Wedding
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One of the biggest dreams that many women have is to get married in a beautiful dress, but finding a man to walk down the aisle with will only get them halfway. The next part is actually buying the dress, and they can be really expensive. In fact, the average wedding dress cost in the United States is $1,000. Not everyone can or wants to spend that much money on it. So they improvise. And to great success.
There's a subreddit called r/Weddingsunder10k and it's perfect for those who are planning their big day on a budget. Brides and grooms are sharing all kinds of tips and tricks that saved them a dollar or two. Or a couple of hundred! Some of the most popular posts are women sharing pictures of their stunning dresses, revealing they didn't have to spend a fortune on them. Clearly, more expensive doesn't always mean prettier.
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#1
$30 Salvation Army Find! Fits Like A Glove, Already Altered To A 32” Rib Cage And Has The Breast Pads And Perfect Length. Either The Previous Bride Was My Exact Size Or This Was Made For Me Oh, And Pockets!!
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Mari Mari Community Member Follow
POCKETS
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Rosemarie, the writer behind the blog Busy Budgeter, said the dress was the only thing she didn't want to compromise when she was planning her wedding. "I really wanted an amazing wedding dress," she wrote. "But where can you find an any dress for the $200 I had budgeted, much less an amazing one? I went to Bridal Shops and tried on an array of dresses. They were beautiful, stunning, elegant, and they were also between $700-$1,500, way over my budget."
#2
Dress Was $170 On Etsy, Cape Veil Was $170 On Etsy, Alterations Were $170! Very Excited For Our Small Airbnb Wedding (Hopefully It Won't Get Cancelled)
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Mari Mari Community Member Follow
wow! i am LOVING the veil
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Rosemarie tried to shop online, but was worried. "It never looks as good on you as it does on the model. I looked for an alternative evening gown that I could wear as a wedding dress, but had no luck." "So my mom, my 10 year old future step daughter and I drive to the location, which is open Saturdays from 10 am-12 pm. St Anthonys bridal is located in Maryland, and we find the place with no problem at all (thanks to GPS!) located inside an establishment called Dogtopia." As they walk inside, they immediately see dresses everywhere – hanging on racks sorted by sizes. "The woman at the front desk tells us that all dresses in the store are on sale for $150 plus when you purchase a dress you also receive a free veil. She gives us some direction as to the dressing area locations, and which type of dresses can be found in which areas and sends us into the adjoining rooms. The only request? If the dress is not for you- hang it up and return it to the rack that you found it on. Not a problem." ADVERTIsem*nT
#3
My $368 Wedding Dress From Etsy Came In Today And It Looks Exactly Like It Does In The Pictures!! (More Info In Comments)
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Duck Duck Community Member Follow
The bodice is gorgeous!
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So they find Rosemarie's size and hit the dressing rooms with 2 dresses. 10 dresses later, the bride-to-be looked in the mirror and there it was, the dress! "It wasn’t until after I left that I noticed the designer name on the tags that were still flawlessly attached. So naturally I googled it." It was a Demetrios designer dress. The online retail of these dresses are about $3,000. So what did Rosemarie had to suggest to others who find themselves in the need of a budget wedding dress? "Try heading over to Google, and typing in their state and “non profit wedding dress” to see if they have a similar store close to them."
#4
Thought I Found My Dress Months Ago.. Then This One Came In The Mail. Finally, At 4’11 I Feel Bridal And Grown Up Lol. Price: $82
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Anna McHugh Anna McHugh Community Member Follow
Really pretty!
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#5
My $70 Wedding Dress! (Thrift Shop Score)
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Kady Maree Mcgrath Kady Maree Mcgrath Community Member Follow
Wow soo pretty
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#6
I Went To Try On Dresses At A Boutique That Was Way Over My Price Range, When I Got There And Said My Absolute Maximum Budget Was $600, The Stylist Said That The Dresses On The Floor Start Around $1000, But She Was So Nice And Found Me A Beautiful Discontinued Dress In The Basem*nt For 400$!
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Tabitha L Tabitha L Community Member Follow
That is a wonderful sales person. Instead of pressuring the bride to be, she made it happen.
