Dress budget

[BrusselPout]

Me again, having a wedding panic day 😂 For those planning in the 'average wedding cost' zone (rather than a lot more or a lot less expensive) what is a reasonable wedding dress budget?

We are good financially (paying for our wedding without needing to take on wedding debt) so was thinking £1,500 but am still balking at spending that much money on something that I'll wear for 12 hours!

Yes the same could be said for the wedding itself but I feel a bit more comfortable with that as the majority is on things that will make my amazing friends and family more comfortable (food, drink, entertainment)

But having said that, I don't know if this is just my rubbish self esteem telling me I'm 'not worth it' so if you don't mind sharing I would love to know what sort of budget you lovely ladies have...

Well I think the national average wedding cost is over £30k and we’re only spending £7-8k so I’m probably not the target audience for your question... that said I got a beautiful, no-compromise dress from Wed2B for £699. Also bought a lace jacket for £90. I had not set a specific budget but wouldn’t have spent more than £1000 either way because don’t feel I could justify that, even though my mum paid for it (we are paying everything else ourselves).

Our wedding was about £23k all in (that includes everything from stamps for invitations to the cost of the food etc) so a little below the average. My dress was an essence of Australia one and cost £1350 and my veil was £150. I recall the dress was originally £1500 but i got 10% discount for buying on the day. Alterations were about £200 i think. I think £1500 is a good budget and you can get a lovely dress for that. Just tell the dress shop a budget range i.e £1-£1.5k and not to go over it.

We spent c£20-£25k and my whole outfit inc alterations was less than £1k. I tried on more expensive dresses but just felt a bit daft in them; they didn’t suit me or the wedding. I went to Wed2B too (nothing over £600 in there) so it wasn’t the cost, I just didn’t like the big dresses. I ended up buying high street but still got professional alterations, great shoes, veil etc and felt s million dollars on the day.
Try dresses on and see how you feel in them. I don’t think you can decide without that.

My wedding cost more than average but I didn't spend that much on a dress. Was less than £1200 including all extras and alterations. I borrowed a veil from a friend, no point spending hundreds on a bit of tulle!

I got mine for £40 in the high street sales (reduced off the peg cream bridesmaid dress). I had already bought a bargain basement traditional wedding dress for £400 but when I tried it on again with less emotion I found it too restrictive and heavy - think practically, e.g. eating, dancing, going to the loo. I've seen brides (used to work in the industry) having to be helped into the toilet cubicle with people holding their dresses whilst they wee. Not remotely elegant.

I went to the bridal shop with a budget if £2000 and to include alterations in the budget I ended up going for a clearance dress that I fell in love with and would have paid full price unknowingly and it cost me £500. With £1500 I would say you could get an amazing dress and have some left over

My budget is similar to yours (national average) and I’m going with £1500 budget, ideally to include shoes and veil.

I’m going shopping in a couple of weeks. Feeling nervous

Go to an outlet shop and see if they have something you like (budget £200+ for alterations). Went to one last week (for the prom dress section) and it had amazing dresses from £100, Also oxfam has preworn and never worn dresses. They cost what you are willing to pay, so see what you can get, spend the difference on clothes for your honeymoon that you will wear again !

If you want a £1500 total budget, aim closer to £1000 for the dress as alterations and accessories can add up.

My wedding was more expensive than average, but I spent about £300 on a dress. It was gorgeous, and everyone assumed it was pricey.

I'd always prioritise food or drink over a dress!

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful x

My dress was £700 and we spent £7000 on wedding itself. My sisters dress was around a thousand and she spending 16000 is on the day.

The dress doesn't need to be ridiculously expensive.

Budget is approx £14k, £1.4k of that covered my dress, shoes, veil and all alterations. It’s a bloody gorgeous dress 😍 but I probably wouldn’t have spent that much if I were paying... mum insisted! I get married in July.

The dress itself was £995, but I wanted sleeves adding and obviously it needed to be taken in to fit me etc.

I paid about £2k but it was current season and I sold it on a week after the wedding for 1.5K, so was £500 out of pocket (which i deemed worth it as I felt incredible) Was a gamble though.

I got one from an outlet / 2nd hand shop. It was new, a fancy designer and beautifully made in quality fabric and with alterations, less than the price of a high street dress. There is a massive difference in fit and quality from the proper wedding designers and the high street doing wedding; the value of an internal corset cannot be underestimated even for a size 8! Spent £800. Tried Oxfam bridal but you’ll have to be very lucky and also have your own seamstress for alterations.

I don’t think it’s worth buying a dress and getting it altered to be something else. There are 1000’s and 1000’s and 1000’s of wedding dresses out there. Something you won’t fully appreciate until you end up trying to sell yours afterwards.
And remember that the £2,000 dress is going to date like everything else. Your amazing dress will be the 1980’s cringe in 10 years or so.
I would go to an independant bridal person and pick up a cool wedding dress that suits you for a couple of hundred quid.

All dresses will need altering to fit properly. No point spending hundreds on a dress if the waist isn’t really fitted and there’s a gap around your chest. Keeping trying until you find a perfect fit as well as perfect style wil drive you insane. Alterations =/= altering the design, it’s making it fit properly!

Our wedding will be around the average, but I am spending 2.5K on my dress. It is bespoke so no alterations needed. Second time around and I am paying for it myself, I have a good income which I work long hours for and I decided this was thing I would splash out.

PurplePete - tosh. Wedding dresses are like every other dress. They come in all shapes and sizes. Buy one that fits.
I got one that didn’t need anything despite being under 5’4 and being a bit apple shaped. Everyone commented on how fabulous it was ( which I expect is par for the course) and some thought it was bespoke.

Which is why I can tell you why “ alterations” are a massive con. Because they are done months before you get married. You can drop 2 dress sizes in eight weeks.

You can spend as much as you want on a dress. It doesn’t make it less poor value for money though.

My alterations were finished a week before my wedding. I think that’s quite usual. The (high street) dress looked good without them. It looked amazing afterwards

My dress was a bespoke, custom made dress, all in at £1500. It was the only dress I fell straight in love with and the fact that I was able to work with the designer to choose the lace style & pattern and the sleeves, etc meant no one else would have the exact same dress.

I still went to try on others but nothing turned my head like the dresses my designer makes (mainly tea length dresses), so even DH knew I would be having one of their dresses, whatever the cost. Although he was really happy with the cost as he thought it would be at least £2500!

@bodear - same - and that applies to any item of clothing I'm spending a lot on - I'll get it altered so it's perfect because it makes all the difference. And there's no need whatsoever to buy or alter a dress months before the wedding - a week ahead here, too.

Based on my Asian friends, I think they substantially bump up the national average wedding costs, with £75-100k for about 500 guests being standard.

Mine was £13k.

My two outfits were £275ish altogether.

A custom made top - £90 (dressblee)
A custom made skirt - £105 (jjshouse)
A second tulle skirt that I customised for the evening - £40
A second top for the evening that I didn't end up wearing - £15
Veil, shoes, underskirt, etc - £25 (all bargains from various places)

When I was trying on a dress in a bridal shop, I used a veil that cost £100, which was identical to the one I used except the clip was sturdier.

I got my dress from wed2b for 599 then 130 for alterations, I love it!