Wedding Dress - would you hire or buy?

[miffymum]

I need a wedding dress for our low/no-budget wedding next year. I quite fancy buying one (I'm paying for it so ultimately can do what I want as long as it's cheap!) but my Mum thinks I should hire one and it's a waste of money as you don't usually wear it again. I don't want a meringue so I might be able to dye it but then looking at the other thread about this it seems like most dresses just end up sitting in a box.

Has anyone hired one? how much does it cost? Is it better to buy one and get it fitted properly? I'm in a silk and taffetta swirl about the whole thing.

oh good point about accidents. Hadn't occured to me at all.

If I go go back in time I would hire, I just wanted to make a point I suppose, look at me in my posh dress lol It's in a box in the loft and no doubt my daughters will refuse to wear it.

i would buy, you'd be able to pick up a cheap wedding dress, either on ebay, monsoon, etc. What's you budget for a dress? We are getting married next week really cheap, and i got mine at monsoon for 150 pounds

The budget is as small as possible really. Certainly no more than £250 - that seems quite a lot to me. I went to Berkatex last week though and they only had two dresses for under £1000!

I just want something simple, in ivory, quite plain, long and preferably with straps.

yeah, thin straps would be fine. I'd quite like a sort of halter neck type strap really but as long as it had something - just not completely strapless. i'm a bit worried about the bust anyway as I'm still bf-ing but probably won't be by the time we get married so gawd knows what shape i'll be.

oh that's really nice actually. good price too.

12(ish) - should be back to 10-12 by then.

yep. like that too.

scary how you knew my size...

i didn't wear a dress which is the ultimate sensible answer. i was 31 when i got married and had more sense than to parade myself as a sacrificial virgin.

oh really. I enjoy parading myself as a sacrificial virgin whenever possible. Particularly round Tescos.

lol

ooooh yes. that's my favourite so far and it's sooooo cheap. my mother can bog off with the hiring thing.

the first autograph one - long crepe cowl dress. gorgeous

Our wedding was a last minute decision thing and done on a budget too.

I got my dress from Monsoon. I think it was about £195 and I also got a feather shawl which was £50 ish.

I have never worn it again but I like the fact that I still have it and that maybe one day my dd will wear it or I could have it made into christening gowns?

it's fantastic. didn't know M&S did wedding gear at all. I'll head up to Oxford Street on Monday morning and try it on - I'd hope they'll have this in the big store there.