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#7
My Vintage 1950s Wedding Dress (Purchased From Etsy For $170 Total) Arrived Today! Nothing Extra Was Added For All This Amazing Skirt Volume
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
O.O wow
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#8
Found Dream Dress For $200
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Mari Mari Community Member Follow
this is stunning!
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#9
Purchased My Dress From Salvation Army For $20 And It Turned Out Beautiful In The Pictures. Also Homemade Bouquet For About $3.
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Anima Singh Charan Anima Singh Charan Community Member Follow
Lovely bouquet! It complements the cream tone of the dress too.
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#10
I Found My Reception Dress For $25 At Goodwill
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Pamela24 3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017
Wow, that's what I call a bargain! And you both look gorgeous too!
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#11
Got This Beautiful Dress For My Halloween Wedding Handmade On Etsy For $311 With Rush Shipping Included.
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Ames Demo Ames Demo Community Member Follow
I love this dress!
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#12
I Said Yes To A Hail Mary Of A Dress After Almost Losing Hope, And I Love It! 99 Dollars.
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
The navy is so cool
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#13
As A Plus Sized Bride, I Never Thought I'd Find A Dress I Could Feel Pretty In. Took A Chance On This Beauty For $250. Floral Print!
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Zoe's Mom Zoe's Mom Community Member Follow
Really like this one.
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#14
An Asos Wedding Dress For £300... I Love It!
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Pamela24 Pamela24 Community Member Follow
Not gonna lie - I know that wedding gown can cost a lot more but 300 pounds still doesn't sound like a bargain.
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#15
Brides, Don't Rule Out Second Hand Dresses - I Saved 1k On This Dress, And Saved £50 For Each Bridesmaid Dress So Far!
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Hilary Mol Hilary Mol Community Member Follow
It looks like it was made for her!
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#16
Found My Beautiful Dreas For Only $25. Couldn't Be Happier
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KarmaPeace KarmaPeace Community Member Follow
Love this too
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#17
Bought A Dress For $94 On Amazon... Comparable To David's
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Anna McHugh Anna McHugh Community Member Follow
Lovely and actually fits you in the bust! The bosom-falling-out look is really not a good one.
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#18
$200, Thrifted/Vintage, And Fits Perfectly! Couldn’t Have Designed A More “Me” Dress!
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Mari Mari Community Member Follow
this is so pretty...give to me pleaseeee
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#19
Dress From Amazon $100, Veil Also From Amazon $10, Earrings From Walmart $2, Flowers From Albertsons $25. I Think I Pulled It Off Well!!
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
You did pull it off well. 😄
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#20
My 300€ Asos Wedding Dress! Better Than Any Designer Dress I Have Tried On
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Lisa loves cats Lisa loves cats Community Member Follow
Aw! Loving the colour!
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#21
If You’re Looking For A Really Inexpensive Dress, Mine Turned Out Great!
Dragonfruit'nrollerskates Dragonfruit'nrollerskates Community Member Follow
The resembleance between her and her brother is uncanny...I've heard of genes copying and pasting but this is another level
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#22
So I’m Having A Courthouse Wedding And I Wasn’t Gonna Go For Anything Big But You Know What. You Only Get One Wedding! So I Went To Local Stores To Look For Something Nice But Affordable And I Found This Gem For $53 It’s So Beautiful And I’m So Happy About It!!
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Ames Demo Ames Demo Community Member Follow
You look perfect! I'm a fan.
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#23
Can't Help But Share My Excitement Over My Dress. It Is A New Martina Liana (#942) In Champagne And Ivory That I Found Via Poshmark For $500 Total (3k Retail). Could Not Have Asked For More. I Am In Love With It!
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
The details are lovely
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#24
$90 Dress, $7 Veil, And Dollar Store Bouquet. I Don't Want To Take Them Off!
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lara lara Community Member Follow
The lace is gorgeous. May you be as happy in forty years as you are now. Bless you.
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#25
Got Married Yesterday. Waiting For The Professional Pics To Come In But In The Meantime Here Is My $92 Dress From Amazon And My Homemade Bouquet At Our Free Venue In Austin Texas
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spirit wolf spirit wolf Community Member Follow
People!!! She looks fab and she loved her dress and that's all that matters!!
