible so I got another one for £1500 and I looked bloody amazing.

£80 in the sale at debenhams. It suited me and it was only one day and looks good in the one photo we have up. And I'm sure no one else has a photo up!

I'd say your dress looks lovely and if you have the money go for it. At 30 degrees though I'd only want yo be wearing thin cotton! But I'm old chubby and menopausal.

Would you do second hand? There are a lot of Anna Campbell dresses on here - www.stillwhite.co.uk/41350-anna-campbell

I personally wouldn't pay that much although I was tempted by a megabucks one myself. I found one I preferred which was much cheaper and in hindsight relieved I didn't spend so much.

I got my wedding dress from here www.copplestonesbridal.co.uk/ a bridal 'designer outlet' might be similar by you. I got a well known designer dress, brand new, that should have been over £1k for £299.
Also blatant excuse to post a pic

Well if we're posting pics... . Here is my second hand Essense of Australia dress. Bought for £50 off eBay. The girl who sold it to me (said she had) bought it at a sample sale.

could you look for needle and thread on sale? here and here and here

and here

LadyAntonella what a beautiful dress.

bookmarks thread in the hope of more RL dress pics

Aw thanks arched!

Have you done much shopping? I would recommend going to lots of different bridal shops (and other shops) and looking for something similar for cheaper. You might find something else you love just as much. But if you don't find something else then I think you should go for it. I wouldn't have wanted to look back on my wedding dress and regret not having the dress I wanted.

I had a budget of £1000 (but probably could have stretched to more) and ended up paying £450 for a sample dress and £50 for alterations. It was the first dress I had seen in a magazine and loved it but didn't think it would suit me. I was really pleased as I had budgeted so much more I felt like I had found a right bargain.

Good luck and enjoy having this difficult problem

I went for a cheap dress think it was £200 ish plus £50 alterations.

I got a copy of a Maggie Sottero dress from China (cost about £900). My bridesmaid was really rude about me doing that! She thought I should have bought the £900 dress I tried on in a bridal shop.

My dressmaker recognised the dress as Maggie Sottero when altering it and was surprised when I told her it was a copy, reckoned it was exactly the same as the original! (Think the dresses are manufactured in China anyway).

I really loved getting a bargain. I wasn't that bothered about a proper dress but dh wanted me to wear the traditional get up. I'd been planning on wearing a monsoon number not full length.

I spent loads of money on my hair (went to pricey salon for months in advance and got hooked on 6 weekly appointments for a few months after) but felt guilt free due to cheap dress.

We got married abroad and went to exotic honeymoon destination later. That was worth spending money on.

I say save your cash buy a monsoon dress or similar and put the money towards a dream honeymoon later on in the year. As long as you feel good in the dress you choose.

About £7k, not a big sum for us so no regrets. I'm too fat to fit in the dress now (was a size 4) though! I'm glad I got the dress I wanted when I was young and slim.

"I had no idea what you were going to wear, but I saw you and thought 'ah yes, that's who you are

Thats just beautiful.

Thanks Tattie, I get quite emotional when I think about it because it is hands down the most romantic thing he has ever said to me

Here's mine, I paid £285 and then £69 for minor alterations. I wore it two weeks ago!

£400. Don't regret it.
I think I would regret £2k.

About £7,500, and yes I do regret it. I actually liked one that was half the price better, but got carried away.

Congratulations postman- you look lovely!

Lovely tea-length dress patscat, and the sparkly shoes.
Congratulations!

17 years ago I spent £1,500.

Nerver ever regretted it for a second.

It isn't "one day", it lives in your memory and in photos forever.

If it cost £30 and you feel the same, spend that. You know it's the one as soon as you put it on.

I spent £300. No regrets for more or less. I would say though that I didn't buy the sort of dress I thought I would. I dreamt of a sort of Greek style column dress but when I tried some on they really didn't suit me. Have tried yours on op?