Wedding dress

[Tinkerbellx]

Hi
My daughter is getting married abroad next year and I'm delighted to be buying her wedding dress .
I hope it's okay to ask on here but what is a reasonable amount these days to spend on a dress ?
If they cost for example anything up to £10,000 my daughter will want the £10.000 dress unfortunately .
I need to get an idea of a reasonable figure that's generous enough to allow her to choose a beautiful dress yet not get me into debt .
I'm not well off financially having just bought her fathers share of the marital home. I'm working full time and now a single mum so if I can decide on a figure that won't offend her yet I can also firmly say no at the point that's reasonable ?
Does that make sense ?
X

£10k is extortionate op! Especially if you're a single mum! No way!!

I think only you know how much you can afford and that is that. Look at your budget and set a limit. A person can buy a wedding dress for any price really- Topshop even sell wedding dresses these days, and you can get ex shop display models at Oxfams wedding shop. A friend of mine bought hers for £150 in Zara and it looked wonderful.

If she wants the whole "princess dress" thing 🤢 then check StillWhite.com where you can get reduced price dresses. If that's the sort of thing she's after then its a good idea to identify the actual dress she likes online, then track down a stockist and try it on for size, and then track it down on Stillwhite.com or Oxfam.

In my experience actual bridal boutique prices seem to start at about £1500-£2000 but can increase massively from there. There comes a point where you've got to ask if it's worth it for a few hours of your life though....

I think setting a budget is a great idea. Will you also be paying for alterations / veil / tiara / other accessories? I'd be really clear about what it is you are paying for. Otherwise, why not offer a set amount as a contribution (e.g. £1000) towards it and then if she goes over it she knows she will have to pay the balance. Dresses can vary hugely - mine was £1200, you can buy secondhand a lot cheaper and, of course, spend a lot more! I don't know if there's an average price but I found there was a lot of choice around the £1000 mark that I chose from.

Thanks both .
I'm with you on the second hand idea but I know she wouldn't be although I will ask thanks .
Giving her a set amount would be a really good idea because I'm anticipating she will want another £500 for accessories .
I'm already budgeting for 5x return flights ( siblings. my partner and me ) and the hotel for all of us which is 5 star and all our outfits so it's going to be an expensive year .
My partner will def offer to pay for himself but I shan't accept as it's my daughters wedding . He's treating us to a lovely holiday after the wedding too which I'm looking forward to very much .

I think I'll give her a set amount that sound like a good compromise thank you x

Tell her what you can afford and be clear anything over that amount will have to be made up by her.

£10k is ludicrous. £2k will buy something lovely and you could even offer £1k towards it and that's a lovely gift

I'm a bridal stylist so can hopefully advise you a little more specifically if you know any of the designers she is interested in?

The store I work in sells dresses from £1500-£5000 and I think £2000-£2500 is a budget that will allow her to choose from the majority :)

Look for bridal shops that sell samples or previous seasons! Mine was a popular designer but £600!

I was gifted £1000 towards my wedding outfit. I think that would be really reasonable and generous of you considering the other costs associated with the wedding. My mum also paid for my jewellery/hair/make up for me which was an extra gift just from her.
I got a Jenny Packham in a sample sale for £700 and then used the rest to pay for the alterations, shoes, and veil. She could still get a brand new designer dress at a fraction of the price by looking in sample sales or second hand. My veil was also a steal for £15 in a charity shop.
Lots of bridal shoe companies have really good sales around Black Friday as well. I got some Rachael Simpsons for £60.

I’d set her a budget that you can afford and she can use it as she wishes and can til up if need be. It’s fine to want the £10,000 dress but if you can’t afford it she can either look for something else or pay more towards it.

I’d pull together a note of what the wedding will cost and have a conversation with her about her hopes and expectations for her dress. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune but I’d be telling her how much you had in mind and let her make her choices from there.

I just bought my own wedding dress for £80 on eBay. It’s nice There’s absolutely no need to spend thousands on a dress that will be worn for a few hours.

High street wedding dresses go up to about £400.

So I think £1,000 would buy a beautiful dress. If she wants one more expensive than that then she can top it up herself.

£10k is bonkers!!
My mum gave me £2k for my wedding outfit. My dress was £999, my veil was £50, my shoes were £20 (and then I swapped them for my fatface flip flops anyway 😂) and my jewellery was already sorted. I spent the rest on alterations, hair and makeup, for me and for my three bridesmaids.
£2k would be more than enough op.

I believe my dress was £1500 ish + a few hundred for a veil + a couple of hundred for alterations and adding a beaded belt to my waist. My mum paid for it and I was so grateful.

To give you an indication of how good quality it was my dress was made from French lace and silk tulle and was imported from Italy to the boutique shop I got it from. (Not princessey in style tho - it wasnt puffy and didnt have an underskirt or anything)

This was this summer so recent prices :)

Remember as well that there will inevitably be alterations which can be £££ depending on the dress style and what needs done. With the dress + accessories + alterations it can easily spiral.

If your DD has expensive tastes giving her a cheque to put towards her outfit or anything else should she pick something cheaper is a really sensible way to go. £1,500-£2,000 would get her something very nice and would be incredibly generous.

Depends where you shop and if your daughter has specific designers in mind. If she doesn't then places like Wed2B and David's Bridal have a wider range of dresses and prices than the independent boutiques. Would have no problem getting something under £1000 there. They also have specific ranges for destination weddings. Could be a good place to start.

That’s crazy money. If you have that, put it away towards a house deposit for her. I get some women want the big white wedding but it’s just ONE DAY. It’s obscene to spend that amount of money in a dress.

I got mine presented for about £200 and spent another £150 on alterations. It was around £3k new.