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#26
Yayayayayay! (My Dress Just Came In And I Got It $100 Off On Poshmark!)
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Kady Maree Mcgrath Kady Maree Mcgrath Community Member Follow
Lovely dress I love the sleeves
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#27
I Think I Found The One For Only $500! It Fit Me Like A Glove, I Just Have To Show It To My Mom And Sister In Person For The Final Approval. Perfect For My Beach Wedding!
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Melissa Sawicki Melissa Sawicki Community Member Follow
Beautiful Dress but it is your wedding. Why are you needing your mother and sisters approval??? Who cares what anyone else has to say about your Dress?? It is your day, no one else's. You look great girl!! Rock that dress and congratulations
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#28
Found My Dream Dress For Only $285! Need Some Ideas For Jewelry And Shoes.
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
I’d say diamonds would be sweet! 💎
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#29
$100 Asos Dress, $20 Alterations, $40 Veil From Another Reddit User. First Full Try On!
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Hilary Mol Hilary Mol Community Member Follow
Wow. The dress is absolutely stunning.
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#30
Bought My Wedding Dress For $12!!
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Rainbow Panda Rainbow Panda Community Member Follow
I hear a bargain!
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Hey pandas, what do you think?
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GirlFriday GirlFriday Community Member Follow
I love this. My friend is getting married next year and she fretted about finding a dress in her budget because the dress shops we looked at were a minimum of $1500 per dress. One shop didn't have a dress for under $3K (USD). Just by chance, we stopped at the dry cleaner clearance (Dry cleaners selling the clothes that have been left) and she found a dress for $95. She fell in love with it and paid for it, when we got it back to her house we discovered that it was a Vera W**g that had retailed for $8,000 brand new.
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Seabeast Seabeast Community Member Follow
Excellent suggestion - people forget about dry cleaners.
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nanashi nanashi Community Member Follow
it's really weird to compare with my country, people usually just rent their wedding dresses.
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Seabeast Seabeast Community Member Follow
That is so sensible. The groom rents a tuxedo, why shouldn't the bride rent a dress?
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Pamela24 Pamela24 Community Member Follow
Well...apparently my expectations of how much a "regular" wedding gown costs and therefore what constitutes "a bargain" are way off from the general population. I bought an old wedding dress a couple of years ago (didn't realize it's a wedding dress, thought I was going to wear it with a jean jacket) for roughly 35 USD. And I plan to wear it at my wedding day.But you know - to each their own - I'm definitely not trying to bash any of the brides. :)
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
The average cost of a wedding dress is approx $2,500 AUD in Aus, US and the UK.
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GirlFriday GirlFriday Community Member Follow
I love this. My friend is getting married next year and she fretted about finding a dress in her budget because the dress shops we looked at were a minimum of $1500 per dress. One shop didn't have a dress for under $3K (USD). Just by chance, we stopped at the dry cleaner clearance (Dry cleaners selling the clothes that have been left) and she found a dress for $95. She fell in love with it and paid for it, when we got it back to her house we discovered that it was a Vera W**g that had retailed for $8,000 brand new.
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Seabeast Seabeast Community Member Follow
Excellent suggestion - people forget about dry cleaners.
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nanashi nanashi Community Member Follow
it's really weird to compare with my country, people usually just rent their wedding dresses.
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Seabeast Seabeast Community Member Follow
That is so sensible. The groom rents a tuxedo, why shouldn't the bride rent a dress?
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Pamela24 Pamela24 Community Member Follow
Well...apparently my expectations of how much a "regular" wedding gown costs and therefore what constitutes "a bargain" are way off from the general population. I bought an old wedding dress a couple of years ago (didn't realize it's a wedding dress, thought I was going to wear it with a jean jacket) for roughly 35 USD. And I plan to wear it at my wedding day.But you know - to each their own - I'm definitely not trying to bash any of the brides. :)
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Foxxy (The Original) Foxxy (The Original) Community Member Follow
The average cost of a wedding dress is approx $2,500 AUD in Aus, US and the UK.
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